The European Central Bank should take "concrete action" to help tackle the climate crisis, more than 160 academics and civil society groups said in a letter to new ECB chief Christine Lagarde. "The most powerful financial institution in Europe cannot just sit passively as we witness...
According to the FT of November 27, 2019, Christine Lagarde, the new President of the European Central Bank (ECB) wants to set climate change as a priority goal for the ECB strategy and make the environment as a central topic of monetary policymaking. The reputational risk...
Global warming is affecting the fishing industry of African countries. Tombwa, once a prosperous fishery city on Atlantic Angolan coast, sees its economy collapsing as global warming rises and fishing remains unregulated. Tombwa’s maritime life is threating by oxygen-depleted and hot waters, major consequences of global warming....
Investors in ESG funds will end up with more exposure to Saudi Arabia than a passive investor, highlighting complexities in responsible investing. The article written by James Mackintosh on the WSJ of November 26, 2019 analyzes the difficult choices behind the selection of bonds of better emerging-market...
The CO2 emissions continued to rise in the 2015-2019 timeframe and will continue to rise in the future. This is a bleak forecast according to the new Report by the the Science Advisory Group to UN Climate Action Summit 2019. The key messages of the Report...
A growing number of investors across the world are factoring ESG risk into their decision-making, in the belief that companies with a good rating will be better-run and produce stronger returns with lower risk. MSCI, which awards companies an ESG rating based on 37 criteria such...
As of November 21, 2019 S&P Global announced it will acquire the ESG Ratings Business from RobecoSAM which consists of two units: one dealing with SAM CSA which issues ESG ratings and a second providing in-depth reports to companies for comparing relative performance relative. SAM...
Hunger is rising, half the world lacks basic education and healthcare, women face discrimination. This are are huge systemic risks. According to the secretary-general of the United Nations, Antònio Guterres, in an article published on the FT of November 4, 2019, in a time of...
According to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, corporations, financial institutions and socially conscious citizens must pull us back from the climate change abyss. They have the muscle to make renewables mainstream and reposition fossil fuels as the tobacco of the energy industry. Sadly, the leaders of some...
Thomson Reuters Corp announced on Monday it had completed the sale of a majority stake (around 55%) in its Financial & Risk unit to private equity firm Blackstone Group LP. The unit will now be rebranded as Refinitiv. Investors also announced that Refinitiv will invest in multiple...
The Paris Agreement’s 2 °C objective requires that more than 80% of all proven fossil fuel reserves become stranded resources, and investments in such resources may become "stranded assets" for industrialized and developing countries. A ‘just transition’ for workers and communities as the world’s economy responds to...
A shocking report by PRI reveals that the financial market is very likely to incur in a new mortgage default crisis because of the climate change. In fact, the short sightedness of policy makers regarding climate change is increasing the likelihood of a market crisis. For...
Hedge funds are starting to face the increasing interest in responsible investing. According to the survey by BarclayHedge, a division of technology firm Backstop Solutions, four out of ten hedge fund managers now consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings in their capital allocation decision. The reason...
A group of 13 companies known as Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) spoke out on Monday about the progresses they made in promoting investments in carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS). OGCI said it is ready to make investments. These, though, relies heavily on technology in order...