Pushpam Kumar is Chief, Programme Management Unit (Ecosystems Economics), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi since 2010. The core areas of Pushpam’s competence are leadership in planetary and human health and mainstreaming of environmental changes into macro-economic policies and programmes, consensus building, dissemination, and capacity development in Project Management in Environment and development and Country engagement on SDGs.
During 2021-2024, Pushpam was entrusted to lead the integration of UNEP’s work with the UN Network of Economists (UNEN), coordinated by the Assistant Secretary General, UN NY and he fostered the linkages between UNEP and the World Bank on the issues of Beyond GDP, Nature Based Solutions, Inclusive Wealth, and Climate Finance.
In the past, he has worked as the Chief, Ecosystem Services Economics Unit, during 2010-2015 and as Coordinator, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Branch during 2015-16 in the Ecosystems Division, UNEP. During these periods, Pushpam’s leadership was widely recognized and acknowledged.
He led the conceptual foundation of the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB). Later, Pushpam led the international and interdisciplinary team of experts who developed the scientific report for the TEEB Agrifood. Pushpam led the design and operational roadmap for concept of Natural Capital. His effort culminated into a resolution on Natural Capital during UNEP’s Environment Assembly. He also led the development of the conceptual framework for the Economics of Land Degradation if Africa and Asia. A regular participant in the Conference of Parties (CoPs) on climate, land degradation and biodiversity, Pushpam’s leadership is primarily on bringing nature closer to financial and economic planning and models. He leads Inclusive Wealth, costs of inaction for chemicals, AMR and ROI in One Health, Nature Based Solutions, Human and Planetary Health amongst others.
In the past he has been
- Member of the Core Group on Beyond GDP of the UN Secretary General
- Co- chaired Policy and the Technical Committee of the Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) Programme led by the World Bank (2011-16).
- Member of ‘Expert Panel of the National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA),’ UK (2008-11).
- Working Group Leader for Multi Million Initiative on Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative by the EU and BMZ
- Research Consortium Director for Strengthening Capacity in Valuation of Regulating Services of Ecosystems under ESPA supported by DFID, NERC and the ESRC, UK, 2009-2010.
- Head, Technical Support Unit (TSU), Responses Working Group, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2000-2005)
- Member Secretary, World Bank Aided Capacity Building in Environmental Economics in South Asia (1998-2001)
- Lead Author, IPCC, Fourth Assessment Report (FAR), (WGIII)
- Lead Author, Sub Global Assessment, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
- Member of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Study Board and Leader for the Conceptual Foundation of TEEB
- Advisory Board member of the Gulbenkia Ocean Initiative (Lisbon).
- Associated with the 2007 Nobel peace prize winning IPCC where he served as the Lead Author for the Fourth Assessment of the IPCC (Mitigation)’.
- Co-coordinating lead author (CLA) and coordinator of ‘Responses Working Group’ of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) (2000-2005).
Pushpam has a Ph.D. in Environmental Economics from University of Delhi and a Post Doctoral from Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota St Paul, USA. He has published in Journals such as Science, Bioscience, Lancet, Lancet Planetary Health, Nature, Nature Sustainability, New England Journal of Medicine, Environmental Health Perspective, Annals of Global Health, Ecological Economics, Ambio, Ecosystem Services and International Development. He also has authored / edited more than eight books on theme of Economics of Sustainability Science published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Edward Elgar, Rutledge, Earthscan, Sage, Island Press and McMillan.
Pushpam is a prolific public speaker on planetary and human health, sustainability science and economics. His views regularly appear in electronic and print medias like BBC, World Economic Forum, Forbes, Harvard International Review, Nature Sustainability, Brookings, VoxDev, Climate Home News, to name a few. He has delivered plenary talks in range of professional societies like International Society for Ecological Economics, American Psychological Association, Environment and Resource Economics. In Leisure, Pushpam is a keen listener to classical music and dives deep into cultural history of the world.
