Nature's Fortune
How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature
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What is nature worth? The answer to this question -- which traditionally has been framed in environmental terms -- is revolutionizing the way we do business.
In Nature's Fortune, Mark Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy and former investment banker, and science writer Jonathan Adams argue that nature is not only the foundation of human well-being, but also the smartest commercial investment any business or government can make. The forests, floodplains, and oyster reefs often seen simply as raw materials or as obstacles to be cleared in the name of progress are, in fact as important to our future prosperity as technology or law or business innovation.
Who invests in nature, and why? What rates of return can it produce? When is protecting nature a good investment? With stories from the South Pacific to the California coast, from the Andes to the Gulf of Mexico and even to New York City, Nature's Fortune shows how viewing nature as green infrastructure allows for breakthroughs not only in conservation -- protecting water supplies; enhancing the health of fisheries; making cities more sustainable, livable and safe; and dealing with unavoidable climate change -- but in economic progress, as well. Organizations obviously depend on the environment for key resources -- water, trees, and land. But they can also reap substantial commercial benefits in the form of risk mitigation, cost reduction, new investment opportunities, and the protection of assets. Once leaders learn how to account for nature in financial terms, they can incorporate that value into the organization's decisions and activities, just as habitually as they consider cost, revenue, and ROI.
A must-read for business leaders, CEOs, investors, and environmentalists alike, Nature's Fortune offers an essential guide to the world's economic -- and environmental -- well-being.
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Environmentalists think businesspeople are irresponsible. Businesspeople think environmentalists are impractical and naive. Can't we all just get along? We certainly can, says Nature Conservancy CEO Tercek, formerly a managing director at Goldman Sachs. The organization, which pursues conservation in all 50 states and 35 countries, has given Tercek the impetus to ask: how can environmentalists and businesses work together to produce conservation measures that make sense? First, they need to work with governments to enact strong and effective policies, and with individuals, who need to make their voices heard as voters and consumers. Tercek, along with science writer and conservation biologist Adams, covers a broad spectrum of environmental needs and challenges (water usage and consumption, preventing overfishing, reef restoration, climate change, urban conservation, population growth), as well as companies that have an ideal mix of environmental footprint and global brand. The authors convincingly argue that corporate responsibility is not only the right ethical tactic, but the right business move; making an investment in the environment now will help companies obtain the necessary resources in the future, and it will also have a positive effect on their bottom lines. According to this savvy book, both environmentalists and business executives need to understand "how nature contributes to economic and ecological well-being."
