The second World Forum on Natural Capital will take place in Edinburgh on 23-24 November 2015. Bringing together business leaders, government representatives and environmental experts from around the globe, the event will examine the most up-to-date developments in this rapidly evolving field, with a focus on managing risk and driving innovation.

The forum will begin to start delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by bringing together political, business and civil society leaders from around the world who, over two days, will challenge old economic thinking that mistakenly considered the environment – our natural capital – as something separate from the economy.

The theme for the forum’s program is “solutions for a changing world,” which is already attracting a growing number of leading business and political decision makers who recognize the importance of the natural capital debate and the need to take action. The inaugural event in 2013 attracted 500 delegates from 35 countries, and the 2015 World Forum looks set to exceed these numbers.

With an emphasis on helping business and sustainability leaders identify the economic importance of protecting and restoring our natural environment, the program for the 2015 World Forum has been developed to drive discussion with financial institutions, businesses and policy makers about how and why they should be making a long term investment in natural capital.

Natural capital, a term which refers the world’s natural assets such as water, soil and forests – provides a wide range of services and functions which together make human life possible. The impact and importance of natural capital to business and political institutions, as well as the planet’s biodiversity, is paramount and was emphasized this year at the UN Summit in New York, and the Paris climate talks in December.

The program has been split into four key themes to facilitate greater discussion, networking and to gain insight from the breadth of speakers. These are:

• Understanding and managing risk: exploring the growing business risks associated with poor management of natural capital and looking at how these can be turned into opportunities that have economic, social and environmental.
• Examining the latest innovation and tools emerging within the field of natural capital measurement and valuation, including case studies of how natural capital can be integrated into decision-making and reporting.
• Focus on finance and investment: investigating how natural capital risk is being incorporated into decision making by banks, insurers and fund managers, and what this will mean in relation to the cost of capital, credit ratings, insurance premiums and access to finance.
• Policy dialogues: looking into how an effective policy framework can contribute to more sustainable management of natural capital.

The World Forum will also feature a CEOs’ Breakfast and a Young Leaders’ Roundtable.

Speakers confirmed include:

• Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP
• Katherine Garrett Cox, CEO of Alliance Trust
• Bill Rahill, Director, Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, World Bank Group
• Jayne Plunkett, Head, Casualty Reinsurance, Swiss Re
• Mary Draves, Global Director of Environmental Remediation and Restoration, DOW Chemical Company
• John Liu, Environmental Filmmaker
• Fabian Huwyler, Vice President of Sustainability, Credit Suisse
• Professor Dieter Helm, Chair, Natural Capital Committee
• Simone Dettling, Green Finance Expert, German International Cooperation (GIZ)
• Benet Northcote, Head of Corporate Responsibility at the John Lewis Partnership

Last Updated: Oct 01, 2015