Nicknamed ‘Hope-enhagen’, the climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009 delivered nothing. And despite the 27 previous COPs, none have achieved the simplest solution to climate change: commitments that legally bind a country, company or community to reduce the emissions of six types of greenhouse gas. I share a birthday with the date the Paris Agreement … Read more
Last year, I reflected on investor expectations for COP27 coming at the end of an important year for sustainable investment. One year on, did any of the progress we hoped for come to fruition? What can we expect from COP28 in Dubai? COP27 – lacklustre progress Last year’s COP could be characterised as lacking in … Read more
A number of countries have made pledges to the “critically important” loss and damage fund at COP28 to ensure it is operationalised within a year of it being announced at last year’s Conference of Parties. Host country United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the first nation to commit $100m to the fund, as COP28 president Dr … Read more
COP28 begins on 30 November, when all eyes will be on Dubai and the high-level discussions happening there. The conference is set to spotlight climate finance and the outcomes have the potential to impact people around the world. See also: – COP28: ‘Don’t come home without a deal’ From the role of private finance, the … Read more
Non-revenue water (NRW) is discouraging investors when it comes to financing water infrastructure. Reducing NRW can have many benefits, including increasing universal access to safe water, mitigating water stress, reducing the impacts of freshwater withdrawals on ecosystems and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Yet when it comes to resolving the issue, there is no silver bullet. … Read more
Global sustainable assets have hit $30.3trn in investment, with a 20% increase in sustainable assets under management (AUM) in non-US markets since 2020, according to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance’s (GSIA) latest review. The sixth edition of the biennial Global Sustainable Investment Review (GSIR) also highlights a “maturing” of the industry, which includes the adoption … Read more
A network of financial institutions, capital markets participants and industry stakeholders have formed the Impact Disclosure Taskforce to establish voluntary guidance, helping corporate entities and sovereigns to measure and disclose their efforts to reduce major gaps to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) According to the Taskforce – which comprises major financial institutions and … Read more
For several years, the rapid growth of voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) around the world, filling trading gaps not covered by the compliance markets, was hailed as a strong success story. According to a report issued earlier this year by Shell and the Boston Consulting Group, global voluntary markets could reach up to $40bn in value … Read more
2023 looks set to be another record breaking year for global temperatures, playing witness to numerous severe weather events. These bring with them tragic loss of human life and provide very tangible evidence of the impact climate change is having on the planet and society. Against this backdrop, leaders from around the world, scientists and … Read more
