 Ladies and gentlemen, when I launched my business and sustainability program in 1994, I felt sure that we could persuade business leaders to see that running a successful company and safeguarding the natural systems upon which humanity depends was not an either-or challenge. Instead, I wanted to show that one is inextricably dependent upon the other and that companies which really understand this can unlock great opportunities. Well, since those early days, we have made some real progress and it has been heartening to see the enormous talent and expertise that exists amongst business leaders increasingly being focused on solving the problems we are facing rather than debating the cause of those problems. Now, there is clearly much yet to be done, but I cannot help but feel some encouragement for the rising tide of concern and commitment to change the way that business is done. And dare I say, it is about time. We now know a good deal about the state of the planet, but we have known for several decades that humanity is facing environmental and social challenges of enormous consequence, yet we have prevaricated until it seems as though we are looking over the very precipice, trying to persuade ourselves that the problems we face will be resolved by someone else at some other time or by some clever technology yet to be invented. But one has only to look at accelerating carbon emissions, the destruction of our rainforest, the decline of fish stocks in our oceans, escalating food prices, and the end of the age of cheap oil to realize that we are entering a period of profound and disruptive change. The more we understand how our natural systems work, the more we realize that our natural world is built on a delicate balance of interdependence, dynamic feedback systems, and crucially tipping points that could have unimaginable consequences. And the science tells us that we have already crossed some of these thresholds. For example, evidence from the international program on the state of the ocean shows that pollution and overfishing combined with acidification due to increased carbon emissions is already altering the functionality of this vital ecosystem in the most traumatic way possible, directly threatening the capacity of the planet to support humanity in a stable manner. But science also tells us that there is a lot to fight for and that we can still win this race, but only if we act decisively and soon. Well, I am a certain now as I was back when we started my business and sustainability program that there are no credible arguments for not acting to preserve our fragile ecosystems and the services that they provide to us. The recent and very important study by the United Nations on the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity, or TEIB, assessed the multi-trillion dollar importance to the world's economy and the natural world and concluded that the present system of national accounts needs to be upgraded rapidly so they include the health of natural capital and thereby accurately reflect how the services offered by natural ecosystems are performing, but alone are paid for. So if we are to have any form of sustainable economic development in the future underpinned by resilient and dynamic businesses, then it seems obvious to me that we need to do far more to bring the question of natural capital and how to conserve it to the very center of how we promote enterprise in the future. We have to recognize that there is a direct relationship between the resilience of our national economies and the resilience of the planet's ecosystems. So, ladies and gentlemen, this is a time for bold leadership. We need leaders throughout business, government and civil society, and especially amongst those who are best placed to take action, to stand up and be a force for good. We need leaders who can work in partnership with one another and with other sectors of society to address these profound and complex challenges, to help create effective solutions and to lead, by example, to influence and inspire others. This seems to me to be the very essence of leadership and why I started this business and environment program all those years ago in the first place. So let us be clear. There is no simple answer, but there is much that each one of us can do. Whoever we are and whatever our job, both directly within our own organizations and throughout wider spheres of influence, within our own individual sector, across other sectors and within markets and supply chains. We are entering an era that threatens unprecedented change and we are all being called upon to act. Inaction in the short term will have very significant consequences for the future viability and success of the economy. But more importantly than that, inaction will in the long term have unthinkable consequences for the planet and for us all. So thank you for joining this program, which has been so expert to develop for me by the Cambridge team. I can only wish you the very best as you grapple with these questions and think about your personal role and contribution. The stakes could not be higher, nor the situation more urgent.