Can Nature Really Be Valued?

At a time when climate disruption and biodiversity collapse threaten the foundations of our economies and societies, the question of how, or whether, we can value nature is no longer theoretical.

Can nature really be valued in financial terms, or does pricing the priceless mean betraying what we claim to protect?

From the halls of ministries to the trading floors of green finance, nature is increasingly framed not only as a moral imperative but as an economic asset. Natural capital accounting, biodiversity credits, and nature-based financial instruments are being heralded as tools to ‘make nature visible’ to markets and investors. However, critics, including Indigenous knowledge holders, ecologists, and activists, raise fundamental concerns.
- Does assigning a monetary value to ecosystems reduce them to commodities?
- Can market tools protect what they were never designed to comprehend?
- And where does intrinsic, relational, or spiritual value fit into a spreadsheet?

This debate will not shy away from these tensions. It will stage a structured debate between competing worldviews: those who see valuation as a necessary step toward scaling sustainable finance, and those who believe it is a dangerous slide into commodification and control. At stake is not just a set of financial methodologies, but the principles that define our relationship with nature itself.