The stakes
The past 11 years have been the 11 warmest years on record since record-keeping began 176 years ago, and 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded globally.i In 2025, ocean heat content reached another record high, with roughly 90% of the world’s oceans experiencing at least one marine heatwave.ii
These impacts can feel abstract until you look at what they cost. Natural catastrophes caused $220 billion in global economic damages in 2025.iii The January wildfires in Los Angeles cost $40 billion in insured losses, the largest wildfire loss on record.iv About half of the global losses from exposure to natural hazards are uninsured, and in many emerging economies, where exposure is highest, 80% to 90% of catastrophe losses have no insurance coverage at all.v
Nature is among the most cost-effective protection we have against these rising climate impacts. Mangroves in front of coastlines, restored floodplains upstream of cities, forests that hold soil and regulate water, and other nature-based solutions are some of the best adaptation tools available, and we actually save money by investing in them. Every dollar spent on adaptation and resilience can yield up to ten dollars in benefits and avoided costs when a disaster strikes.vi
In spite of this, nature-based solutions are among the least funded. The world needs around $570 billion of annual investment to meet global climate, biodiversity and land conservation goals, but current investment is running at under 40% of that.vii Closing the gap between what we know works and what is being funded is what putting nature at the center of this week is about. It’s the argument WWF has spent years building the case for.