Denis Delestrac & Sandrine Feydel/ 2014/ 52 min/ Social Justice: Economy
Film Description: Banking Nature is a provocative documentary that delves into the trend of turning the natural world into a financial asset, a practice that some argue could help conserve the planet but which others see as a troubling commodification of nature. The film investigates how endangered species and threatened habitats are increasingly being viewed not just as elements of our environment but as "natural capital"—assets to be measured, valued, and traded on financial markets.
At the heart of this movement is the idea that if we can assign monetary values to natural resources and the ecosystem services they provide, we can better protect them. These services, which include everything from carbon sequestration and water purification to pollination and soil fertility, are quantified and transformed into financial assets. For instance, forests that absorb carbon dioxide are measured for their carbon absorption, and their value is translated into carbon credits. These credits are then traded on carbon markets, aiming to incentivize conservation by making it financially focused.
However, the film uncovers some of the troubling consequences of this approach. In Uganda, we meet individuals tasked with measuring trees to calculate their carbon storage capacity. Their work is instrumental for markets and sells the carbon credits from these calculations. This system provides a revenue stream for conservation but raises questions about the accuracy of measurements and the real-world impact of these credits.
While this might appear to be a step towards sustainability, it also represents a potential exploitation of environmental credit systems, where the destruction of pristine ecosystems is offset by the planting of monoculture tree farms, a process that may not fully replicate the ecological functions of the original forest.
The film poses a critical question: Can we trust the financial institutions responsible for previous economic crises to manage the natural world in a way that genuinely benefits the environment? The global financial crisis of 2008, which was precipitated by the collapse of mortgage-backed securities, serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with financial speculation. Banking Nature challenges viewers to consider whether the same speculative tendencies that led to economic instability could also jeopardize our natural ecosystems when they are converted into financial assets.
Director Bio: Denis Delestrac is a French director and producer who is best known for creating feature-length investigative documentaries. His films focus on the ecological, social, and political impacts of natural resources. His film, Sand Wars, influenced the United Nations Environmental Program to write a report on sand scarcity in 2019.[1]
He has won over 40 international prizes and became a member of the European Film Academy in 2017.
Denis Delestrac graduated from the Toulouse Law School and obtained a Master's degree in Journalism at the University of Dallas. He began working as a photojournalist, and later as a writer in the United States, where he covered the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Waco siege, and the 1992 presidential elections.
Denis Delestrac made his debut in non-fiction filmmaking in 2001. In addition to his TV and theatrical non-fiction works, Delestrac directs branded content films for brands or events through his production company Intrepido Films.