Spatial Sustainable Finance

Biodiversity loss and water scarcity are occurring at an unprecedented pace. Environmental degradation caused by economic activity induces long-lasting consequences affecting global health, food security and quality, poverty, migration and armed conflicts. Private-sector investors that follow sustainable finance principles represent an important lever to address global environmental and social challenges, as they can contribute to switching the production and consumption systems and counteract environmental degradation. Sustainable financial operations rely on sensitive, harmonized and objective environmental data, but as of today, even the most transparent companies disclose almost no data on their environmental impact and exposures. This project aims to develop a scientifically robust approach for rating companies with regard to their contribution and exposure to environmental degradation. The tremendous improvement and increased availability of Earth observation and complementary geodata offer enormous yet underused potential to assess biodiversity and water systems changes. Unlocking this potential provides new avenues to globally monitor biodiversity losses and water risks caused by company activities.