As the E in ESG (environmental, social and governance) risks widens out to include loss of biodiversity, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) has provided Sustainable Views with data that helps assess corporate activity and responsibility.
The not-for-profit organisation has gathered and analysed information on power plants, oil and gas wells, and mines that are active in particularly sensitive areas from a biodiversity perspective, owing to the presence of endangered species, freshwater and intact forests, among other factors. It also looked at the presence of those assets within Unesco’s World Heritage Sites and national parks; as well as at the number of companies that own those assets in each country.
The figures highlight several interesting points — some of which will not come as a surprise: Canada, with its ecological wealth and large oil and gas sector, tops the list of countries with the highest numbers of assets and companies in biodiversity areas. Australia and Italy, with their natural and cultural heritages, top the list by legally protected areas. But on an aggregate level, it is interesting to see where corporate responsibility lies. The regions with the highest number of companies — whether national or foreign-owned — that are active in biodiversity or legally protected areas are Europe and North America. This may help focus the EU and international policy makers’ minds as they tackle ESG risks.
