Davos 2025: Investing in Nature
Wells attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week, championing the vital role of nature and highlighting the immense potential of natural capital as an impactful and lucrative asset class.
Wells spoke at Investing in Nature, a thought-provoking panel discussion hosted by MIT exploring the intersection of natural ecosystems and financial investment. The session opened with Johan Roshamrom, founder of Planetary Guardians, who provided a global health check on our ecosystems, emphasising the urgency of investing in natural infrastructure — not just for environmental security, but as an insurance policy for humanity’s future.
Dr. Sylvia Earle followed, stressing the critical role of the ocean — our planet’s “lungs” — in sustaining life. She highlighted the importance of Hope Spots and the wisdom embedded in marine life, such as sperm whales, urging us to value their knowledge over their exploitation.
Wells Howe, Principal and Founder of Blue Carbon International (BCI), built on this by sharing the remarkable discovery of the world’s largest seagrass meadow — enabled by equipping tiger sharks as oceanographers. He detailed how the Bahamas is pioneering a sustainable blue economy by leveraging its seagrass ecosystems for both conservation and financial investment.
Ralph Chami, BCI partner and thought leader in nature finance, then explored how nature can be transformed into an investable asset class, while Milan Meyberg closed with a visionary demonstration of generative AI — giving ecosystems a voice and identity.
The session underscored a powerful message: nature is not just worth protecting — it’s also the smartest investment we can make.