Organised as a part of the Jean Monnet Chair ECOvalence (Grant 101085564)
The Integration of Biodiversity in Economic Policies
On the edge of extinctions or new life in environmental-economic governance?
Biodiversity is currently declining at an unprecedented rate. In 2019, the IPBES warned of a serious risk of a sixth mass extinction of species with significant consequences for ecosystems, climate and human well-being. Four years later, COP15 has adopted the Global Biodiversity Framework, the EU has adopted its Biodiversity for 2030, and even the WTO has banned subsidies for fisheries of overfished stocks, the high seas, or illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing. However, none of the ten years Aichi biodiversity targets was reached in 2020 and the dependencies and impact of human production and consumption patterns on biodiversity are still difficult to capture - both in analytical terms and concrete policies.
This BSOG Policy Forum Series reflects new legislative frameworks on how to better integrate, protect and restore biodiversity in economic policy making. Will the new policies ensure biodiversity conservation or fail again to reach their targets? How can economic and financial decision-making better grasp, value, and account biodiversity? How can the frameworks on the table be sufficiently implemented into trade, economic and financial policies in place? How do companies need to integrate biodiversity conservation in their day-to-day business.
The VUB Research Centre on the Environment, Economy and Energy and the Open Universiteit Nederland are organizing a series of public policy fora with distinguished experts to discuss the integration of the new biodiversity frameworks in economic policies. The series will specifically highlight the relation between biodiversity and valuation, finance, trade, and circular economy. The series will start with a general opening session that introduces the series, and will then continue in three thematical sessions scrutinising in detail the key measures. The sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 16:00 to 17:30 in a hybrid format.
Policy initiatives covered by the series:
- Global Biodiversity Framework
- WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
- EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030
- EU Taxonomy on Sustainable Investments
- EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence
- EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation
- Aligning Accounting Approaches for Nature initiative
1. BIODIVERSITY BEYOND ECONOMIC VALUATION
18th April 2023, 16:00h - 17:30h
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Jean Hugé, VUB-Open Universiteit Nederland
Speakers:
- David Leclère, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
- Reine Spiessens, WWF Belgium
- Luc Janssens de Bisthoven, CEBIOS-Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
- Stijn Neuteleers, Open University of the Netherlands & Maastricht University
2. THE INTEGRATION OF BIODIVERSITY IN TRADE
2nd May 2023, 16:00h - 17:30h
Moderator: Simon Happersberger, PhD Researcher, BSoG
Speakers:
- Madelaine Tuininga, European Commission, DG Trade, Head of Unit Trade and Sustainable Development
- Shunta Yamaguchi, OECD, Environment Directorate, Policy Analyst Environment and Economy Integration
- Marianne Kettunen, GCRF Trade, Development and the Environment Hub, Senior Policy Expert & Advisor
- Saskia Bricmont, European Parliament, Greens/EFA group, MEP
3. THE INTEGRATION OF BIODIVERSITY IN CIRCULAR ECONOMY
16th May 2023, 16:00h - 17:30h
This event will take place fully online
Moderator: Harri Kalimo, Director of Research, BSoG
Speakers:
- Tim Forslund, Specialist, Nature and the economy, SITRA (The Finnish Innovation Fund)
- Barbara Oberc, Senior Policy Officer, International Union for the Conservation of Nature
- Anna Karamat, DG Environment, European Commission
- Timo Lehesvirta, Leading Nature Expert, Metsä Group
4. THE INTEGRATION OF BIODIVERSITY IN FINANCE AND INVESTMENTS
30th May 2023, 16:00h - 17:30h
Moderator: François Antoine D.Gardin, PhD Researcher, BSoG
Speakers:
- Marianne Haahr, TNFD and Nature Finance lead at Global Canopy
- Sébastien Godinot, WWF European Policy office, Economist
- Arne Klug, Director of Biodiversity research, MSCI
- Jessica Smith, Nature Lead at the United Nations Environment Program - Finance initiative (UNEP FI)
