Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets

by Paula DiPerna

An exciting exploration of the new frontier of finance, to value the planet and protect what has too long been treated as free and taken for granted--the natural assets we need and love most In Pricing the The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets , renowned environmental strategist, speaker, world traveler and author Paula DiPerna brings a unique voice and optic to de-mystify and unveil today’s most fascinating financial disruption―pricing the priceless to flip conventional ideas of how we value natural assets and why. She asks the provocative question long Why do we value the indispensable atmosphere at zero, but dispensable production in the trillions? She digs into alternatives, with real-life examples from around the globe of fascinating and pioneering financial innovations―controversial and paradoxical, but essential. In the book, you’ll travel from rainforests to Wall Street, Board Rooms to the Vatican, coral reefs to mangroves to China’s carbon markets. Timely, adventurous, eclectic, and accessible, Pricing the Priceless brings alive the critical financial transformation that will determine future planetary health and social stability. With power, clarity and real-world experience, the author also A can’t-miss read for thought leaders, business executives, investors, activists, and entrepreneurs, Pricing the Priceless is a landmark that will shape the world and future, bridging the tangible and intangible to answer a critical question of rising economic and social What is money for?

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Environment

272 pages, Hardcover

Published June 14, 2023

Reviews

[Tran Lam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t recommend this book to those who are new to environmental discourses, nature-based solutions, and environmental markets. The writing is verbose. This book could be half or a third of its length if edited appropriately and oriented towards academic community or (not and) general public. The author tried to address everyone and ended up repeating redundant information for academic readers or being too difficult to follow for general readers. I appreciate her career stories and her accomplishments as an environmental professionals but she needs an editor to improve the flow of the book. This book has great content but it was a drag to finish.

I find her thesis on Pricing the Priceless to be strong and coherent. I agree that we need to assign values to natural assets to slow down their free extraction. I would appreciate if the book dedicates a full chapter to addressing the arguments against nature-based solutions and environmental markets. As someone who led the creation of these pricing systems, she is in a position to address their critiques. But she didn’t so it makes the book biased & incomplete.

[Cristian Cristea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book whose theory applied will enrich the rich while painting everything in green.

Ms DiPerna is a long dated advocate for carbon markets. (The complete fiasco in the EU of carbon markets did not deter her). She nicely shows how the current way cannot continue without destroying us all, however her understanding of change means including nature and other externalities into the market and regulating capitalism to pay the right price for the “priceless”. I am sure that the Blackrock, Goldman and the rest will be really happy if this were implemented. Not talking about the McKinsey and Big4 consultants. Imagine them measuring the right price for the priceless.

What it is only partially explained is who will pay this right price and to whom. I understand that humanity should pay some dictator not to destroy nature and not to allow oil exploitation. Just great idea…

If you don’t destroy nature and leave the oil and gas in the ground you clearly create value. But this value is for the future generations. Capitalism had shown time and again that it knows only one law: grab all now! So there’s a clear incompatibility here.

There is a point in her theory, the sad part is that it cannot be applied by the current system. But it is similar with the degrowth advocates. This idea needs a different system to apply it.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the information contained within this book. This is a book you have to take your time with, look up references to various programs and attempt to figure out your role in creating change in our world. A much needed call to action. If works be great to see more of these environmental changes come to pass.

[Tara Degeer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman is brilliant!

[Stan Bland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting ideas; not sure I trust the current financial system to deliver the hoped for benefits.