SCOTLAND’S carnival of capitalism has heard “nature is not only something to save, it is something to invest in.”

The comments came from Andrew Mitchell of Equilibrium Futures, addressing the Ethical Global Finance Summit, part of Edinburgh’s Finance Festival, today.

He told attendees, including Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and former first minister Humza Yousaf, whose SNP government oversaw a record-breaking £2 billion PFI deal for Scotland’s woodlands: “Nature is not just a victim, but a vast, underexplored arena of opportunity. Nature is not only something to save, it is something to invest in.”

“When we stop seeing nature only through the lens of cost and start seeing it through the lens of value creation, we unlock a new pathway: one that resonates with policy-makers, with investors, and with the public.”

Unconvinced, Scotland’s Not For Sale’s, Coll McCail responded: “The Scottish government have fallen for green capitalism’s con hook, like and sinker.

“Private capital can’t save the planet — and, as workers in Grangemouth know all too well, it can’t power Scotland’s transition.

“What the private sector can promise to do is absolve ministers of responsibility.”