Regulators’ climate remits ‘at odds’ with UK net-zero goals

Regulators’ climate remits are “easy-to-ignore” and are putting them at odds with the UK’s net-zero goals, according to industry experts speaking at a Sustainable Finance All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) briefing. At the event on Monday, which looked at the impact of the Financial Services and Markets (FSM) bill on UK sustainable finance, Nitika Agarwal, … Read more

What COP27 means for investors around the world

Sustainable finance professionals across all world regions were watching Finance Day at COP27 closely to see if environmental and social investing would get the boost so desperately needed from global leaders. There were certainly some developments and signals intended to aid implementation of climate finance solutions – for example, the United Nations’ guide for non-state … Read more

FCA should consider ‘sustainability champions’ for IFA firms

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been especially productive of late, with the significant legislation that is Consumer Duty launched in July and the Sustainable Disclosure Requirements and investment labels consultation approximately two months later. Fortunately, these complement each other greatly, particularly around the subject of consumer understanding and clarity of communications. I applaud … Read more

Companies’ cost-of-living support for employees ‘insufficient’

CCLA Investment Management and the Church Investors Group (CIG) have found large companies are not doing enough to protect employees during the cost-of-living crisis. In September, the investors wrote to 100 of the largest UK companies to ask what steps they were taking for the lowest-paid employees which are most impacted by rising costs of energy, … Read more

Carbon trading gains momentum in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has recorded more than 40 trades on its international carbon marketplace since its launch on 28 October, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) said at an event celebrating the launch of the exchange. “The launch of Core Climate is a significant milestone in our journey to develop Hong Kong into Asia’s premier carbon … Read more

PRI sets sights on nature

With the link between climate and nature starting to be considered by investors, industry experts were encouraged to see discussions about nature risk crop up with more frequency at COP27 this year. “Nature-based issues and nature-based risk just keep featuring in the discussions,” the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosure’s executive director Tony Goldner told ESG … Read more

Celebrating Sustainability and Safeguards on Peru´s Independence Day

Thinking about Perú brings to life images of breathtaking green valleys that are lost in sight, vibrant Inca infrastructure, and a world-class cultural and natural richness evident in its people, landscapes and culinary traditions. This 28th of July, we celebrate the social diversity and enriching culture of The Republic of Perú, on the anniversary of … Read more

Q&A: Asian companies stand out in terms of creating climate change solutions

Companies located in Asia are stepping up in terms of focusing on the energy transition and adopting science-based net-zero targets, despite China’s decision to suspend climate talks with the US ahead of COP27. Here, Mathieu Negre, portfolio manager for the UBP Emerging Market Impact Equities Fund and head of global emerging markets at the firm, … Read more

From the summits of La Paz, to the coast of Jamaica. Celebrating their independence and safeguards.

Bolivia and Jamaica represent two faces of the geography of our atmosphere. While Bolivia offers breathtaking snowy mountains, typical of the Andes Cordillera, Jamaica brings paradise-like Caribbean beaches to the picture. Both countries sum up an aggregated population of nearly 15 million, a territory of more than 1.1 million square kilometers, and an impressive geographic, … Read more

Can sustainable hydropower provide more than just electricity?

Can you even have sustainability and hydropower in the same sentence? It’s a question that for years has challenged development practitioners (and bolstered critics) of this renewable source of energy. But the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is taking steps to help answer this question. Hydropower can be massive in scale. In 2018, electricity generation from … Read more