Banking Nature

What is the best way to protect the environment? According to economist Pavan Sukhdev, erstwhile director of the Deutsche Bank, the answer lies in capitalism: specifically, placing a monetary value on natural resources and inviting companies to mitigate their damage by purchasing “nature credits.” An ecosystem market is already in operation, generating substantial profits for banks and brokers. But the system is controversial, as the experts interviewed in this documentary by Denis Delestrac and Sandrine Feydel contend: some (like Sukhdev) see this approach as the key to reducing environmental degradation, while others view it as little more than a scam that allows investors to grow richer while actually permitting increased pollution, destruction of precious resources, and the gradual elimination of unprotected species. Banking Nature successfully outlines the theory behind “financializing nature” through interviews, graphics, and narration, while also including examples, such as the “mitigation bank” that was created around the California habitat of a species of fly placed on the endangered species list more than a decade ago, and the effect that similar tradeoffs have had on areas like the Amazon rainforests. By making this complex aspect of the modern market system comprehensible to laypeople, the documentary does a real service, especially since it also offers a balanced presentation of voices, both pro and con. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)