Climate and nature action is changing: How new mindsets and solutions will help

• COP30 takes place in Brazil from 10-21 November. It represents an opportunity to accelerate global cooperation on climate action.
• A new mindset is emerging, which recognizes that climate adaptation and resilience can boost growth rather than draining resources.
• This article brings together the most recent research from the Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate. It will be regularly updated throughout October and November, so please bookmark and come back to it.

The climate crisis demands a fundamental shift in thinking. As we approach COP30 in Belém this November, a new narrative is emerging that challenges traditional assumptions about climate action and economic growth.

Far from being a burden, climate resilience is proving to be a profitable investment, while emerging technologies are accelerating solutions at an unprecedented pace.

Five critical Earth systems are now at imminent risk of reaching irreversible tipping points: the Greenland ice sheet, West Antarctic ice sheet, warm-water coral reefs, Labrador and Irminger Seas convection and boreal permafrost. These cascading impacts threaten water systems, agriculture, and the foundations of global economic stability.

The most significant transformation in climate action is the recognition that resilience generates exceptional returns rather than draining resources. This represents a fundamental paradigm shift from viewing climate measures as compliance costs to understanding them as strategic investments.

Research consistently demonstrates that climate adaptation delivers extraordinary returns. Companies report that their current adaptation and resilience investments could yield between $2 and $19 for every dollar invested.

New analysis by the World Resources Institute (WRI) of 320 adaptation investments across 12 countries reveals that every $1 invested yields over $10.50 in benefits over 10 years, with average returns of 20-27%. Crucially, adaptation benefits accrue even when climate disasters don’t occur, generated through job creation, productivity gains and healthier communities.

This $4 trillion revenue community, representing 12 million employees across diverse industries, has consistently outperformed major global economies in emissions reductions while maintaining robust profitability.

Ahead of COP30, the Alliance issued an open letter urging governments and businesses to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, resilient economy.

It calls for 13 action areas to accelerate the transition and drive growth, highlighting the need for policymakers to provide more stable frameworks, shorten permitting processes, scale climate finance, support breakthrough technologies, phase out unabated fossil fuels and invest in nature and resilience.

Business leaders, meanwhile, are urged to set science-based targets, cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions, collaborate across value chains on Scope 3, improve efficiency, drive innovation, create stronger demand signals for low-carbon solutions and invest in adaptation.

“We urge governments and business leaders to act decisively and accelerate proven solutions so we can unlock the full potential of the climate economy and secure a more prosperous, sustainable future for all,” said Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum.

Crucially, investing in climate adaptation and resilience also delivers profound societal benefits by fostering healthier, more thriving communities.

Nature-based solutions alone have the potential to create around 395 million jobs worldwide by 2030, particularly in sustainable agriculture, ecosystem restoration, and agroforestry, providing economic security and skill development, especially in lower-income regions.

The Forum’s Finance Solutions for Nature report finds nature finance has rapidly gained momentum, yet remains vastly underfinanced compared to the trillions flowing into activities harmful to ecosystems.

Strategic investments in nature not only help mitigate climate impacts through carbon sequestration and ecosystem restoration but also foster healthier communities by improving air and water quality, reducing pollution-related health risks. Globally, around 9 million premature deaths annually are attributed to avoidable environmental factors like soil, air and water pollution, which resilient natural ecosystems can mitigate.

The report advocates for a flexible finance toolkit combining familiar, liquid general-purpose finance with credible nature-specific models that deliver positive environmental outcomes.

Strengthening infrastructure and ecosystems enhances community resilience against extreme weather and environmental shocks, reducing disaster risks and safeguarding livelihoods.

By integrating climate, nature, and resilience priorities, communities become healthier, more economically stable, and better prepared for future climate challenges — transforming adaptation spending from a cost into a vital investment in human well-being and long-term societal prosperity.

Technology convergence is creating unprecedented opportunities to address climate challenges at scale — including the breaching of seven planetary boundaries.

Developed in collaboration with Frontiers, the report reveals that many critical technologies already exist but remain underutilized, with their potential as practical, scalable solutions hinging on political will, financial investment, and public awareness.

These innovations span clean energy, materials science, biotechnology and Earth observation, each assessed through policy, finance and equity lenses to ensure responsible scaling and inclusive impact. Here are just three:

Precision fermentation stands out as a transformative solution for reimagining food systems. This technology produces animal-free proteins that could fundamentally change food, materials and medicine while dramatically reducing environmental impact. When coupled with renewable energy inputs and sustainable feedstock sourcing, precision fermentation can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 72-97%, cut water use by 81-99% and lower land use by up to 99% compared to conventional dairy protein production.

Green ammonia production tackles one of agriculture’s most carbon-intensive processes. Traditional ammonia synthesis consumes up to 2% of global energy and generates more emissions than any other chemical process. Cleaner production methods using renewable electricity to split hydrogen from water through electrolysis could displace these energy-intensive processes. Projects are already being developed to enable on-site fertilizer production in regions with intermittent power or limited infrastructure, including parts of rural India.

Modular geothermal energy represents a breakthrough in delivering constant renewable power. Smaller, factory-built geothermal systems can provide reliable, clean energy almost anywhere, adding flexible, baseload capacity to the global energy mix. Unlike intermittent solar or wind power, these modular systems deliver steady electricity while requiring minimal land footprint, making them particularly valuable for communities seeking energy independence and grid resilience. In 2023, a pilot project in Nevada, US, produced 3.5 megawatts of round-the-clock electricity, validating the viability of closed-loop geothermal.

Nature-based solutions are demonstrating exceptional potential for both climate mitigation and adaptation, offering what experts call a “triple dividend” – avoiding losses from climate impacts while generating economic gains and delivering social and environmental benefits. As the Forum’s research shows, nature-based solutions can provide up to 30% of the mitigation needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2030.

Despite their proven effectiveness, nature-based solutions remain critically underfunded, receiving just 1.5% of all public international climate finance for adaptation in developing countries. Yet the economic case is compelling: mangrove forests alone save an estimated $80 billion per year in avoided losses from coastal flooding globally and could help protect up to 18 million people.

The Forum’s Adaptation through Water approach recognizes that water underpins climate vulnerabilities across multiple systems and positions nature-based solutions alongside efficiency-improving technologies and AI-driven tools as key investment opportunities for the private sector.

By working with nature rather than against it – from restoring wetlands that protect against storms to conserving forests that stabilize soil and regulate water flow – these solutions deliver resilience at scale while creating co-benefits for nature, economies, communities and health.

The transformation requires innovative collaboration models that bridge traditional funding gaps. Adaptation projects deliver public goods but need new approaches to monetization and incentive creation.

Financial innovation: The global need for adaptation finance far exceeds current flows, finds the WRI, but new mechanisms are emerging. Parametric insurance pays out when specific conditions occur rather than reimbursing losses after events, enabling faster response and recovery. The voluntary carbon market increasingly rewards nature-based solutions that sequester carbon while building resilience.

Scope 3 downstream emissions are the largest and hardest to abate in corporate footprints. This year’s winners of the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders’ Downstream Solutions Challenge – Schneider Electric, Vestas, DHL and BBVA – pioneered solutions across sustainable design, collaboration, smart logistics and finance. They show that business can deliver systemic climate impact and resilience through innovative, scalable approaches.

As leaders prepare for COP30, the evidence is clear: climate action can drive economic prosperity.

Success requires integrating three core themes:

• Innovation demands continued investment in emerging technologies while accelerating deployment of proven solutions.
• Resilience must be reframed as a value driver rather than cost centre, with adaptation investments scaled based on demonstrated returns.
• Growth comes from recognizing that the climate economy is delivering measurable results today, not just promising future benefits.

The transformation is already underway. Companies, communities and countries that embrace this new mindset. Seeing resilience as a profitable investment, emerging technology as an immediate opportunity and collaboration as a competitive advantage, will capture the value while building the planetary resilience our future depends on.

The question is no longer whether climate action pays off, but whether leaders will move fast enough to seize the historic opportunity before us.