Project Seagrass CEO and Co-Founder, Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth reflects on London Climate Action Week: I left London Climate Action Week inspired, challenged, and, at times, deeply concerned. Over the course of the week I joined conversations spanning nature finance, climate resilience, biodiversity, restoration, and global leadership. The speakers were exceptional.
Project Seagrass CEO and Co-Founder, Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth reflects on London Climate Action Week: I left London Climate Action Week inspired, challenged, and, at times, deeply concerned. Over the course of the week I joined conversations spanning nature finance, climate resilience, biodiversity, restoration, and global leadership. The speakers were exceptional. The discussions thoughtful. The ambition undeniable. Yet I found myself returning to one central question: Have we become so focused on financing nature that we’re forgetting why nature matters in the first place? One recurring theme throughout the week was the rapid growth of private investment in nature. There is no doubt we need to unlock far greater investment if we are to tackle the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises. Finding language that resonates with investors, governments, and businesses is essential. Concepts such as natural infrastructure or nature as infrastructure have undoubtedly helped communicate the value of healthy ecosystems and have opened doors to conversations that might not otherwise have happened. But I also found myself questioning whether these terms are enough, or perhaps whether they risk shaping how we think about nature in ways that deserve greater, deeper, reflection. Nature is so much more than infrastructure. Infrastructure is something we build to serve us. Nature is the living system that sustains us. Whilst framing ecosystems as infrastructure may help unlock investment for conservation and restoration, we should be careful not to reduce nature’s value to the services it provides or the financial returns it can generate. If we do, we risk reinforcing the very mindset that has contributed to environmental decline. Perhaps the challenge is not whether we use these terms, but ensuring they remain a means to an end, not the end itself. Leanne was a delegate at London Climate Action Week 2026 Leanne attended an inspiring speech by Al Gore at the Guildhall as part of London Climate Action Week. Investment in nature-based solutions has increased dramatically over the past decade, with ambitious targets to unlock hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Much of the conversation focused on creating investable markets, developing commodities, standardising metrics, and attracting private capital. All of these discussions are important. We need significantly greater investment if we are to reverse biodiversity loss and respond to climate change. But I remain uncomfortable with one phrase that appeared repeatedly. Nature as infrastructure. I understand why the term is used. It helps communicate value to investors and policymakers. But nature is more than infrastructure. Infrastructure exists to serve us. Nature is the living system of which we are part. Reducing ecosystems to assets risks reinforcing the very worldview that has driven environmental decline, a worldview where nature’s value depends solely on the services it provides to people. The challenge is not simply finding new ways to value nature. It is remembering that our own future depends upon healthy ecosystems. The missing ocean Perhaps the biggest surprise was not what was discussed but what wasn’t. Again, the Ocean was siloed into separate token sessions in a separate venue. Many other conversations centred on agriculture and forestry, which currently receive the overwhelming majority of private investment. That isn’t surprising. Around one third of the Earth’s surface is used for agriculture. But two thirds of our planet is Ocean. Despite that, marine ecosystems remain largely absent from many broader conversations about nature finance. Even when seagrass appeared, sometimes literally as the backdrop on presentation slides, it was not discussed. This is a pattern we encounter repeatedly. Seagrass has become something of a poster child for coastal restoration, yet when investment decisions are being discussed, these ecosystems are still frequently overlooked. That disconnect matters. A healthy Ocean, of which seagrass meadows are a significant part, underpin fisheries, coastal resilience, biodiversity, carbon storage, and livelihoods across the globe. If we continue to overlook marine ecosystems, we are overlooking much of the planet itself. Mapping the Market Panel discussion at London Climate Action Week Talks on the current state of private investment in nature Protection before restoration Another theme that emerged consistently across discussions is that everyone wants restoration. Fewer people spoke about protection. The science remains clear. The first priority must always be protecting the ecosystems that still exist. Where ecosystems can recover naturally, passive restoration should come first. Active restoration has a vital role where scientific evidence demonstrates that natural recovery is unlikely. This is not simply about spending money more efficiently. It is about working with ecological processes rather than against them. We still need people Technology featured prominently throughout the week: Artificial intelligence; satellite imagery; remote sensing; environmental markets. All offer exciting opportunities. But none remove the need for people. Several discussions explored the creation of dynamic environmental baselines and increasingly sophisticated monitoring approaches. These are valuable developments. Yet ecosystems still require people on the ground. We still need scientists, practitioners, local communities, and volunteers undertaking field surveys, validating data, and understanding ecological change in context. No amount of technology replaces local knowledge or ecological expertise. Nature recovery remains a human endeavour. Public money still matters Private finance has an important role to play. It can accelerate restoration, unlock innovation, and diversify funding. But it cannot replace public investment. Several speakers raised concerns that Governments are beginning to withdraw public funding in anticipation that private markets will fill the gap. That would be a profound mistake. Public investment creates the policy, regulation, and long-term certainty upon which private investment depends. Without strong public institutions, environmental markets cannot function effectively. The conversation should never be public or private finance. It should be public and private finance working together. Women Leaders Protecting People and Planet session during London Climate Action Week We are nature Perhaps the most powerful session of the week brought together women leaders from across the world. One speaker said something that has stayed with me. “We are not saving nature. Nature is saving us.” Another reminded us: “The Ocean was our first mother.” These aren’t simply poetic observations. They challenge something fundamental. Somewhere along the
