How can biodiversity loss and water scarcity be measured and attributed to the companies that cause these impacts?
The Spatial Sustainable Finance research project explores this question with an innovative, data-driven approach. Multidimensional biodiversity and water information using satellite data from different geographical regions is collected and enables the measurement of environmental changes.
As part of the 1st Rapid Action Call in the Innovation Program, a data-based model was developed that translates local, nature-related risks into financial impacts. This model illustrates how environmental change in biodiversity and water needs to be included in companies’ balance sheets and risk profiles. Building on this, an interactive BioVaR prototype was created for decision-makers. The prototype integrates web maps with metrics calculated from the underlying earth observation data in a dashboard, providing a structured view of environmental risks and their financial implications.
Spatial Sustainable Finance is a BRIDGE Discovery project jointly funded by SNSF and Innosuisse. It is a collaboration between ZHAW School of Management and Law, ZHAW Life Sciences und Facility Management and UZH Department of Geography.