Is Philanthropy Dead?

Rethinking How We Fund Climate and Biodiversity Solutions.

Humanity stands at the edge of its most daunting challenge since the last mass extinction.?

We already broadly know the answers.?

Restoring and protecting ecosystems—especially forests—remains one of the most effective tools we have to combat climate change, preserve biodiversity, and secure the water resources essential to life.?

Scientists have long demonstrated that restoring 0.9 billion hectares of land (an area roughly the size of the United States) with 1 trillion trees is entirely possible and well within our financial reach.?

It requires a commitment of just $50 billion annually over the next two decades to reverse climate change, prevent mass extinction, and restore the water cycle, safeguarding us against the increasingly frequent floods, droughts, and wildfires we see today.?

To put this in perspective, that figure pales in comparison to the $250 to $500 billion insurers pay every year to cover climate-related disasters. And it’s a fraction—a mere 0.03%—of the $150 to $175 trillion amassed by the wealthiest 1% of our world’s population.?

So, with a plan that’s affordable and the knowledge to back it up, why aren’t we taking action??

The issue lies not in resources, but in how we think.?

?In today’s economy, protecting the planet, restoring ecosystems, and preventing mass extinction have become reduced to commodities—only gaining traction if they promise a competitive return on investment.?

This is the crux of the problem.?

True, meaningful impact—on people, nature, and the climate—does not easily fit into the financial models favored by investors.?

And as long as we view it through that narrow lens, change will remain out of reach.?

Take WeForest, the organization I co-founded 15 years ago, as an example. With $10 million in funding and a dedicated team of 90 people working across Ethiopia, Senegal, Zambia, and Malawi, we’ve been restoring forests and improving livelihoods.?

In just 14 years, we’ve planted 100 million trees and positively impacted the lives of 500,000 people. Yet, despite these transformative outcomes, we constantly face an uphill battle to secure funding—an obstacle all too familiar to our peers.?

Not long ago, I attended an “impact investment” event in Belgium. The event, marketed as a platform for socially conscious investing, was little more than a conventional investment conference cloaked in environmental and social concerns.?

The real focus remained on maximizing financial returns, not maximizing impact. Shortly after, a major corporate investor with an annual revenue exceeding $50 billion showed interest in one of our carbon projects.?

And they wanted a condition: backup carbon credits, in case our carbon sequestration underperformed. Something is deeply wrong when doing good is overruled by doing well.?

How can I possibly explain to a single mother in Tigray, Ethiopia, that no one is willing to fund the $58 she needs to start a chicken farming business, which would provide protein for her six children and double her family’s income of $1 per day??

All because investors see no profit in it? The return on our work—for people, for nature, for the climate—is immense. And yet, it doesn't fit into the financial models that dominate decisions. ?

Some suggest that I am speaking to the wrong audience. I disagree. I believe I’m speaking to the wrong part of the human mind. When people donate, they activate areas of the brain tied to empathy and emotional reward, such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum.?

These regions process moral satisfaction and a sense of personal meaning. But when making business decisions, people tap into the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for rational planning, assessing risks, and calculating rewards.?

If we are to make meaningful progress on the climate and biodiversity crises, we must engage both parts of the brain. We need to appeal to empathy and moral responsibility alongside logic and rationality.?

Ultimately, the greatest return on investment isn’t found on a balance sheet—it’s in securing the future of our planet and ensuring the well-being of its people. The time has come for us to start thinking with both our hearts and our minds.