In today’s Environmental Audit Committee session, I put questions to Andy Howard, Global Head of Sustainable Investment at Schroders, Gordon Bennett, Managing Director at the Intercontinental Exchange, and Helen Avery, Director of Nature Programmes at the Green Finance Institute.

Today’s session was part of the ongoing inquiry into the role of natural capital in the green economy.

I asked the panel of experts whether they believed that the climate crisis was the primary driver behind rising food prices and global economic shocks, citing the example of difficulty purchasing cocoa, in turn raising coffee prices in the UK.

Helen Avery told me that companies must know where they stand on economic uncertainties, and must assess the relevant nature-related risks and their exposure to these risks.

Andy Howard told me that for decades, economic growth has relied on depleting global resources, placing more pressure on nature. He argued that we must be more transparent about what the costs are of depleting natural resources and that mechanisms are put in place to ensure that those costs are recognised in the way that capital is deployed.

Watch the full session here.