Facts & figures
Globally, building with nature could help avoid up to US $65 billion annually in infrastructure and societal losses
A global finance snapshot shows US $200 billion per year currently mobilized for NbS, growing from US $154 billion in 2021; however, this amount represents just ~37% of the funding needed to meet 2030 climate and biodiversity goals
NbS could deliver one-third of the climate mitigation necessary to meet the Paris Agreement goals
UNEP’s “State of Finance for Nature” underscores that NbS funding needs to triple by 2030 and quadruple by 2050, requiring a total investment of US $8.1 trillion over 30 years. Forest solutions alone need US $203 billion/year, peatlands US $7 billion/year, and mangroves US $0.5 billion/year
Evidence shows that NbS delivers strong economic returns. Ecosystem restoration often yields benefits far greater than costs—wetland restoration for water treatment can be cheaper than building and operating treatment plants (IISD, 2021). NbS infrastructure may cost up to 50% less than grey infrastructure, with lower maintenance needs (IISD, 2021)
The Global Commission on Adaptation estimates that mangrove restoration alone could generate USD 1 trillion in net benefits by 2030 for less than USD 100 billion in investment (UNEP, 2021)
