City leaders are constantly proposing ‘green initiatives’ but is the Square Mile really doing everything it can for climate change? July 2, 2021 During London Climate Action Week, a series of sustainability initiatives are capturing airtime. The City of London’s ‘Climate Action Strategy’ aims to make the Square Mile net-zero in its carbon emissions by 2040. A group of law firms has adopted a ‘greener litigation pledge’. And financial services, which form the backbone of the City, are keen to [...]
Sunak to set out vision for UK financial services as new green bonds unveiled July 1, 2021 Rishi Sunak will today lay out plans to make Britain the most “advanced and exciting” country for financial services in the world in his first ever Mansion House address. The speech comes after the Treasury revealed the first details of the government’s plan for the UK’s first ever green sovereign bond – or gilt – [...]
Danske Bank launches UK’s first carbon-neutral mortgage June 29, 2021 Danske Bank has launched the UK’s first carbon-neutral mortgage, to tackle emissions generated throughout the mortgage life cycle. The mortgages, certified as carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust, will ensure physical paperwork is limited and recycled in Danske’s offices. The Carbon Trust calculated that each mortgage produces around 96kg of carbon, equivalent to driving 241 [...]
London must become a world leader on climate change action June 28, 2021 It’s London Climate Action week and a chance to celebrate the work being done to tackle climate change in our capital city. It’s an opportunity to highlight and bring to the forefront the challenges we are facing and need to address to make a real difference. Climate change is a major global issue affecting everyone [...]
COP26: ESG needs a top-down approach to be truly effective June 26, 2021 Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) issues are fast becoming a key factor for investment decision making. The ethics and sustainability efforts of a business impact who invests and for how much. Despite ESG becoming a priority, many financial services professionals are still unclear about how organisations produce this data. In fact, a recent survey [...]
London has the lowest carbon per capita emissions of any region in the UK June 25, 2021 London has the lowest carbon per capita emissions of any region in the UK, according to the latest government figures released today. The government’s breakdown of territorial CO2 emissions in all 379 UK local authorities showed that London’s high poopulation density, the urban nature of its transport system and its lower level of industrial facilities all contributed to its low [...]
European Parliament approves landmark law to make emissions targets legally binding June 24, 2021 The European Parliament has approved a landmark law today which makes emissions targets within the European Union legally binding. Earlier today, the UK’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said the government’s lack of policies jeopardise the country’s chances of meeting its net zero emissions by 2050 target. “Today is a historic day,” Swedish Social Democrat [...]
Prince Charles partners with insurance firms to tackle climate change June 24, 2021 Prince Charles has teamed up with the Lloyd’s of London insurance market to launch a task force aimed at transitioning the industry to a net zero economy. The task force will be chaired by Lloyd’s, with support from Charles’ Sustainable Markets Initiative. It will include the chief executives of insurance firms such as AXA, Allianz, [...]
SpaceX to launch UK-built satellites into space to track climate change June 24, 2021 SpaceX is set to launch three UK-built satellites into space tomorrow, designed to monitor climate change and track endangered wildlife. The UK companies behind the environment tracking tech received a near £15m from the UK Space Agency, through the European Space Agency’s Pioneer Partnership Programme. “As we get ready to host the UN climate change [...]
Impact investing is increasingly a buzzword in the City as millennial investors take over June 24, 2021 Impact investing, the strategy to make financial profits but create a long-standing, positive impact on our world, in the process, is becoming increasingly ‘a thing’ in the City and other financial hubs around the world. Many investors are hyper-aware of what is happening around them, with factors such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) making a [...]