Mainstreaming Nature Positive Economics for People and Planet

Economies are embedded in nature, not external or adjacent to it. This is no longer disputed and is recognised globally by organisations like the World Bank, OECD, IMF, and World Economic Forum. The latter estimate that 55% of global GDP is moderately or entirely dependent on nature and biodiversity loss is listed as one of the top four risks to the global economy over the next 10 years. With nature in a freefall moment, economic evidence tells us clearly that nature in peril is already diminishing global economic prospects. New evidence from the UK shows that the nature crisis is already slowing our economy and that if we allow things to continue, we risk an economic shock on the scale of that from the global financial crisis and Covid 19. We need to change the way economies operate, moving away from models that draw unsustainably from nature to models that reduce those demands to be aligned with the ability of nature to replenish itself. Put simply, we need nature positive thinking embedded in economic policy decision-making at the very highest levels. Through changing the ways we generate tax, spend public funds, and set monetary and financial policies we can incentivise businesses to take action to mainstream nature-positive economics. 

Join Beccy Speight, CEO of the UK’s largest conservation NGO, The RSPB, Elena Almeida and Simon Dikau from The Grantham Institute at LSE in the run-up to COP16 as they explore where we are, what’s working and what needs to change drawing on the panel's policy expertise and knowledge of global nature conservation of species and habitats.

Keynote Speaker:

• Beccy Speight, Chief Executive Officer of the RSPB, the largest nature conservation organisation in the UK. The charity forges powerful new partnerships that inspire others to stand up and give nature the home it deserves – both in the UK and internationally, as part of BirdLife International where it works to stem the loss of global biodiversity. Beccy leads the RSPB in a decade when critical action is crucial to combat extinction.

Speakers:

• Dougie Peedle, Head of Nature Positive Economy, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Dougie has over 30 years of experience as an economist in the public, private and third sectors.

• Elena Almeida, Senior Policy Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute, specialising in nature-related financial risks and central banking. She led the NGFS-INSPIRE Study Group to explore linkages between biodiversity loss and financial stability, from the perspective of central banks and supervisors.

Chair:

• Simon Dikau, Distinguished Policy Fellow on central banking and financial supervision in the context of environmental degradation, risk and the economic transition to a sustainable economy. He is also the Research Director of the International Network for Sustainable Financial Policy Insights Research and Exchange, a global research network and research stakeholder of the Network of Central Banks and Financial Supervisors for Greening the Financial System.

We look forward to welcoming you all and we would like to invite you to the networking reception after the panel.