This event explored established methods for valuing ecosystem services and natural capital\, including approaches such as Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) and inclusive wealth. The event examined how these values can inform economic and financial decision‑making through public policy and business action\, drawing on the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment\, international policy examples\, and economic modelling.

Following his initial talk Professor Stephen Polasky was joined by other speakers for a conversation exploring different perspectives on valuing nature and integrating this value into incentives and decision-making.

Meet our speaker & chair

Speaker

Professor Polasky is a Regents Professor and Fesler-Lampert Professor of Ecological/Environmental Economics at the University of Minnesota\, and a Principal Investigator at NatCap TEEMs\, of which he is also a Co-Founder. His research focuses on the intersection of ecology and economics\, addressing the impacts of land use and management on the provision and value of ecosystem services and natural capital. Professor Polasky is a co-founder of the Natural Capital Alliance\, a partnership between the University of Minnesota\, the Chinese Academy of Sciences\, The Nature Conservancy\, Stanford University\, the Stockholm Resilience Center\, and the World Wildlife Fund\, whose aim is to incorporate the value of natural capital and ecosystem services into public and private sector decision-making. He is co-chair of the Biodiversity and Business Assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and previously served as a coordinating lead author on nature’s contributions to people for the IPBES Global Assessment.

Chair

The conversation was hosted by Professor Nicola Ranger\, Executive Director of Earth Capital Nexus and Professor in Practice of Natural Capital\, Risk and Finance in the Grantham Research Institute. She leads interdisciplinary research and policy engagement at the nexus of finance\, investment\, natural capital\, resilience and sustainable development with a global focus.

The event takes place just after the IPBES-12 Business and Biodiversity Plenary in Manchester and is part of a series co-convened between Earth Capital Nexus at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (GRI) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford\, as part of the nature theme of Global School of Sustainability at LSE.