In 2023, the world lost nearly 16 million acres of forest, according to the 2024 Forest Declaration Assessment, with the primary causes of forest loss being commodity agriculture, especially livestock grazing. The World Wildlife Fund, meanwhile, says in the Amazon alone, around 17% of the forest has been lost in the past 50 years, mainly due to forest conversion for cattle ranching. Louise…
Global food supply chain faces ‘significantly increasingly climate risks’
Both direct and indirect investors in globally integrated supply chains face significantly increasing climate risks and extreme weather hazards, according to a report on global food supply chains commissioned by the First Sentier MUFG Sustainable Investment Institute. The report – Climate Risk and Adaptation in Global Food – emphasises the world is on track to 2.5°C of global warming by 2050,…
Franklin Templeton launches ESG versions of S&P 500 and S&P World
Franklin Templeton has launched two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking sustainable versions of the S&P 500 and S&P World indices. They will track the S&P 500 Guarded and S&P World Guarded, which re-weight their original indices based on ESG scores and exclude controversial companies (such as those involved in coal, tobacco and controversial weapons). In doing so, the S&P 500 Guarded…
ESMA study finds adding ESG-related terms to fund names increases inflows
Adding an ESG term to the name of a fund has “a significant impact” on fund inflows during the five quarters following the name change, according to the latest study published by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). The report – Fund names: ESG-related changes and their impact on investment flows – shows that adding an ESG term can…
University of Cambridge to develop first global bond index to address fossil fuel expansion
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed what they describe as the first global corporate bond index that covers fossil fuel producers, utilities, insurance and financing in an effort to support investment strategies focused on companies working to reduce real-economy emissions. Launching on Bloomberg Index Services Limited (BISL) later this year, the Bloomberg Cambridge University fixed income index is…