"CLIMB will be a pioneering effort for biodiversity"
Today, CLIMB is launched - a brand new model for calculating, valuing and compensating for biodiversity. Ecogain has developed the model together with several major players in Swedish industry, with the support of Swedish Mining Innovation.
Hello there Tove Hägglund, senior environmental expert at Ecogain who has been involved in the project, can you explain what CLIMB is?
- CLIMB is a model that evaluates and compares the current situation, as well as negative and positive impacts on biodiversity, when changing a land area. It was developed in Sweden and is based on research. At present, CLIMB is adapted to Swedish conditions, but the intention is to extend it first to the Nordic countries and then to Europe.
What value does CLIMB bring to a business?
- The biggest value is the availability of biodiversity knowledge. Because this is a complex subject area - you need to be an expert in ecology to be able to assess whether, for example, a certain wetland is more important than a certain forest stand. CLIMB makes it easier.
Examples of what CLIMB will bring to our customers:
Decision support at the siting and planning stages, for environmental assessment and reporting.
Better predictability in permitting processes. In the past, it has been difficult for both operators and authorities to know what requirements are reasonable and when compensation is sufficient. CLIMB will be able to answer this question.
Decision support for investments in nature - you can see exactly how many biodiversity units a specific action produces.
Internal pride in biodiversity efforts - it can be easier to relate to concrete numbers than descriptions of actions.
A basis for credible and transparent reporting on biodiversity, not least linked to future EU reporting requirements.
Who will be the first to use CLIMB?
- CLIMB is already used by our partners in the project! The model has formed the basis for compensation calculations in two environmental assessments, for Talga and Heidelberg Materials, and is described as a condition in court decisions. All partners in the project are very keen to start larger scale calculations. LKAB is now mapping its entire land holdings and will use CLIMB to calculate the current situation.
- Participants in our user groups will also be early adopters. The greatest interest at the moment is from activities that make use of nature, that go through environmental permit processes and have their own biodiversity targets. For example, OX2 will calculate on the basis of CLIMB in a planned solar cell plant in Åland.
- Then I hope for the stakeholders in the built environment. I am a great believer in implementing CLIMB in the current certifications for the impact of buildings and infrastructure projects on biodiversity. The entire municipal sector should also want to get started with CLIMB quickly. Municipalities that know what their balance sheet for biodiversity looks like can do good planning work and develop a compensation strategy.
When can we start using CLIMB?
- You can already start mapping your land holdings. We recommend a full inventory according to the Swedish standard, down to class 7, to ensure a complete CLIMB calculation. The advantage is that you will be well prepared for CSRD reporting in 2024. If you already know your baseline, you know what to report against. You will be able to communicate clearly and transparently in your sustainability reporting, and be perceived as credible.
- Another important advantage of being early on the ball is that you have time to build up internal competence. This gives you a head start and makes you faster when it's time to scale up towards greater or more requirements and expectations. Plus all the benefits you always get from being the one who drives development rather than following others.
The project ends on September 1, 2023, when the CLIMB model will be available to everyone.
If I want to know more?
- Get in touch with us at Ecogain or one of our project partners. We can answer questions about implementation and provide advice. Information on CLIMB is also available at climb.ecogain.se.
Please contact me if you have any questions or want to know more about CLIMB.
CLIMB is a project that has been run within the strategic innovation program Swedish Mining Innovation, which is a joint effort by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency.
