Incorporating Nature in Infrastructure: Development Insights from the Fall 2020 Infrastructure and Nature Webinar Series

The world is facing multiple simultaneous crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic devastation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. As is already evident in economic rescue and stimulus packages, infrastructure development is central to whether countries can effectively meet national and global sustainability targets. The coming tsunami of investment demonstrates the opportunity to change course: an estimated $95 trillion in new infrastructure is needed by 2040 to meet global demand for growth, double what existed in 2012. A paradigm shift is necessary toward policies that support comprehensive planning, rapid decarbonization, and ecosystem conservation to ensure investment in resilient infrastructure that taps the powerful potential of nature-based solutions, aligned with the global goals. A society-wide response, including the private, financial, and public sectors, is essential to deliver the combined technical capacity, data, and expertise necessary for implementation.