Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth and the ecological complexes that support the natural world and, by extension, many aspects of human activity that depend on it.
Investors have increasingly focused on climate change as a material issue, but the reality is that climate change and biodiversity are inextricably linked and a greater focus on biodiversity itself is warranted.
As such, our fifth edition of STEWARDSHIP MATTERS specifically focusses on the important topic of biodiversity, and why and how investors should be working to protect it.
In this edition we cover:
- How biodiversity loss presents a real and tangible risk for business.
- The challenges in measuring the potential impact of biodiversity loss from an investment perspective.
- How companies dealing with biodiversity risk create investment opportunities.
- Examples of the analysis and engagement we have used to build confidence in the investment case for impacted companies.
- An introduction to our biodiversity framework.
- A summary of the extensive engagement and proxy voting activities over calendar year 2021.
Climate change influences the pace at which biodiversity loss occurs, but equally, biodiversity can slow climate change, providing significant capacity to absorb carbon emissions and improve resilience.
1Source: UNEP FI and UNEP-WCMC, June 2021. “Guidance for banks (Version 1: June 2021), Principles for Responsible Banking.” UNEP Finance Initiative: Geneva. Available from https://www.unepfi.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/PRB-Biodiversity-Guidance.pdf
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