European business leaders call on Biden to hike emissions cuts by 2030 April 13, 2021 A group of European business leaders and politicians have today called on US President Joe Biden to dramatically increase its commitment to cutting greenhouse gases by the end of the decade. In a joint statement, 107 chief execs and lawmakers wrote: “We, European political decision makers, CEOs, business organizations, trade unions and think tanks, call [...]
Can investment in biodiversity really deliver strong financial returns? April 11, 2021 There are myriad myths surrounding the climate crisis which desperately need to be debunked this year. Two in particular that are long overdue: the belief that environmentally-focused investments don’t deliver a strong bottom line and the idea that responsibility to deal with climate change and protecting biodiversity rests on the shoulders of Governments. Both are [...]
COP26: Is the City ready for its leading role in the fight against climate change? April 10, 2021 Windows were smashed at Barclays headquarters this week by climate activists who urged the bank to cut its climate destructive investments. Last week campaigners painted the Bank of England (BoE) black in a bid to raise the alarm on the institution’s funding of Big Oil. Where money goes within the City is under more scrutiny [...]
Prince William calls on finance bosses to ‘invest in nature’ April 8, 2021 Prince William has urged global finance leaders to “invest in nature” in order to combat climate change and benefit “our children and grandchildren”. The Duke of Cambridge’s comments were made in a speech during a session of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s virtual Spring Meetings event. The duke launched his ambitious £50m Earthshot [...]
Barclays condemns climate activists’ protest following smashed windows in Canary Wharf April 7, 2021 Barclays has responded to the protests outside their London headquarters this morning, urging Extinction Rebellion to halt any “criminal damage to our facilities and [putting] people’s safety at risk.” Climate change protestors broke windows at the London headquarters of Barclays in Canary Wharf earlier earlier this morning. The activists from the Extinction Rebellion group reportedly [...]
Net zero front and centre in G7 meeting hosted by Sunak April 6, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak chaired a meeting with his G7 counterparts today, where the importance of achieving net zero emissions targets were the main focus of discussion. The meeting, which Sunak hosted alongside Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, will be the first in a series taking place this week. In a statement the Treasury said: [...]
Retail investors back Rio Tinto climate accountable proposals April 6, 2021 Retail investors have backed climate accountable proposals from Rio Tinto, which the miner will vote on this Friday, as accountability is pushed higher on this year’s agenda. 71.5 per cent of retail investors have called for chairs and CEOs of the mining giant to be held to account on Environments, Social and Governance (ESG) standards, [...]
Government denies reports that Cop26 climate summit could be postponed March 31, 2021 The government has denied reports today that the UN Cop26 climate summit in the UK could be postponed past November. A report from Sky News today suggested that Boris Johnson was trying to keep the Glasgow summit on-track for November, but that options were being considered to postpone it or conduct it virtually in the [...]
TED climate summit to take place in Edinburgh ahead of COP26 March 31, 2021 Politicians and scientists from around the world will gather in Edinburgh later this year for a four-day TED summit to discuss solutions to climate change. The Countdown Summit aims to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and work towards reaching net-zero by 2050. TED and Future Stewards launched [...]
Climate change remains top priority at LGIM as it piles pressure on boards March 31, 2021 Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) increased its company engagements last year amid the pandemic and the looming threat of climate change, it said today. The asset manager’s Active Ownership report published today reveals engagements jumped 21 per cent and LGIM opposed the election of more than 4,700 company directors. There was a significant [...]