Beyond Carbon: Nature, biodiversity, and the financial risks shaping global markets
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| Ewan Jones | |
| Friday 10 April 2026 at 3:00 - 4:20 pm (Hong Kong time, GMT +8) | |
|
Academic Building, Room 4582 (Lifts 27-28) |
Corporate sustainability reporting has traditionally focused on carbon-related disclosures, while considerations of nature and biodiversity have remained relatively underexplored. However, ecosystem services contribute to more than half of global GDP, and their rapid decline is increasingly creating material financial risks for businesses and financial markets. Loss of nature is now widely recognised as a systemic economic issue rather than just an environmental concern. This talk explores the emerging landscape of nature-related financial risks, assessment methodologies, and reporting frameworks, moving beyond a “carbon-only” perspective to examine how global markets depend on and impact biodiversity and ecosystem health. The talk introduces key categories of nature-related financial risk and reviews evolving disclosure approaches, including recent international frameworks. Particular attention is given to developments in Hong Kong, highlighting how nature-related considerations are being integrated within a major international financial centre.
About the speaker
Ewan Jones is a specialist in nature-related financial risk and biodiversity assessment, with extensive experience in corporate sustainability and ESG advisory. He previously worked in the Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change Advisory team of a leading environmental consulting firm, supporting clients with climate, nature, and sustainability-related risk management and disclosure. Ewan holds a Bachelor’s degree and a research Master’s in Biosciences from Durham University, specialising in the impacts of climate change on invasive species. He has served as lead author and editor on multiple ESG and sustainability projects and has hands-on experience aligning corporate disclosures with major international frameworks, including ISSB, HKEX, GRI, TCFD, and TNFD. His professional background covers a broad range of nature-related projects in the food and beverage, hospitality, energy, and insurance sectors. This includes conducting TNFD assessments, evaluating nature-related risks and opportunities, and leading field surveys to assess biodiversity impacts and dependencies, particularly within the context of Hong Kong.
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