The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) Working Group for Nature has published “Rooted in Risk: Framing nature-related assessments for insurers”, the first document in its “Nature Uncovered for Insurers” series on assessing nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities in insurance underwriting portfolios. Rooted in Risk maps and contextualises existing nature-related approaches for both non-life and life and health insurance business models, and is intended to help insurers identify where along their value chain nature-related issues may arise and how they could materialise across lines of business. The guidance is positioned as a technical basis for insurers (and supporting organisations) to prepare for and conduct their own nature-related assessments, building on priority actions set out in the Working Group’s earlier report “Insuring a resilient nature-positive future”, and addressing what it describes as a gap in underwriting-focused methods compared with broader frameworks often oriented toward investment and lending portfolios. A second instalment in the series, “Breaking Ground”, is expected to be launched later in 2025.
United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative 2025-06-26
United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance Working Group for Nature launches Rooted in Risk guidance on nature-related underwriting assessments
The UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative's Principles for Sustainable Insurance Working Group for Nature released "Rooted in Risk," a guide for assessing nature-related dependencies and risks in insurance underwriting. It helps insurers identify nature-related issues across their value chains and serves as a technical foundation for nature-related assessments. A follow-up document, "Breaking Ground," is anticipated in 2025.