Welcome to Money for Change, the podcast made by Triodos Bank! In this podcast, we will share insights and challenges related to our core question: how can we accelerate the change to a more balanced and just world?

Each episode, we will dive into a specific topic that is relevant for answering this question. Hans Stegeman, Triodos Bank’s Chief Economist, is a recurring guest in the show.

As we near the end of May, many European countries have already had their Earth Overshoot Day. This means that if everyone lived like a person from, for example, the United Kingdom, we would have exhausted all of the Earth’s available natural resources for the year. Part of the solution to reducing our consumption of natural resources and push Overshoot Day to later in the year, is financing the restoration and conservation of nature.

Nature based solutions are initiatives aimed at restoring, enhancing or protecting ecosystems by changing the intended use of the land. For example, reforestation projects on land which was previously used for agricultural purposes can create positive outcomes for the biodiversity and the storage of carbon. While the environmental benefits are clear, creating viable revenue models for these public goods remains a major challenge.

Together with our colleague and Nature-based Solutions expert Simon Scholl, we’ll tackle the complex question; Can financing nature help protect the wild places on earth, or are we chasing a fantasy by commodifying it?

We kick off this episode by discussing some worrying news about how our global economy is becoming less circular, the (not so) green investment funds in Europe and the downgraded credit score of the United States.

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, feel free to contact us using the form on our webpage: https://www.triodos.com/en/podcasts/money-for-change

Enjoy listening and don’t forget to rate & follow us!

Host: Emma de Leeuw

Fixed guest: Hans Stegeman

Guest: Simon Scholl