This event aims at addressing the often overlooked yet profound economic and financial consequences of deforestation.
This event will delve into the intricate links between forest ecosystems and global economic systems, highlighting how nature degradation affects the economy and financial system. Through the lens of deforestation as a primary driver of nature degradation, we will explore both the economic and social dimensions of forest ecosystem disruption. The presentation will showcase the economic and financial risks associated with deforestation, analysing key transmission channels such as supply chains, trade, and international governance, and discuss the persistent economic pressures and governance challenges that perpetuate forest loss.
The panel discussion will focus on:
- progress made in financial stability frameworks addressing nature-related risks
- persistent challenges in progressing understanding of nature degradation in the context of price stability considerations
- challenges in developing stringent global forest governance despite progress made on the Global Biodiversity Framework
- opportunities for innovative policy interventions such as the role of trade, supply chains, and international forest governance to address deforestation and its risks.
Meet our speakers and chair
Elias Albagli is Director of the Monetary Policy Division at the Central Bank of Chile. He previously led the Bank’s Research Division and held senior roles in modelling and economic analysis. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University and has taught at the University of Southern California, the Catholic University of Chile, and the University of Chile, where he currently teaches a seminar on planetary limits and economic development.
Elena Almeida is a senior policy fellow at the Grantham Research Institute’s Centre for Economic Transition Expertise (CETEx), focusing on nature-related financial risks and central banking. She led the NGFS-INSPIRE Study Group on biodiversity loss and financial stability and co-authored its key report. Previously, she worked on monetary policy at the Central Bank of Malaysia, sustainable finance at the UK Foreign Office, and served as a Climate Advisor at the Bank of England, leading its work on nature.
Jessica Dempsey is a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia, specialising in political ecology. Her work explores the complex and deeply political causes of pressing global issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental dispossession. Her research investigates why biodiversity loss persists despite extensive conservation laws, policies, and advocacy, examining the structural forces that sustain this crisis. Currently, her major projects focus on developing a political economic explanation of extinction, critically analysing the growing influence of economic and financial approaches to conservation.
is WWF's Global Forests Lead Scientist. Previously, he worked as Principal Scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research based in Bogor, Indonesia, focusing on forest governance, trade, and sustainable and inclusive value chains. He also worked at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, and conducted consultancy work for The World Bank and FAO. His main research areas focus on the governance of forests, smallholder and community forestry, forest management and supply chains, drivers and dynamics of deforestation and forest degradation, and institutional arrangements for forest conservation, management and restoration.
Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva was Deputy General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) from 2015 to 2023. Previously, he was Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Brazil and held various roles at the World Bank in Washington DC, Tokyo, and southern Africa. He also served as Chief Economist for Brazil’s Ministry of Budget and Planning and as Deputy Finance Minister for international affairs. He is currently Visiting Professor in Practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Robert D. Patalano is the Executive Director of CETEx. Prior to joining CETEx, he was Head of the Market Intelligence and Analysis Division at the Bank of England. His previous roles include Senior Counsellor and Head of the Financial Markets Division at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, member of the Financial Stability Board’s Secretariat, and a decade spent in analytical and managerial roles in the markets’ groups of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the European Central Bank.
More about this event
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This event is hosted by the Centre of Economic Transition Expertise (). CETEx was established in 2024 as a specialised research and policy centre to support the ambitious reforms required to deliver sustainable, inclusive and resilient economies and financial systems. CETEx is hosted by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Pok Rie via Pexels: /Events/2025/05/202505221830/consequences-of-deforestation.
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