New Report shows Investing in Nature Can Deliver Up to Eight Dollars in Benefits for Every Dollar Spent on Climate Adaptation
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otterdam, the Netherlands, 28 January 2026 – Investing in nature is one of the most cost-effective and inclusive ways to protect people, infrastructure and economies from climate change, according to a new report from the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA). The report shows that well-designed nature-based solutions (NbS) can deliver benefit–cost ratios of between 2:1 and 8:1, yet remain chronically underfunded due to gaps in standardized valuation, financing structures and investment pipelines.
The report, Investing in Nature – Pathways to Scale Investments in Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation, provides governments, development banks and investors with clear, actionable guidance on how to move NbS from fragmented projects to scalable, financeable components of national adaptation and infrastructure strategies.
“Nature is one of our most powerful and reliable allies in confronting climate change, yet our financial systems still fail to recognise its true value,” said Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. “This report shows that investing in nature is a critical way to support the resilience of societies. It is good climate policy, strong development policy and sound economics, and it is essential if we are serious about closing the adaptation finance gap.”
Drawing on GCA’s on-the-ground work across Africa and advanced research with the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics, the report identifies four practical pathways to scale investment in nature-based solutions:
- Using strategically public finance as a catalyst for private capital, through blended finance, guarantees and concessional instruments, to reduce early-stage risk and crowd in commercial investors.
- Quantifying the adaptation and resilience value of NbS, including avoided losses and reduced climate risk, so that nature investments can compete on equal terms with “grey” solutions in investment decisions.
- Building national pipelines of investable NbS projects, integrated into infrastructure, transport and urban development planning.
- Leveraging innovative instruments such as carbon finance, including adaptation-aligned carbon credits that can generate long-term revenue streams to support maintenance and management of NbS.
The analysis shows that targeted investments of USD 3–4 billion in nature-based solutions across Africa could generate more than USD 7 billion in avoided climate losses by 2100, while strengthening food security, protecting infrastructure and supporting livelihoods.
Despite growing recognition of their benefits, most NbS projects remain small, grant-dependent and difficult to scale. The report highlights that over 80 percent of global NbS finance still comes from public sources, while private investment remains limited to sectors with proven commercial returns. A lack of standardized metrics, limited monetization of ecosystem services and weak project pipelines continue to hold back investment at scale.
GCA’s work demonstrates that when NbS are associated with large-scale infrastructure systems such as railways, roads and energy corridors – they can significantly reduce climate risks, lower maintenance costs and improve long-term asset performance. In several cases, NbS have matched or outperformed conventional engineering solutions when long-term benefits are fully accounted for.
“The challenge is not that nature-based solutions don’t work– they do. The challenge is that we have not yet built the financial and institutional systems needed to scale them,” added Professor Verkooijen. “This report is a call to action to governments, development banks and investors to move decisively in this direction.”
The report calls for coordinated action to make nature-based solutions a core pillar of climate-resilient development by embedding them into national planning, infrastructure investment pipelines and climate finance strategies. It also emphasizes the importance of strong governance, community ownership and robust monitoring frameworks to ensure long-term impact.
As climate risks intensify and adaptation needs grow, investing in nature is critical. With the right policies, metrics and financing tools, nature-based solutions can be scaled rapidly to safeguard people, prosperity and the planet.
