Businesses need nature at heart of economic policy making

Reacting to the publication of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s Independent Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, Signe Norberg, Head of Public Affairs and Communications at the Aldersgate Group, said: “The publication of the Dasgupta Review today powerfully demonstrates the huge disconnect between current models of economic growth and the state of nature. Given the alarming rate at which some natural assets are being depleted, today’s review must constitute a vital step change in how we assess nature and measure economic success. Concretely, this means that it is high time we look beyond GDP and include natural capital at the heart of our economic measurement tools, something which many businesses and financial institutions have raised for a number of years [1]. It is also essential that the Government’s net zero and nature restoration agendas be progressed hand in hand given how interconnected they both are.”

Signe Norberg added: “It is clear from the findings of the Dasgupta Review that a wide range of actions need to be taken to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, including growing investment in nature restoration and resource efficiency, accelerating the transition to net zero emissions, and embedding environmental sustainability at the heart of the education system. It is therefore essential that today’s findings now drive stronger commitments as part of the Environment Bill, the integration of biodiversity net gain in the planning system, the implementation of the Resources and Waste Strategy, the development of the UK’s net zero strategy and the Government’s ongoing review of skills policy.”