Every year, the planet exceeds the amount of earth’s natural resources we should be using in a year. This is measured by the Earth Overshoot Day, which occurs when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds Earth’s biocapacity. This year, Earth Overshoot Day falls on 2 August, whereas 40 years ago, all the earth’s natural resources were … Read more
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is under fire again, this time for adopting a definition of net zero that critics say “rules out SMEs”, which account for around 99% of businesses. An issue is a “lack of flexibility” provided to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the SBTi methodology to define net zero. Critics … Read more
Several asset managers who co-signed a letter urging governments to protect the ocean and not proceed with deep-sea mining, have welcomed a temporary moratorium on the practice. Robeco, Aviva Investors and Rathbone Greenbank all told ESG Clarity they supported the outcome of an international meeting in Jamaica on 29 July, which ended with no green … Read more
The number of climate change court cases has more than doubled since 2017 and is continuing to grow, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). In their report, Global Climate Litigation Report: 2023 Status Review, UNEP and the Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law at Columbia University found climate litigation is becoming an integral part of securing climate action … Read more
Franklin Templeton has launched an equity fund in Singapore to meet investors’ demand for exposure to companies and technologies associated with energy transition. The Franklin K2 Electron Global Ucits fund seeks to achieve an absolute return by investing in equity and equity-related securities of companies in infrastructure and global utility sectors. These companies are located … Read more
Economic growth has traditionally been thought of as increasing the size of the pie. It also implies greater consumption possibilities, the ultimate goal of economic activity, rather than growth for the sake of it, as is sometimes asserted. In short, for many theorists, more is better. But the traditional view of economic growth has largely … Read more
UBS Asset Management and Aon have launched the UBS Global Emerging Markets Equity Climate Transition Fund. The offering aims to enable investors to support the transition to a low-carbon economy while also taking into account ‘social characteristics’. UBS AM said it has a ‘rules-based investment strategy’ and targets emerging market companies. It applies positive and … Read more
The UK environmental audit committee has launched an inquiry into the role private finance can play in investing in nature. The inquiry will look at how private investment can help achieve the government’s nature commitments and how the UK might develop markets in natural capital assets while avoiding the greenwashing of investments. “The financial sector … Read more
Pressure has grown on the asset management industry out of polarised viewpoints on whether ESG should or shouldn’t be included in investment decisions. On the surface this poses a dilemma for managers in how they perform their fiduciary duty. Many are now asking the question – is ESG investing in line with fiduciary duty or … Read more
Assets in Article 9 and Article 8 funds have exceeded €5trn for the first time, research from Morningstar has found. SFDR Article 8 and Article 9 Funds: Q2 2023 in Review found despite outflows of €14.6bn from Article 8 funds in the second quarter of 2023, total assets in both Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) … Read more