Strategic investment foresight for planetary resilience

The Earth Security Index

Decoding sustainability risks & opportunities with the Earth Security Index

Launched in 2013, the Earth Security Index introduced a groundbreaking data framework designed to equip investors with a clear understanding of the strategic risks and opportunities emerging from the transgression of planetary boundaries.

By connecting climate change, natural capital depletion, and evolving market dynamics, the Index provides global industry sectors and key geographies with actionable insights into the systemic challenges shaping long-term value creation.

Utilized by leading investors and corporations, the Earth Security Index and its tools offer a systems-level perspective on interconnected environmental crises. They support the identification and mitigation of sustainability risks across operations, reputation, and investment portfolios—while also uncovering opportunities to drive resilience through innovative technologies, adaptive business models, and cross-sector policy partnerships.

Thought leadership

The Earth Security Index Reports were published as high-impact, thematic briefings between 2014 and 2017 that shaped investment priorities across key industry sectors—including energy, infrastructure, technology manufacturing, agriculture, and automotive—within both production and consumption markets worldwide.

Through strategic reports, dialogues, and advisory engagements, the initiative created a platform where industry leaders, investors, and policymakers could align around actionable solutions. These efforts catalyzed partnerships that translated global sustainability goals into concrete investments and policy innovation.

Case Study

Shaping energy investments across Eurasia

In 2015, Earth Security was invited by the BMW Foundation to design and facilitate a strategic dialogue in Poland. The initiative convened energy stakeholders from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the European..

Photo: The launch of Earth Security Index 2016 in London, from left: Philippe Joubert, former President of Alstom Power; Anna Swaithes, Head of Sustainability, SAB Miller; Cho Khong, Chief Political Analyst, Shell; Pio Wennubst, Ambassador, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; Alejandro Litovsky, Founder & CEO of Earth Security.

Explore the reports

The Earth Security Index Reports provided in-depth analysis of critical themes across selected industries and market geographies, enabling investors to anticipate and respond to emerging global dynamics. Download and explore the full Earth Security Index reports:

The Earth Security Report 2017

The Earth Security Index 2016

The Earth Security Index 2015

The Earth Security Index 2014

Identifying new investments

Uncovered new markets and innovative investment opportunities—including nature-based solutions, resilient coastal infrastructure, nature-tech innovations, inclusive production models, and climate-resilient supply chains.

Anticipating emerging risks

Delivered clear assessments of systemic planetary risks, such as natural capital depletion, climate change, and water stress—highlighting how these risks intersect across borders to shape the long-term viability of key investment sectors.

Frontiers for business leadership

Identified policy opportunities for investors and multinational companies, demonstrating how they can play a strategic role as diplomatic actors shaping the sustainable policies and partnerships required to create stable investment environments.

Bringing systems thinking to investment strategy

The Earth Security Index was the first-of-its-kind data tool that synthesised over 200 data points into an integrated, visual format and applied to drive strategic insights and translating systems thinking into actions that shape the transition of investment to planetary resilience.

The Earth Security Index introduced key innovations that apply systems thinking to help investors navigate complex global risks and opportunities:

Agriculture

Green Infrastructure

Eco Tourism

Agroforestry

Blue carbon

Ripple effects across supply chains

Illuminates how challenges like water scarcity, climate change, and land degradation generate cascading impacts across global supply chains and investment portfolios.

Integrated systems analysis

Connects environmental constraints, demographic trends, and governance dynamics to assess how they interact to influence national and sectoral investment stability—enabling investors to anticipate emerging risks and strategic responses.

Country dashboards & sector insights

Delivers tailored intelligence for high-growth sectors across critical production and consumer markets—pinpointing pressure points that signal both risk exposure and investment opportunity.

Visual storytelling through data

Employs cutting-edge radial graphics inspired by the planetary boundaries framework. Multi-axis indicators make complex systems data intuitive and actionable for decision-makers driving strategic capital allocation.

What our partners say about us

Ever wondered what it’s like to work with us? Our partners didn’t hold back— here’s their honest take, straight from the source.

The clear and powerful analysis sets out how to integrate sustainability in investment in a way that is material to economic growth. HSBC is proud to sponsor the Earth Security Report 2017. It provides banks, asset owners and institutional investment managers with a clear framework to shape a sustainable future.

Daniel Klier

Group Head of Strategy and Global Head of Sustainable Finance, HSBC

I commend the 2016 Earth Security Index very highly. The specificity and clarity it brings to key industries and geographical regions makes it a great companion to decision-makers seeking to develop a sustainable and future-oriented portfolio of investments

Lise Kingo

Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact

Earth Security’s report offers a new type of intelligence and recommendations, which will support companies as they embark on the journey to align their business with the sustainable development agenda.

Pio Wennubst

Ambassador, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Earth Security goes beyond linear financial analyses to show how to align economic growth with planetary boundaries.

S&P Dow Jones Indices

Earth Security has shown their unparalleled ability to combine rigorous, well-researched insights with pragmatic action items, bringing the right partners to the table to move from talking to doing.

Esther Pan Sloane

Head of Partnerships, UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)

The Earth Security Report 2017 provides a clear analytical roadmap for business and investors to understand the commercial imperatives of sustainability. At the heart of this year’s findings are a simple truth: it is not possible to have a strong, functioning private sector in a world of increasing inequality, poverty and climate change

John Danilovich

Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

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