On 16 May, the symposium "Climate and Biodiversity Crises: What is the Role of Economics?" will take place at Wageningen University and Research. Professor Francisco Alpizar Rodriguez, chair of the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics group, curated the lineup. 'We economists bear significant responsibility for creating the incentive structure that has brought the world to the brink of collapse, so we must be part of the solution.'
'One of the issues is our addiction to GDP, equating economic growth with progress. After World War II, societies required this growth focus to get out of the misery. However, we now increasingly recognise the scarcity of resources and rapid biodiversity loss. The atmosphere's capacity to absorb human-generated emissions is also finite. However, banks, companies, and everyone else still gauge themselves by GDP. This GDP-centric narrative is detrimental,' Alpizar remarks.
There are alternative approaches, he notes. 'The first step is to measure not only gains but also losses. Consider alternative wealth metrics like the Inclusive Wealth Index.' This index totals a country's natural, human, social, and physical capital, which also includes manufactured and financial capital. One of its staunchest advocates, Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta from the University of Cambrigde, will speak at the symposium.
Speakers
- Prof. Sir Partha Dasgupta, University of Cambridge
- Prof. Thomas Sterner, University of Gothenburg
- Prof. Dale Whittington, University of North Carolina & University of Manchester
- Prof. Åsa Löfgren, University of Gothenburg
- Prof. Carolyn Fischer, Research Manager Sustainability and Infrastructure, The World Bank
