Could “Natural Asset Companies” Transform Environmental Finance?

While governments worldwide are getting behind the green transition, pumping billions in public funds into green energy and clean tech, most investors seem uninterested in protecting the environment unless they can turn a profit. Now, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is debating whether to assign monetary value to ecosystems to encourage greater investment in their protection.

The idea is that monetising certain aspects of nature could encourage investors to finance a wide range of projects that would help protect and improve the…