The presentation addressed climate change and biodiversity loss as dual threats to humanity’s existence. It emphasized that the current economic paradigm, which promotes growth at the expense of nature, made economic growth unsustainable in the long term. The speaker argued that everything humans do exists within nature; humans are part of nature, and society and economies are nested within it. If nature flourishes, humanity prospers, and if nature declines, the impacts on economies and societies will be felt. The speaker advocated for creating an economy centered on nature, referred to as nature-positive and eco-positive economies, which could help mitigate these dual risks and foster sustained shared prosperity.

The knowledge event was the first in a series organized by the Emerging Areas Team of the Energy Sector Office. The Emerging Areas, created under ADB’s New Operating Model, aimed to operationalize frontier technologies and integrated solutions, foster innovation in policy and operations, catalyze thought leadership for future bank-wide initiatives, collaborate across departments for innovative solutions, identify and develop knowledge and flagship events, and mobilize cofinancing.

About the Speaker:

Ralph Chami has over 32 years of experience as a financial economist, with 25 years at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He has also been a consultant for the World Bank and the private sector. He is the Co-founder and CEO of Blue Green Future and Rebalance Earth and holds visiting professor positions at Williams College and the University of Victoria.