Four years ago, ‘nature tech’ was a term that few recognized—a promising fusion of modern technology and nature-based solutions to accelerate and scale action to tackle the climate crisis. Today, what started as a list of key emerging trends has now grown into a rapidly evolving industry attracting over USD 2 billion in investments over the past year.
The inaugural Nature Tech Summit in London, part of the first-ever Nature Tech Week and co-hosted by Nature4Climate and the Nature Tech Collective, drew business leaders, environmental experts, and technologists under the same premise – underscoring technology’s transformative potential in addressing our planet’s most pressing environmental challenges.
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In an era marked by financial instability and escalating climate concerns, new technologies in the service of nature emerge as a catalyst for impactful climate action. The summit highlighted the urgent need for systemic change, positioning nature as critical infrastructure and emphasizing the importance of innovative, collaborative solutions.
Here are five compelling reasons to keep nature tech on your radar—and consider investing in it now:
1. Change beyond innovation
While technological advancements are vital, the summit highlighted that true transformation demands a fundamental shift in our economic and financial systems. Keynote speakers Martin R. Stuchtey from the Landbanking Group and Nicole Schwab from Ostara Collective noted the need to confront deep-rooted systemic challenges—not just technological ones. “Incremental fixes won’t cut it—we need new paradigms”, the speakers agreed. Nature tech is at the forefront of this shift, offering financial models prioritising resilience over short-term gains.
“We are laying down the foundations for a post-crisis economy where nature is collateral—like preparing for a Minsky moment in ecological terms.” — Martin R. Stuchtey
2. Nature as critical infrastructure
Nature must be treated as critical infrastructure—investable, valued, and visible on balance sheets. Technologies like AI, blockchain, and Earth observation are revolutionizing the way we monitor and manage natural resources, making it possible to quantify and invest in nature as we would in any other form of infrastructure.
“The sum of all recycled products is not a circular economy. The sum of all electric drives is not a new mobility system. The sum of all organic farms is still not nature restored. Nature must be reinterpreted as critical infrastructure that deserves to be investable.”
Martin Stuchtey, Landbanking Group
3. From data collection to actionable insights
Advances in metagenomics, bioacoustics, satellite imaging and AI have made environmental monitoring more precise. There is no shortage of incredible solutions that are game-changers for the implementation at scale of high-quality nature projects. However, there is more to be done when transitioning from data collection and monitoring to groundbreaking, actionable data that can enable governance, investments, and impactful decision-making.
“Most nature tech is stuck in measurement mode. Information is useful but not transformational unless it enacts governance, incentives, and policy.” — Craig Mills, Land and Carbon Lab, WRI
4. Imminent carbon credit supply crunch
Actionable data can and should work for decision-making. For example, a new projection model presented by Arbonics at the event indicates that the demand for high-quality nature-based carbon credits is expected to surge by 2027–2030, but supply isn’t scaling fast enough. Early investment in nature-based solutions is critical to avoiding a market bottleneck.
“Forests planted in 2028 might not yield credits until 2033. Those who invest now will win. Those who wait will be too late” — Kristjan Lepik, Arbonics
5. Nature risk is a financial risk
A crucial takeaway from the summit was the growing recognition that nature loss is not just an ecological issue but a financial one. Businesses are beginning to understand that degraded ecosystems threaten supply chains, economic stability, and long-term business resilience. Sustainability is no longer a corporate responsibility issue—it’s a CFO-level financial risk.
“Sustainability is moving out of corporate affairs and marketing and into the CFO’s office. The language that resonates now is financial risk.” — Sebastian Leape, Natcap
Summing up
Nature tech is no longer a niche topic—it is a mainstream, rapidly scaling field with the potential to reshape economies, financial systems, and environmental governance. For investors, businesses, and policymakers alike, nature tech is an opportunity that cannot be ignored.
But realising this vision requires a fundamental shift in investment and capital flows. By prioritising collaboration, using data to address risk and ensure compliance with high-quality standards and deploying new technologies to scale up implementation, Nature tech becomes more than just another promising sector— it’s a pivotal actor for catalytic change.