Overview
WESR: Ocean is an online analytical tool that provides structured insights into ocean-related environmental risks and pressures. It focuses on themes such as marine ecosystem health, pollution, resource use and climate-related stressors. The tool supports high-level risk screening and contextual analysis relevant to sustainability and long-term financial decision-making.
Organisation behind the tool
The tool is developed and maintained by the World Economic Forum as part of its broader work on environmental and sustainability-related risks. It sits within a wider suite of environmental risk and systems tools designed to support decision-making across sectors.
What the tool does
- Presents qualitative and quantitative indicators related to ocean health and pressures.
- Covers issues such as marine biodiversity loss, overfishing, pollution, ocean warming and acidification.
- Allows users to explore risk themes through structured categories and visual summaries.
- Provides contextual explanations linking environmental pressures to economic and societal impacts.
- Supports comparative, high-level assessment rather than asset-level modelling.
Target audience
The primary audience includes policymakers, financial institutions, and sustainability professionals. It is also relevant to researchers, corporates, and NGOs working on ocean governance, environmental risk, and sustainable development.
Relevance to finance professionals
- Risk assessment – supports identification of ocean-related environmental risks that may affect coastal assets, supply chains and marine-dependent industries.
- ESG analysis – provides context for environmental materiality assessments linked to biodiversity, pollution and natural capital.
- Market and sector insights – relevant for sectors such as fisheries, shipping, tourism, offshore energy and coastal infrastructure.
- Investment context – informs long-term analysis of systemic environmental trends that may influence portfolio resilience and transition risks.
