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A positive manifesto for regenerating our planet through the power of natural capital.
We are on the brink of catastrophe and cutting emissions alone won't be enough. There is a second crisis happening in our ecosystems. To tackle it, we should recognise that the natural world is not only priceless but has measurable economic value. Restoring biodiversity aided by technological and financial innovation will unlock environmental protections and economic benefits.
The Case for Nature sets out with powerful clarity how protecting nature is both the right thing to do and in our economic interests; how, taking a cue from a range of indigenous worldviews, nature must be woven into our modern societies, not set apart. Siddarth Shrikanth introduces the pioneers of the nature-positive revolution and gives us the tools to understand how we can work with, not against, our living planet.
Author Siddarth Shrikanth comments on the idea behind this book:
"In an economy roiled by crisis after crisis, it can feel at times like the only option we have is to rip up our current system and start over again, embracing degrowth or dramatically curtailing the market economy.
But the ‘market’ is a social construct, and one that has largely been governed with a narrow set of financial aims in mind. With time running out, I argue that we need to make a serious effort to fold nature’s value into the system we already have: one that has, to its credit, brought remarkable progress and improved living standards for many, but has clearly gone too far in the direction of environmental destruction.
If net-zero carbon emissions is what we’re aiming for in the climate fight, this book lays out some ways in which we can also shift to a ‘nature-positive’ economy: one that reverses biodiversity loss globally and begins restoring ecosystems and the communities that steward them.
We made this economy; now we can remake it."
Siddarth Shrikanth holds a BA in Biological Sciences from Oxford, an MBA from Stanford and an MPA from Harvard. He previously worked in corporate sustainability for McKinsey and environmental policy for the World Bank, and was a writer at the Financial Times. Siddarth is now based in London and works in climate and nature investing.
"Shrikanth provides clear and tangible examples of how to not only safeguard humanity's future, but fuel economic growth and prosperity"
– Al Gore, 45th Vice President of the United States
"Eloquent, informed and inspiring: a must-read for all those who care about the planet"
– Isabella Tree, Sunday Times-bestselling author of Wilding
"A triumph and a vital resource as we move towards a world in which the intrinsic value of healthy, vibrant nature is recognised"
– Ben Goldsmith, environmentalist and financier
"A deeply engaging and insightful guide to natural capital, and a much-needed reflection on our relationship with the planet we love"
– Alice Seiger, MD of the Stanford Sustainable Finance Initiative
"The natural world is disappearing at an alarming rate. Siddarth Shrikanth has written a thorough and heartfelt guide to the strategies that we might use to change course"
– Henry Mance, author of How to Love Animals: In a Human-shaped World
"A powerful new book that argues that we can, and should, place the regeneration of nature at the heart of our economic thought and practice"
– Julian Cribb, Co-founder of the Council for the Human Future
"Fascinating and deeply informed, The Case for Nature offers a radically optimistic yet eminently practical new path towards tackling the twin crises of climate and biodiversity. Essential reading"
– Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice, Trinity College Dublin
"Shrikanth argues we cannot afford to succumb to what he calls "a false binary" between the intrinsic and the economic cases for nature [...] Shrikanth's [...] central point that we need to urgently come up with smarter and more effective ways to tackle a surging natural catastrophe is undeniable"
– Pilita Clark, Financial Times
