One Earth Unveils "Minding the Gaps," A Groundbreaking Report Revealing Major Imbalances in Climate Finance

Report and Tool Show How Private Capital Could Drive Greater Impact across Science-Based Solutions

NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- One Earth, a global network of climate strategists and storytellers driving science-based action, today released Minding the Gaps, the most rigorous analysis to date of U.S. funding to a detailed science-based climate solutions roadmap. Powered by data from the new One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker, Minding the Gaps brings unprecedented clarity to how private capital is – and is not – supporting the science-based solutions needed to confront climate change and biodiversity loss. 

Developed in partnership with Vibrant Data Labs, Minding the Gaps presents insights from the One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker, a powerful new tool that maps how climate funding is flowing to 75 solution pathways across three pillars of action – Energy Transition, Nature Conservation, and Regenerative Agriculture – needed to limit global warming, and build a just and vibrant future. 

It was built by combining Vibrant Data Lab's widely respected open-source system which tracks nearly $400 billion in private investments and philanthropic grants across more than 10,000 U.S.-based companies and nonprofits with One Earth's Solutions Framework, which is rooted in peer-reviewed science and backed by a global climate model. This is the first time we have had an integrated view of how both philanthropic and investment capital are flowing to detailed climate solutions, offering a holistic view across philanthropy, business and the climate movement. 

The findings expose critical gaps that need to be filled:

• 89% of capital flows tracked go to energy, while only 4% supports nature conservation. This is not nearly enough to protect, restore, and reconnect approximately 50% of the Earth's lands and oceans needed to stabilize the climate and safeguard biodiversity, as identified in One Earth's Global Safety Net. 
• Less than 6% of philanthropic capital reaches Indigenous-led land tenure, despite its proven centrality to protecting ecosystems. 
• Regenerative agriculture receives only 7% of total climate finance, with nearly half of that funding going to just three solutions. 

"Momentum is growing around climate solutions, with large-scale investment and so many funders trying to do the right thing," said Justin Winters, Co-founder and Executive Director of One Earth. "What this data shows is where gaps exist, and where investment could be deployed more powerfully. Minding the Gaps is the start of a conversation – data that can drive collaboration between funders, mobilize action, and help build a more effective movement." 

Transparent, updateable and repeatable, the One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker is designed to empower philanthropists, investors, policymakers, and activists to align capital with the most impactful solutions. Unlike other frameworks and climate finance reports, it integrates both philanthropic and investment flows and ties them to climate solutions, providing a dynamic, open-source tool that will be updated regularly.

"Nature is noisy, and as ecologists we look for the signal in the noise," said Eric Berlow, CEO of Vibrant Data Labs. "In many ways that's what this report does, it signals to funders where they can fill under-funded gaps at an unprecedented level of detail. The good news is that we actually know what needs to be done – and it's doable. The challenge we face is that it all needs to be done. No single silver bullet will solve this crisis – more strategic collaboration across all solutions is what's needed."

With regards to nature and land conservation, it's estimated that $600B per year in conservation funding is needed to protect critical areas at scale. Currently, carbon credits, philanthropy, and government spending provide only about $140B – not nearly enough.

The report also shows the ways that energy and agriculture financing are being misdirected, or funding incomplete or even counterproductive efforts, but points to opportunities to better finance climate progress.

• Within the 89% of funding directed to clean, renewable energy solutions, 50% of that money is directed to Solar PV, which One Earth estimates will make up just about 21% of the future global energy consumption mix needed by 2055. The relative energy mix needed identified by One Earth must include a diverse set of solutions across renewable power, heat, transport and energy efficiency. 
• Equitable energy access also remains a challenge. While a significant amount of money is flowing to renewable energy, only 3% of the funding goes to for-profit companies that are attempting to close the access gap by building energy infrastructure for underserved communities.
• Despite the critical need to rebuild soils and reshape our food systems, less than 2.5% of funding supports core regenerative agriculture practices such as agroforestry, cropland restoration, and biochar. The majority flows toward meat-free proteins and plant-based food products. However, most of these products are being grown without regenerative practices, meaning we risk replacing meat with monocultures that degrade soil health and erode local biodiversity.

Minding the Gaps is the first in a planned series of reports spotlighting critical climate finance gaps identified through the One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker. Future editions may focus on women-led climate solutions and other urgent funding opportunities.

The interactive report is available at https://mindingthegaps.oneearth.org/ 

About One Earth
One Earth is a global network of climate strategists and storytellers driving bold, science-based climate action. Guided by a comprehensive Solutions Framework, a roadmap of 75+ proven pathways across Energy Transition, Nature Conservation, and Regenerative Agriculture, we turn knowledge into impact. By connecting local solutions to global systems, we support coordinated, place-based action through a suite of tools and storytelling platforms that inform, guide, and inspire change. Together, we're helping shift the narrative from overwhelm to possibility and building a just, thriving future for all. Learn more at https://www.oneearth.org/.

About Vibrant Data Labs
VDL's mission is to increase the collective impact of climate finance by building public and open-source data tools that empower discovery, insights, and action. We utilize data and a rigorous scientific process to analyze, contextualize, and make sense of the complexity of the climate solutions ecosystem. Learn more at https://www.vibrantdatalabs.org/.

Media contact:

Edward Bell

[email protected] 

SOURCE One Earth