Should we put a price on nature?

Everyone who steps outside can appreciate the value that the natural world brings to our lives. To some people, the idea of placing a monetary value on trees and mangrove forests is wrong because nature and its gifts are priceless. But others say the love of nature has not stopped it from being polluted or destroyed.

The natural world plays a major role in capturing the carbon from our atmosphere. A marketplace now exists where countries and big businesses can pay others to protect their forests, swamps and bogs in return for offsetting their emissions. But several of these schemes have faced scandal and corruption. Could the world’s largest biodiversity conference in Colombia, COP16, help put a stop to that?

Presenters Kate Lamble and Jordan Dunbar are joined by Kevin Conrad, founder, Coalition for Rainforests; Tina Stege, climate envoy, Marshall Islands; Pavan Sukhdev, chief executive officer, GIST

Tell us what you think of the show or send us your own climate question. Email: [email protected] or Whatsapp: +44 8000 321 721

Producers: Darin Graham and Graihagh Jackson
Researcher: Natasha Fernandez
Reporter: Gloria Bivigou
Series producers: Alex Lewis and Simon Watts
Sound engineers: Graham Puddifoot and Tom Brignell