Dr Anthony Kirby, Head of Regulation and Risk for Asset Management and Capital Markets in Europe at EY, considers the key concepts and implications behind a key policy innovation in the UK. Most readers are already aware of alarming rates of biodiversity and ecosystem loss, with the WWF estimating a devastating 69% decline in wildlife populations on average since 1970….

National plans must shift gears to prevent climate finance from stalling, says Lindsey Stewart, Director of Stewardship and Policy at Morningstar Sustainalytics. London Climate Action Week marked the halfway point between the annual UN Climate Conferences – COP28 in the UAE last year, and COP29 in Azerbaijan this year. But the bright midsummer weather in the British capital didn’t match…

Sarita Gosrani, Director of ESG and Responsible Investment at bfinance, outlines five continuing challenges in the diverse and fast-evolving passive ESG investing sector. The landscape of equity indices with ‘ESG’, ‘climate’ or similar labelling has improved substantially in recent years. Yet institutional investors seeking to replace passive equity exposures with a credible sustainability-oriented quasi-passive alternative must still tackle difficult questions, ranging…

The Supreme Court’s overturning of 40-year-old precedent has opened litigation floodgates, but investors can be “voice of reason”.   Last week’s overturning of the Chevron precedent by the US Supreme Court places climate-focused rulemaking at risk, according to US investor bodies, requiring investors to amplify its importance to their decision-making processes.   Chevron held that a federal agency’s reasonable interpretation…

New Shareholders for Change Vice-president vows to support 18-strong institutional investor group’s appeals for hybrid and in-person meetings. The Shareholders for Change (SfC) network’s efforts to preserve shareholders’ rights during the 2024 AGM season, including an appeal against behind closed doors or virtual-only AGMs, which will remain a key focus, according to recently appointed Vice-president Alix Roy. The campaign builds…