Wall Street Takes Ownership of Nature.

Right now Wall Street is pressing on with its hostile seizure of the planet’s natural resources through the creation of its own Intrinsic Exchange Group (IEG).

They have teamed up with the Multilateral Development Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation in a project to produce a new asset class that’ll see not only the natural world, but all the processes underpinning life; up for sale.

What is more the reason they give for all this is to promote sustainability?

Just last month the New York Stock Exchange announced it had developed a new asset class along with an accompanying listing vehicle; to preserve and restore the natural assets that underpin the ability for there to be life on earth.

This vehicle is called a Natural Asset Company or NAC and it will allow specialized corporations to hold the rights to eco systems services on a given piece of land; which includes; food production, tourism, clean water, biodiversity, pollination, carbon sequestration and much more.

Described as acting like “any other entity” on the NYSE, it is alleged that NACs “will use the funds to help preserve a rain forest or undertake other conservation efforts; like changing a farm’s conventional agricultural production practices.”

Yet, even the creators of NAC’s admit that the ultimate goal is to extract near-infinite profits from the natural processes they seek to quantify; and then monetize.

NYSE’s Michael Blaugrund admitted as much following the launch of the NACs.

Given the enthusiasm of one of the world’s most powerful financial oligarchs, Larry Fink, for this project; should give everyone pause for concern.

The fact that he’s known as a corporate raider; alone should set off the alarm bells.

Whither environmentalism you might say?

But once you cut through all the obfuscation it is clear that the soon-to-be “owners” of nature with all it entails; will be the only beneficiaries.

It works like this; NAC’s identify a natural asset, like a forest or lake; which they quantify using specific protocols.

These protocols were developed by groups like the Capitals Coalition, in partnership with several of IEG’s partners; as well as the World Economic Forum and various multinational corporations.

A NAC is created then the company decides who has the rights to that natural asset’s productivity; as well as the rights to decide how that natural asset is managed and governed.

Last of all, a NAC is converted into financial capital by launching an initial public offering on a stock exchange, like the NYSE.

This last stage generates capital to manage the natural asset; and the fluctuation of its price on the stock exchange indicates its capital value.

The NYSE and IEG have marketed this new investment vehicle as being aimed at generating funds; that will go back to conservation or sustainability efforts.

However, on the IEG’s website, it reinforces the goal is really endless profit from natural processes and ecosystems that were previously deemed to be part of the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society; known as the commons.

Researcher and journalist Cory Morningstar has strongly disagreed with the approach being taken by NYSE/IEG and views NACs as a system that will only exacerbate the corporate predation of nature, despite claims to the contrary.

Morningstar has described NACs as Rockefeller et al letting the markets dictate what in nature has value — and what does not.

Yet, it’s not for capitalist institutions and global finance to decide what life has value. Ecosystems are not ‘assets.’ Biological communities exist for their own purposes; not ours.

This is a new method of plunder; they call this new asset class…. wait for it …Nature’s Economy; …..WHAT!

NACs are a new feeding trough for predatory Wall Street banks and financial institutions and it will allow them to not only dominate the human economy; but control the resources of the world.

These “owners” will ultimately have the right, under this system, to dictate who gets access to clean water, to clean air, to nature itself; and at what cost.

Cory Morningstar says one of the other aims of creating “Nature’s Economy” and neatly packaging it for Wall Street via NACs, is to progress massive land grab attempts by Wall Street and the oligarchical class.

This includes the recent land grabs made by Wall Street firms as well as billionaire “philanthropists” like Bill Gates during the COVID crisis.

However, the land grabs facilitated through the development of NACs; will for the most part target communities in the developing world.

Think we’re being cynical about the link between the push for sustainability measures and this type of development; well as Morningstar notes;

The public launch of NACs preceded the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity; the biggest biodiversity conference in a decade.

Under the pretext of turning 30% of the globe into “protected areas”, the largest global land grab in history is underway.

IEG, in discussing NACs, tellingly notes that proceeds from a NAC’s initial public offering (IPO) can be used for the acquisition of more land by its controlling entities or used to boost the budgets or funds of those who receive the capital from the IPO.

This is a far cry from the NYSE/IEG sales pitch that NACs are “different” because their IPOs will be used to “preserve and protect” natural areas.

Who didn’t see this coming?