Partnership between United Nations Environment and the global financial sector to promote sustainable finance
30 June 2020
New research published today shines a spotlight on the urgent need for financial sector action on biodiversity. The report highlights the need for banks, investors and insurers to set firm targets to reduce biodiversity loss, starting with nine critical sectors where financial players are exposed through their loans, investments or underwriting activities.
5 June 2019
This World Environment Day we investigate the business and ethical cases for reducing air pollution, and present a tool that clears the smog for the finance sector – showing just how much businesses both rely upon and affect the environment. Take a moment and imagine biking through traffic. You pedal briskly on the edge of […]
7 May 2019
Few weeks pass without scientists reporting new knowledge of how badly humans are treating our planet, and the consequences for our common future. With the launch of the IPBES report summary for policymakers and a whole host of new and old facts and statistics, one may ask what is different this time? The Intergovernmental Science-Policy […]
29 April 2019
Just days after the French and UK central banks issued an urgent warning that climate change constitutes an existential threat to the financial system, the Natural Capital Finance Alliance (NCFA) has launched analysis based on its ground-breaking ENCORE tool. The report analyses the FTSE All-Share Index to see how dependent UK-listed companies are on natural […]
15 April 2019
The agricultural sector is one of the sectors most exposed to environmental risk caused by climate change and human degradation of ecosystems. A new template that enables financial institutions to conduct natural capital credit risk assessment across different agricultural sectors and geographies, taking into account factors such as water availability, use and quality; soil health; […]
19 February 2019
When Madeleine Ronquest attended the Johannesburg launch of an innovative guide designed to help banks assess their exposure to environmental degradation, a quick look around the room proved it was no longer business as usual in the financial sector. “When I started out there weren’t any environmental or sustainability people in the banks, and (at the launch) […]
16 January 2019
A week before the World Economic Forum in Davos, where global financial leaders will discuss society’s most pressing issues, the Natural Capital Finance Alliance (NCFA) has launched the world’s first step-by-step guide to help financial institutions conduct a rapid natural capital risk assessment. The Natural Capital Finance Alliance engaged with PwC to produce the guide. […]
26 November 2018
The world’s first comprehensive tool linking environmental change with its consequences for the economy has been launched by the Natural Capital Finance Alliance (NCFA). The web-based tool, called ENCORE (Exploring Natural Capital Opportunities, Risks and Exposure), will help global banks, investors and insurance firms assess the risks that environmental degradation, such as the pollution of oceans […]
18 June 2018
Part of UNEP FI’s work in ecosystems management includes creating investable models for investors, as well as providing knowledge, and imparting insight for private finance to contribute to sustainable land use projects. Côte d’Ivoire has the fastest rate of deforestation in the world, much of which is caused by the cultivation of cocoa, a commodity that is a big contributor to the economy. Thomas Yapo, UNEP FI’s Economics and Finance Consultant for Africa writes about […]
23 April 2018
Launched today, in Hong Kong, ‘Connecting Finance and Natural Capital: A Supplement to the Natural Capital Protocol’ is a tool for financial institutions to assess how their business is impacted by, and depends upon the natural world. The Natural Capital Protocol has created a globally recognized and standardized framework for business. This supplement to the Protocol, aims […]
23 April 2018
According to the capitals framework, there are five types of capital that enable our society and economy. Human and social capital enable productive and organized societies. Manufactured capital enables production processes, and financial capital allows for trade and ownership. Enabling all these other capitals is natural capital – the stock or flow of energy […]
19 September 2017
UNEP FI is joining forces with the world’s largest conservation, development and finance organizations to catalyze the sustainable transformation of global commodity supply chains around the world.
20 June 2017
On World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, Raj Singh of the Natural Capital Finance Alliance looks at how the global finance sector is dependent on water, and what the new drought stress testing tool can reveal about the exposure of banks’ portfolios to the effects of drought. As the planet heats up, rainfall is expected […]
29 May 2017
May 2017 We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of the Finance Sector Supplement to the Natural Capital Protocol, by sharing your financial institution’s experience, knowledge and expertise in a pilot phase. The supplement aims to provide comprehensive, integrated guidance and insight for financial institutions to integrate natural capital […]
5 April 2017
LONDON, 5th April, 2017 A ground-breaking, open source tool which allows banks to test their loan portfolios for vulnerability to major droughts is being launched today in London. Financial institutions are often ill equipped to understand the impact of environment-related risks on their clients and portfolios. The ‘Drought Stress Testing Tool’ enables banks to assess if […]
17 November 2016
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD], together with the Government of Mexico, is inviting businesses to become a signatory to the Business and Biodiversity Pledge. The Pledge provides an opportunity for business leaders to express the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services for businesses, and to state their commitment towards taking positive […]
9 November 2016
The Natural Capital Finance Alliance is working alongside the Natural Capital Coalition (NCC) and the Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (VBDO) to create the first draft of the Finance Sector Supplement (FSS). The FSS will serve as an introduction to natural capital issues and provide a framework for measuring and integrating natural capital […]
1 November 2016
New name for Natural Capital Declaration The Natural Capital Declaration (NCD), the leading global finance-led initiative convened by the Global Canopy Programme (GCP) and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) announced at UNEP FI’s Global Roundtable in Dubai in October that its name is changing to the Natural Capital Finance Alliance (NCFA), with […]
23 May 2016
The ERISC project, short for Environmental Risk Integration in Sovereign Credit Analysis, aims to help financial institutions to integrate environmental risks in their risk assessments and investment decisions by identifying and quantifying how they can affect countries’ economic performance and thereby their cost of credit in the sovereign debt market. The project’s premise is that […]