Regulation and investors’ demands push fund managers towards ESG July 20, 2021 Regulatory imperatives and investor demand are driving an increased focus on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles, according to a PwC report published today. The study found that three-quarters of the fund managers questioned – holding £15.5 trillion in assets – are being influenced by investors and policymakers to drive sustainability outcomes. Regulation 76 [...]
Britain’s decarbonising its transport but it’s losing the race against time July 20, 2021 Dozens in Germany and Belgium have died in flooding. This month Canada recorded its three warmest days ever. The planet is warming, provoking more extreme weather, disrupting fragile ecosystems, threatening planetary catastrophe. We need action quickly to meet the targets the global community has set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Mayor of London wants London [...]
Germany-Belgium floods: Death toll reaches 160 as politicians blame climate change July 17, 2021 The death toll from heavy flooding across Germany, Belgium and Holland has now reached 160, as rescue operations and the search for hundreds still unaccounted for continues. Thousands have been left homeless by the devastating floods that have surged through the region, and hundred are still missing, as the collapse of phone lines hampered efforts [...]
Exclusive: Consumers most worried about climate change despite government pledges July 15, 2021 Despite the recent mountain of pledges from governments and businesses, consumers have identified climate change as the issue about which they are least optimistic, City A.M. can reveal. A new sustainability survey from Public First and Brodie shows that in the UK, “climate anxiety” is at the top of customers concerns, with a net optimism [...]
EU to ban petrol car sales by 2035 and slash aviation fuel tax exemption in massive climate push July 14, 2021 The EU today unveiled a huge package of climate-based reforms including an effective ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035. Under the proposals, the European Commission said it was targeting a 100 per cent reduction in emissions from cars by the middle of the next decade. In order to push [...]
Behind the OPEC standoff: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the rush to decarbonise in the Middle East July 13, 2021 The breakdown of talks between the OPEC+ group of oil producers last week came down to disagreements between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The two often time allies have found themselves on opposite sides of the fence over production levels of oil, a running source source of tension that has come to the fore more [...]
Responsible investing is not a bubble set to burst, it is a greater structural evolution July 8, 2021 In recent months concerns have grown about responsible investment “bubbles”. In May, MSCI warned that clean energy exchange-traded funds are as crowded as technology stocks were at the height of the 1999 boom. Yet, whether we like it or not, bubbles are exactly what we should expect at this stage of the sustainable economic transition. [...]
Business leaders double down on hitting ESG targets July 8, 2021 British business leaders are strongly committing to hitting their ESG targets, new research published today shows. Figures compiled by Accenture, the global professional services firms, show 88 per cent of UK business leaders would not go back on their environmental, social and government commitments to meet earnings targets. Read more: Sunak reveals new climate impact [...]
Developing economies need more funds to tackle climate change – Carney July 6, 2021 The former governor of the Bank of England has warned that developing countries need more funds to tackle climate change. Speaking to MPs on the Treasury Select Committee, Mark Carney said although private financial markets could fund the investment needed to address climate change in rich countries, emerging markets do not have the same volume [...]
Bank of England to cut staff air travel amid green push July 5, 2021 The Bank of England is considering permanently cutting staff air travel as part of efforts to ramp up its climate change targets and “practise what we preach”. Sarah Breeden, the Bank’s executive director for financial stability and risk and lead on climate change issues, said the Bank was having an “active debate” over how to [...]