For the first time in 75 years the Artis Groote Museum – where this conference is held – reopened its doors this spring. The theme of the museum is that everything is connected: plants, animals, microbes and human beings, all in a precious but delicate harmony. Economics and finance are no different.
Taken together, households, firms, governments and financial institutions form a similarly precious – and at times delicate – equilibrium. Our analysis, assessment and policy actions should reflect the fact that nature and the economy are equally interconnected and interdependent. In line with a central theme of the landmark Dasgupta Review on the economics of biodiversity that “humanity is embedded in nature”.