Andrea Palmer

Biodiversity is the overlooked ESG risk. Most companies don’t see it. Investors do. In my work with corporate ESG teams, I’ve seen how often biodiversity gets treated as a future priority but the financial consequences are already here. A recent study by Soylemezgil & Uzmanoglu (2024) found that biodiversity risk is already priced into corporate bond markets: 🛑 Firms with high biodiversity risk pay ~3% more to borrow and after COP15, rose to ~4% for high risk firms. 🛑 Traditional credit ratings don’t account for biodiversity risk but investors do. 🛑 Firms that mention biodiversity regulation in their financial reports face the highest borrowing costs showing that investors are pricing in transition risk. We talk about biodiversity like it’s a nice to have. But what’s being lost isn’t just species it’s resilience, stability, and value. Biodiversity should shape your strategy. Not just decorate your disclosures.

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To all sustainability professionals: I see you. Some of you are tired. Some are under pressure. Some are seeing priorities shift or support fall away and wondering what the future holds for the work you've dedicated yourself to. So let’s pause for a moment. Yes, we’re in a time of turbulence, but progress is still being made. It’s not always loud, but it’s real: Clean energy is accelerating: In 2024, renewables overtook coal in the U.S. electricity mix for the first time. Emerging economies are leading bold transitions: China alone added over 370 GW of renewable capacity last year. Social impact is measurable: Solar mini-grids in rural Africa are boosting incomes and improving gender equity. We often hear that we must move faster — and we must — but we don’t have to panic. Exhaustion doesn’t serve transformation. The best way to sustain this work is to make space for reflection, recovery, and reorientation. --- Looking Ahead: How AI Can Move Sustainable Development Faster AI isn’t a magic fix, but it can help us work smarter, focus deeper, and scale faster. In the next 12–24 months, we can: Use GenAI for automated policy intelligence — tracking regulatory shifts and surfacing high-impact opportunities Simulate scenarios and stress-test strategies — strengthening foresight and building alignment Accelerate climate-smart investment decisions — integrating AI into underwriting and funding processes Support hyper-local adaptation planning — with real-time data and precision targeting Build AI-enabled knowledge systems — so sustainability teams can think faster, without losing depth. --- Take time for yourself if you need to. But also take heart. The next chapter is still being written, and we are still in it. Let’s keep learning, adapting, and supporting one another. #Sustainability #Leadership #CleanEnergy #ClimateAction #AIforImpact #Resilience #StrategicForesight #RegenerativeFuture

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"Most government departments and financial institutions base their analysis on scenarios from the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). Until recently, standard NGFS scenarios predicted that 3.5°C of warming by 2100 would reduce global output by 7-14% – far less damage than climate scientists would expect to see at this temperature level.   As of November 2024, the scenarios now use an updated ‘damage function’ and estimate a 30% hit to global GDP by the end of the century – if we follow our current trajectory to reach just under 3 degrees of warming.   While this does a much better job of capturing economic damages, it still fails to capture the full range of climate risks and impacts. The estimates ignore several important factors, including: direct effects of heatwaves, rising sea levels, damage from tropical cyclones, and potential climate tipping points. They also fail to account for non-economic impacts of climate change, particularly to ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as human health and wellbeing." Great piece in Green Futures Solutions from Jesse F Abrams, one of our key Strategic Climate Risks Initiative collaborators https://lnkd.in/eamr58Fr

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🌍 Impact Circle 2025: The Role of Land in Impact and Circularity 🌱 We’re back! After last year’s deep dive into embedding sustainability into business, Alexander Griekspoor and Wouter Heijnen are excited to launch a new Impact Circle series, exploring a crucial topic: land and its role in impact and circularity. 💡 Why land? Often a victim of harmful practices, land also holds the potential to drive positive change when approached responsibly. 📅 Kicking off January 21st Alexander and Wouter will provide an overview of the theme. Alexander will share insights into his new startup, LandOS, tackling land’s potential for impact. ✨ Curious? Join us in the link below to rethink how businesses can create lasting, positive change! Register below https://lnkd.in/dcJTKVNQ

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