How investors can help drive protection for biodiversity
- Media Manager
- Sep 4, 2023
- 1 min read
The Globe and Mail
Written By: Daina Lawrence
Published: September 5th, 2023
Investor interest in protecting biodiversity is rising amid a growing push for more disclosures on the impacts of corporate activities on nature. That raises opportunities for advisors to help guide discussions on whether the companies they’re investing in on behalf of their clients, and the asset managers in charge of funds, are taking biodiversity into account.
Earlier this year, the Responsible Investment Association (RIA) released its annual investor opinion survey, which found that 74 per cent of Canadian investors are concerned about biodiversity loss, and 68 per cent said it was important for companies in their portfolios to commit to preventing such harm.
To help meet the challenge, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) will soon release its recommendations on how and where organizations can document their impact on biodiversity.
“Biodiversity has always been part of more niche conversations that were really sector-specific. But with climate change being this large systemic risk, there’s now more of an understanding that we can’t tackle climate change without also addressing biodiversity loss,” says Rosa van den Beemt, director of stewardship at BMO Global Asset Management.
Studies show that the forests, oceans and other ecosystems absorb more than half of all carbon emissions. More broadly, biodiversity is the interconnection of all life on the planet.
