• info@esgwise.org

SFDR II Must Deliver “Simplicity”

Dutch regulator proposes overhaul ahead of green fund consultation closure, France follows Belgium in revising SRI label to exclude fossil fuel developers.  Industry experts have stressed the need for simplicity and clarity around Europe’s ESG fund labelling, as the European Commission’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) consultation deadline looms.   Regulators around Europe have been increasingly active this month, coming…

An Unravelling of the Threads of Deforestation

Supply chain links to deforested land are notoriously hard to decipher, some say governments need to unlock key economic data to move the needle.   The existential threat of deforestation is a well-treaded subject. Turbocharged global warming, more pandemics, and the extinction of millions of plants and animals are just some of the alarming impacts humanity could face if rampant…

Asia Wakes Up to Blue Finance Regulation

Blue finance regulatory frameworks are starting to make ripples as the ocean cause expands its reach to Asia.  The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in September 2023 became the first regulator to issue blue finance guidelines. In developing its own guidelines, the Philippine SEC leaned heavily on Asean’s existing green bond frameworks, illustrating infancy of this market and the…

Damilola Ogunbiyi on Clean Energy in Emerging Markets

Energy access and clean energy development in emerging markets will be at the forefront of COP28 this year. In this episode, ESG Book’s Isabel Verkes speaks to Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (UN SRSG) for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. Ahead of COP, listen to Damilola’s expert take on why there is…

Nucor Sets Goal for Net Zero Steelmaking Across Value Chain by 2050

Nucor Sets Goal for Net Zero Steelmaking Across Value Chain by 2050

Steel manufacturer Nucor Corporation announced a series of new climate targets, including a goal to achieve net zero emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 from the production of hot rolled steel. According to Nucor, the new commitments make the company the first diversified steelmaker in the U.S. to set GHG reduction targets encompassing all three scopes. Steelmaking is one…

EU Commission Funds €400 Million Climate, Biodiversity & Circular Economy Projects

EU Commission Funds €400 Million Climate, Biodiversity & Circular Economy Projects

The European Commission announced today that it has today approved more than €396 million in funding for climate and environmental sustainability projects in areas including nature and biodiversity, circular economy and quality of life, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and clean energy transition. The new investments are being made under the LIFE Programme, the EU’s funding instrument for the environment…

Geothermal Engineering Raising $745 Million to Produce Zero Carbon Lithium for EVs

Geothermal Engineering Raising $745 Million to Produce Zero Carbon Lithium for EVs

Geothermal heat and power company Geothermal Engineering announced today that it is raising £600 million (USD$745 million), with proceeds used to expand its production of zero carbon lithium, a biproduct of its geothermal projects, for use in the rapidly growing electric vehicle market. Lithium is a key input in most energy storage system, and rapidly rising demand for the material…

ESG Evolution Calls for Terminology Alignment

Industry bodies align on key sustainable finance-related definitions to offer end-users greater “consistency and clarity”.   As investors’ approaches to ESG and sustainability-focused investing become increasingly varied, there is greater need for consistency and clarity across related terminology to avoid confusion and prevent greenwashing.  “Over the past decade, an increasing number of investors have become interested in investment products that…

Guest Post: Climate Risks To Financial Performance Are Hugely Under-estimated

Guest Post: Climate Risks To Financial Performance Are Hugely Under-estimated

By: Emma Cutler, Senior Analyst, Verdantix News of climate change- and El Nino-driven drought slowing traffic in the Panama Canal hit headlines last week. Where the news will likely never appear, however, is firms’ own reporting, even for those that experience significant losses, at least not as a climate-related loss. Though the World Meteorological Organization cites economic damage from droughts…