Biodiversity Loss is a Key Risk for Investors

Awareness of biodiversity loss is increasing, but climate change still dominates investors’ discourse on the environment. Joel Clement, a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, explains why we need to focus urgently on the biodiversity crisis. He also discusses why he came a whistleblower in 2017 and the aftermath of that decision. ▶️ Subscribe to the Take 15 Podcast YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA3HUMuK4FSp_CvQH_2Ji7g?app=desktop

📃 Transcript: https://cfainst.is/3g5Umcz

📧 Email us for comments, questions, or appearance requests:Take15podcast@cfainstitute.org ___________________________________________________________________________ Episode Breakdown: 2:20 What’s life like in Maine 3:55 The basics of biodiversity 7:30 The biodiversity crisis 9:16 Why the wider population needs to act on biodiversity 11:30 Joel’s decision to blow the whistle 16:39 The response after Joel blew the whistle 18:36 Was the experience of blowing the whistle lonely? 20:00 Is the word, “whistleblower” negative? 21:40 Joel’s advice to whistleblowers 22:53 What Joel has been working on over the past few years 24:00 Global implications for what is happening in the artic 25:47 Has the Biden administration gotten America back in the climate game? 27:21 America The Beautiful Report 29:33 What Joel tells the skeptics 32:49 Wrap up questions • What is one positive long-lasting change resulting from the pandemic? • What one item would you take with you on a NASA flight? • Flight v. invisibility: which would you choose?

___________________________________________________________________________ Related articles and links: UNPRI paper: https://www.unpri.org/environmental-issues/investor-action-on-biodiversity-discussion-paper/6335.article Joel’s whistleblower article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/im-a-scientist-the-trump-administration-reassigned-me-for-speaking-up-about-climate-change/2017/07/19/389b8dce-6b12-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html Joel’s resignation letter: https://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/read-joel-clements-resignation-letter/2566/ Joel’s recent speech where he said: “There is another crisis that gets a bit lost in all the talk of climate action, and that’s the biodiversity crisis.” https://www.pressherald.com/2021/04/23/joel-clement-keynote-speech-from-the-2021-source-awards/ Stephanie Gibaud’s comment: “This word, whistleblower, is so negative,” she said. “It’s really like radioactive when someone says he or she is a whistleblower.” https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/2018/12/12/whistleblowing-the-risks-and-rewards/ Ethics learning lab: https://cfainstitute.nomadic.fm CFA report on climate change analysis: https://www.cfainstitute.org/en/research/industry-research/climate-change-analysis ___________________________________________________________________________ Find Joel here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelclement/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jclementmaine?lang=en Find Lauren here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren- foster/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenfosternyc