Episode 11: Unlocking Capital for Nature with Megan Reilly Cayten, Senior Investment Manager @ Climate Asset Management

In this episode, we speak with Megan Reilly Cayten. Megan has developed, financed, and managed projects to deliver positive impacts for people and the planet on four continents, and is currently Senior Investment Manager with Climate Asset Management, a new institutional natural capital platform. She has a background in power and infrastructure development, finance, and asset management , and has advised funds, companies and projects on climate and carbon offset strategy and impact. She is a Senior Adviser to the Oceans 2050 Foundation, board member of the largest conservation NGO in Mexico and Environmental Voter Project and is on the National Council of World Wildlife Fund. Her passion is climate restoration, with the goal of leaving our children a habitable planet.In this episode, we touch on:  The specific opportunities and challenges around scaling natural climate solutions in emerging markets, and the importance of centering indigenous communities as partners and stewardsThe power of the ocean as a climate lever,  the climate impacts to oceans of absorbing incredible amounts of energy and heat, and the status of emerging methodologies to unlock seaweed as a form of at-scale carbon sequestrationClimate Asset Management’s mandate, how it addresses the unique dimensions of investing in NCS, and how NCS investing differs from conventional infrastructure and real asset opportunitiesWhat’s required for making natural capital an asset class, the path to making nature-based projects bankable, and what’s needed to drive more investment into natural climate solutions Why “nature is the new climate” - why nature and biodiversity considerations are as essential to our focus as addressing greenhouse gas emissionsWant to learn more? Check out these resources:Nature is the New Climate (Megan Reilly Cayten, Environmental Finance)The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta ReviewFinancing the Earth’s Assets: The Case for Mangroves (Earth Security)Taskforce on Nature-related Financial DisclosuresFrance’s Article 29 on biodiversity disclosures and the UK’s 2021 Environment Act mandating that projects deliver a biodiversity net gain“Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered” (E.F. Schumacher)Episode recorded: February 1, 2022

Om Podcasten

We are a show about nature’s role in tackling climate change. A new industry is taking shape, and our goal is to host a candid, cross-disciplinary conversation on nature and its role in addressing climate change. We are three friends with diverse backgrounds who met in business school at Stanford and share a common interest in demystifying natural climate solutions. Together, we’ll unpack this growing field and connect the dots across the people and ideas shaping its future. Whether you work in the space already or are hearing the term “nature-based solution” for the first time, this show is for you. Join the conversation with industry juggernauts, environmental thought leaders, and entrepreneurs around the world who are operating at the frontier of nature-based solutions.