Asset owner’s Head of Climate Change and Nature calls for range of interventions to “unlock finance”.  One of the most effective ways to overcome investment barriers to climate solutions is for the UK government to develop a “UK-wide transition plan”, according to Bruno Gardner, Head of Climate Change and Nature at pensions, savings and insurance provider Phoenix Group.   “There…

A selection of this week’s major stories impacting ESG investors, in five easy pieces.  Three weeks from COP28, the impact, influence and future of the fossil fuel sector is rarely far from the surface. Multilateral momentum – The week started on an optimistic note with agreement on a list of recommendations for implementing the Loss and Damage Fund to be finalised…

Douglass Guernsey, Shareholder Advocate at Green Century Capital Management, outlines how supermajority voting challenges asset managers and their fiduciary duty. Investors know that environmental risks like climate change, deforestation and biodiversity loss pose threats to portfolios. But, as this autumn’s attempt by JBS to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shows, there is another serious, existential governance threat…

Morningstar experts warn easing climate ambitions risks undermining urgency and “sending the wrong signals” to investors.  Speakers at a Morningstar COP28 media roundtable stressed if the “goalposts” of a 1.5°C temperature increase are moved it could jeopardise investor attempts to reach Paris Agreement targets.   Climate change experts have warned 2023 is on track to be the hottest year on…

Rising recognition of the vulnerabilities of EMDEs to climate change is increasing focus on scaling blended finance opportunities.  COP28 in Dubai will explore climate adaptation investment opportunities for public-private partnerships in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), according to COP27’s UN Climate Change High-Level Champion.   “COP26 highlighted the importance of businesses and the private sector to [international climate progress]…