Decoding Nature

Winter 2025

The natural capital revolution is happening, a transformative shift that offers an unparalleled opportunity to reshape not only the economy but the very language we use to describe our relationship with the natural world. To grasp the magnitude of this change, imagine trying to explain the internet in the 1980s—before Google, streaming services, and iPhones existed. The confusion surrounding “natural capital” today is strikingly similar, but this concept is poised to become as integral to our lives as the technology that powers our daily routines.

In the next decade, as systems to recognise nature as a tangible asset evolve, so too will our vocabulary. Yet, the language of natural capital today remains mired in academic jargon, acronyms, and technical terms that are as daunting as they are disengaging. If we all can’t connect with these ideas, how can we be expected to care let alone act? This is a critical gap, and closing it is essential if we are to ensure that nature’s value is understood and protected by all.

Take a lesson from the tech world: New terms seamlessly integrated into our daily lives as the technology matured. We no longer “search the internet”; we “Google.” We don’t “watch videos online”; we “stream” them. This effortless transition will be mirrored in the world of natural capital. One day, we may not speak of “carbon offsets” in cumbersome, technical jargon, but in simple, universally understood terms that resonate. Just as “tweeting” has come to represent posting on social media, the future of natural capital will bring its own streamlined terminology that will enter language with ease.

However, there’s a significant challenge: much of what we’re discussing in terms of natural capital—carbon, emissions, biodiversity—remains invisible to the naked eye. We cannot easily see the carbon we emit or the biodiversity being lost. Moreover, environmental damage often unfolds over long, abstract timelines, which makes it harder for people to grasp the urgency of the issue. Our natural human tendency toward temporal discounting—the bias to prioritise immediate gains over delayed rewards—intensifies this challenge, as the distant impacts of climate change can feel less pressing or relevant. These factors make our mission even more crucial: we need to simplify, to make natural capital tangible and emotionally resonant, bringing these abstract forces into everyday understanding. We need even more wonderful communicators, marketers and psychologists working in the environment sector so that even the term environment sector is no longer meaningful because it’s part of everything we do.

Each conversation we have today is an opportunity to shape this emerging language – an opportunity to practise what and how we communicate about natural capital. Just as terms like “carbon footprint” entered the mainstream discourse, we now have the chance to shape how the world talks about and values natural capital. The way we communicate these concepts today will influence how they are perceived and acted upon tomorrow.

Language does more than reflect reality—it actively constructs it. As we move toward a future where nature’s value is integrated into our economic systems as clearly as stock prices or property values, we must recognise that language is one of our most powerful tools. By crafting a shared vocabulary, we are not only describing an economy where nature is a vital asset but also building the foundation for its long-term stewardship.

As natural capital gains prominence in global financial markets, the urgency to make this shift in perception—and language—becomes even more pressing. The challenge is not just to protect our natural resources but to fundamentally redefine how society values them. The words we choose will not merely reflect this new reality—they will help create it.

So, the real question is: How will you speak about it? Will you contribute to the movement that reframes our understanding of nature’s worth, ensuring it holds its rightful place in our economic future? The opportunity to be a part of this linguistic and environmental revolution is now – let’s choose our words wisely, because they will shape the world we live in, or won’t.


To support this effort, we’ve put together a Glossary of Terms—a companion to our work at Oxygen Conservation. Take a look, share your thoughts, and let us know what we need to add. Let’s build this language together.


Welcome to this glossary, an essential companion to Oxygen Conservation. Our work, writing and podcasts are intended to spark important conversations around natural capital, sustainability, and the ways we can actively engage in conservation efforts. To help you better understand the key concepts and terminology in these topics, we have created this glossary to make often complex terms more accessible. Whether you are new to these ideas or looking to deepen your understanding, this glossary will provide you with the foundational knowledge you need to support meaningful conservation action.