The world needs to plug a biodiversity finance gap worth $700 billion per year to effectively protect and restore nature, according to the United Nations. This issue is garnering more attention as sustainability efforts have evolved from reducing carbon emissions to protecting nature – moving from ‘do no harm’ to taking positive action.

A turning point was the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to which most countries agreed in 2022, defining biodiversity commitments, pushing for reporting and regulation and calling for more than $200 billion from public and private capital.

One potential solution is raising financing through biodiversity markets. But establishing biodiversity credits isn’t as simple as carbon credits: a tonne of CO2 emitted has the same impact globally, while nature and biodiversity impacts are very specific and local.

The history of the development of the carbon markets has had its own challenges, as they were fraught with significant controversies, raising concerns about the same issues developing in the biodiversity markets. In this week’s episode, Giulia explores this new space with Simas Gradeckas, founder at Bloom Labs.

The conversation touches upon the role of corporate responsibility in addressing biodiversity loss, ethical considerations surrounding projects in the Global South and putting a price on nature, the differences between compliance and voluntary markets, and the future prospects for scaling biodiversity finance.

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There’s no denying that continuing to treat the natural world as we do will lead to ecological breakdown. We don’t seem to take into account how our consumption of natural resources affects the planet – which, ultimately, may stop providing those resources in the first place.

UK economist Kate Raworth has developed a model, called doughnut economics, which provides an alternative system where humans can thrive without breaching planetary boundaries. In her landmark book, “Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist,” she suggests seven transformation points in our current economic system.

In this week’s episode, Giulia explores this framework with Carolina Eboli and Jo Woods, board members of the London Doughnut Economy Coalition. The interview covers the Coalition’s work at a local level, engaging communities in South London while acknowledging the urgency to maintain a global perspective in addressing these issues.

The conversation also touches upon the challenges for businesses in integrating the doughnut principles in their operations. While some companies have successfully implemented them, adopting this mindset isn’t straightforward, as each business navigates its unique context. Yet, this shouldn’t discourage action; ultimately, operating within planetary boundaries means future-proofing and building an organisation for the 21st century and beyond.

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From heating and cooling to construction materials and power demand, buildings are responsible for up to a third of global emissions – but rarely get the political or media attention they deserve. This week, Felicia talks to Lord Adair Turner, chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, to explore why that needs to change now.

We dig into why electrification is the only real path to decarbonising the built environment, and why heat pumps – not hydrogen – are the smarter, more efficient bet for home heating. Better insulation can drive down energy costs; we urgently need to upgrade transmission and distribution networks, despite the costs and complexity because, without them, electrification can’t deliver.

We also look at the opportunity for the Global South to leapfrog outdated systems and build smarter from the ground up, designing cities and buildings that are efficient by default, not by retrofit.

It's clear: there’s no single solution. We need a range of solutions and systemic shifts, tailored to place and purpose, including smarter design, reuse of excess heat, and flexible demand systems that reduce pressure on the grid.

If we’re serious about climate action, we can’t keep ignoring the buildings we live and work in. The transition won’t succeed without them, and done right, it could mean lower energy bills, healthier homes, and a more resilient future. This is not about net zero targets but about what we build today, and how we power it tomorrow.

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