“We will not be dinosaurs,” –said Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of Total,-“We’re going to be the energy company of the future, I’m convinced.” On Monday few blocks away from the UN headquarter in New York, where 66 countries signed their intent to achieve zero carbon emission for...
Climate change, ESG Rating, Financial Institutions / 20.09.2019
The case for closer oversight of the ESG fund industry
"Green-friendly ETFs hold shares in groups with coal operations" said Financial Times on September 19, 2019. The case for closer oversight of the ESG fund industry is the conclusion of the analysis conducted by the environmental research group InfluenceMap on a basket of 118 climate-themed funds listed...
As the Financial Times pointed out, a vast amount of deals occurred recently that involved ESG rating agencies: the demand for sustainability and corporate governance data has risen among investors and regulators. Today, Financial Times announced that two of the three main credit rating agencies...
Climate change, Disinvestment / 17.09.2019
Fossil fuel divestment has ‘zero’ climate impact, says Bill Gates
Mr. Gates told the FT that investors would have better results in promoting progress and mitigating climate change, through funding innovative businesses such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, instead of divesting from fossil fuels. Already in the past Bill Gates has branded fossil fuel divestment “a false...
Japanese companies have set up a consortium on September 16, 2019 to help improving the reporting of financial impacts of climate-related risks in order to enhance green investments and face climate change issues. 172 Japanese companies (including Mazda Motor, Nomura and Sony) are now supporting...
In order to cut extreme poverty and help farmers in facing the growing effects of climate change we do need to work urgently on agricultural productivity, according to research published by the World Bank on September 16, 2019. Effects of climate change are tangible in agriculture and...
Yale program on climate change communication latest report reveals that seven in ten Americans think global warming is happening. But data show that three out of ten say "it is due mostly to natural changes in the environment", showing a widespread scepticism on the subject. Another survey by...
This is not the first case US moves back in environmental regulations under Trump administration. We already tackled the issue of methane emission limits in this article , while this is the turn of water. During his campaign, Trump has already announced the intention to repeal the...
According to the FT article by Robert Harding as of September 12, 2019, there is an economic case for fighting pollution to boost productivity, since the evidence increasingly suggests that particulates do not just penetrate the heart and lungs but also the brain. Whereas fighting climate change...
MSCI Inc. acquired a 100% stake in data analytics firm Carbon Delta AG through its subsidiary MSCI Barra Sarl. "Founded in 2015, Carbon Delta is a global leader for climate change scenario analysis. Together, MSCI and Carbon Delta will create an extensive climate risk assessment and...
Corporate Governance, ESG / 07.09.2019
Does capitalism need saving from itself?
Gillian Tett, chair of the editorial board for the Financial Times, reflects on "why bosses are buying into the idea of a purpose beyond profit", after decades in which shareholder interests have dominated the boardroom and shareholder value has been the 'mantra' in financial markets. She interviews...
Not only Amazonia: large parts of Earth are burning, and the problem might be bigger than it appears. Journalists have focused on the enormous devastation that is occurring in Amazonia this year: in comparison to last year, the number of fires in the region has enormously...
The asset management giant Vanguard has ejected 29 stocks from the funds created to invest in companies with strong environmental, social and governance records. The news published by the Financial Times as of August 13, 2019 reports Vanguard statement after the event: “the companies were included...
Climate change, Oil and Gas / 04.08.2019
Renewable energy is good money, not just good for the earth
As the Financial Times points out in the article dated August 4, 2019, climate change is not anymore just a mere ethical issue concerning our planet health, but also as the call for socially responsible investments. "Rise of electric vehicles makes solar and wind better long-term investments than...