The PRB Academy has launched a course guiding banks in making a nature-positive transition, going beyond theory and disseminating actionable, and practical guidance.
Background
According to the World Economic Forum, $44 trillion USD, over half of the world’s GDP is dependent on nature. However, the decline in natural capital is occurring at unprecedented rates. To move towards a nature-positive economy, the banking and financial sectors must minimize their negative impacts on biodiversity while also filling funding gaps.
Description
The PRB Academy, building upon its Introduction to Nature and Responsible Banking course, has now launched a course on Applying Nature Responsible Banking . The course is in alignment with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), which encourages the integration of nature into capital allocation and strategic decisions.
The course equips bankers and individuals in the financial sector with practical guidance on identifying and managing the negative environmental impacts, dependencies, and nature-related risks within their loan portfolios. It provides a structured framework for setting targets, developing a nature-related strategy, and effectively disclosing relevant information. Participants are also introduced to tools such as the ENCORE tool, UNEP FI Impact Analysis tool for banks, and the Science Based Targets Network Materiality Screening tool to assess the environmental impacts of a lending portfolio.
Participants engage in a case study involving a fictitious bank. They explore nature-related issues relevant to the bank, such as identifying and assessing impacts, dependencies, and risks arising from a fictitious loan portfolio before making recommendations for developing a nature-related strategy.
Enrollment for the course is available here: Applying Nature Responsible Banking
Outlook
A Spanish version of the E-Learning course will be launched at the Finance Day at CBD COP16 in Colombia, allowing more professionals from one of the world’s most biodiverse regions of the world to learn about practical approaches to integrate a nature-positive approach in the banking sector. The PRB Academy is also in discussions with local learning institutes to offer virtual and in-person trainings to professionals in the region.
About the PRB Academy
The PRB Academy, is an initiative to support banks worldwide through capacity building to align with the UN Sustainable Development goals and the Paris agreement. The PRB Academy is a joint initiative of the Chartered Banker Institute, the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
