Swiss Re introduces its Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Index, a global tool measuring ecosystem health at a one-square-kilometre resolution across ten services, including pollination, erosion control, and coastal protection. The report finds that 55% of global GDP depends moderately or highly on ecosystem services, and that one-fifth of countries have ecosystems in a fragile state across more than 30% of their territory.

This has direct implications for insurers because disappearing forests lead to rising landslide and flood claims, deteriorating air quality drives up health insurance costs, and degraded coastlines leave properties more exposed to storms. The index gives the industry a concrete way to measure and price these risks.

Partner: Swiss Re

Source: Swiss Re Institute. (2020). Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: A business case for re/insurance. https://www.swissre.com/dam/jcr:a7fe3dca-c4d6-403b-961c-9fab1b2f0455/swiss-re-institute-expertise-publication-biodiversity-and-ecosystem-services.pdf