When looking at our highly digitalised and technologised world, it can be easy to forget that the economy depends on the continued availability of natural resources and access to ecosystem services. Making this connection clear is crucial for the private sector according to the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). CISL provides guidance for companies to be able to accurately and meaningfully account for its dependence and its impacts on nature—both for the sake of the planet and society and large, and for its own bottom line.
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), a research institute focused on creating solutions for a sustainable economy, has launched a Handbook for Nature-Related Financial Risks: Key Concepts and a Framework for Identification, for companies and financial institutions to assess nature-related financial risks. The handbook builds on existing thinking about calculating the value of ecosystem services and was developed with the insights of banks, asset managers, CISL’s Centre for Sustainable Finance and academics from the University of Cambridge conservation cluster.
We have highlighted below some of the key concepts covered in the handbook as a high-level guide to navigate the content.