GID Biodiversity Impact Data - Impact Institute

WHAT IS YOUR BIODIVERSITY IMPACT?

The problem: “The current extinction rate is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the past 10 million years – and it is accelerating … More than half of the world’s total GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services, and it is – therefore – exposed to nature loss” – WEF. As is clear, biodiversity loss is a critical issue that investors and the business community at large need to address.

Our solution: Our biodiversity data solution estimates biodiversity impact of companies, investment portfolios, and value chains, providing actionable insights.

QUICK LINKS:

New company-level biodiversity data release
GID Biodiversity data included in the Finance for Biodiversity’s Guide for Biodiversity Measurement Approaches
Measure and manage the impact of biodiversity – register for the course
Impact reporting for CFOs – the impact of biodiversity

GID Biodiversity Asset data

The dataset covers all companies across the MSCI World Index universe with its 1500+ constituents – to be further expanded in the upcoming months – and includes the following features:

Company–reported pressure data
Company–specific value chain data, including upstream and downstream impacts
Four main biodiversity pressures: climate, air pollution, water pollution, land use
Geospatial land use model for 42 crops
Data for 9100 global sectors to fill data gaps and provide coverage for any universe

Application: Our Biodiversity dataset can be used to assess the biodiversity impact of B2B interactions, investment portfolios and funds. Currently, it is being used by forward-thinking institutions – including large banks and asset managers – to investigate the biodiversity impact of their portfolios.

Biodiversity-product-image-dashboard-800×449 - Impact Institute

SELECTED USERS AND PARTNERS

“Some people hide behind the lack of data when dealing with biodiversity. With everything out there you can already start making decisions to limit biodiversity loss and start finding ways to finance the conservation and preservation of nature”.

ARJAN RUIJS – Senior Responsible Investment Officer at Actiam

METHOD

Biodiversity impact data method in a nutshell

What is biodiversity? The variety of natural life in the world.

Why measure biodiversity impact? Biodiversity provides many services to society, such as cleaning the air or purifying water. However, biodiversity is rapidly declining and overshooting related planetary boundaries.

What causes biodiversity loss? In GID, we measure the biodiversity loss caused by land use, climate change, air pollution, and water pollution (we may add other causes in the future). See table for indicators.

How do we estimate biodiversity impact? Firstly, we look at emissions of GHG and pollutants, and at land use. Afterwards, we translate them into relative species loss for different biomes. Finally, we monetise following the True Price method.

Granularity: Biodiversity loss is calculated for 140 countries and regions x 65 sectors.
Value chain scope: Attributed impact results for the complete upstream and downstream value chain.
Non-monetized biodiversity: Biodiversity impact measures the reduction of species compared to an habitat undisturbed by human activities, e.g. comparing naturally occurring forest with cropland.
Monetised biodiversity: Value of nature is used to monetise biodiversity loss.

Impacts causing biodiversity loss and related indicators

How to use biodiversity data?

Perform Hotspot analysis, based on countries and sectors, of operations or investments.
Enhance hotspot using the value of B2B interactions, e.g. ROI for investments.
Do companies’ own operations deep dive using company own operations data.
Carry out value chain in-depth assessment using company value chain data.

To find out more about the GID visit the GID page.