According to a survey conducted by KPMG, 75% of companies are not in a position to obtain third-party assurance on their published ESG data. This is despite the fact that two-thirds of companies must disclose such data, or...more
11/29/2023
/ Business Strategies ,
Capital Investments ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Data Management ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
KPMG ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Quality Assurance Programs
On September 20, 2023, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that it was developing a methodology to assess its clients’ exposure to nature-related impacts and risks. The EIB reinforced its commitment to address...more
On September 4, 2023, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INCPP) released a draft proposal on the reduction of global plastic pollution. The so-called “Zero Draft” proposes measures to address...more
On October 9, 2023, the Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) published the Disclosure Framework providing good practice recommendations for companies to enable them to make “high quality, consistent and comparable transition plan...more
Ahead of September 2023’s G20 summit in Delhi, the Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) Initiative called on G20 Finance Ministers to reform agricultural subsidies to enable countries to meet their net zero greenhouse...more
10/11/2023
/ Agribusiness ,
Biodiversity ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
COP ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
G20 ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment ,
Net Zero ,
Subsidies
In early September 2023, the Green Technical Advisory Group (GTAG) issued two reports relating to the treatment of green financial products and taxonomy reporting. GTAG was established in 2021 and is an expert group that...more
On September 8, 2023, the United Nations published its first Global Stocktake report on the progress made by nations in addressing climate change. The report, which represents the first comprehensive assessment of nearly 200...more
9/27/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Paris Agreement ,
Supply Chain ,
United Nations
A new study by the IBM Institute for Business Value found that approximately half of CEOs and their executive teams surveyed have their compensation tied to the organizations’ performance in relation to sustainability goals....more
The UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) recently released its 2023 statutory report, evaluating the UK’s progress towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting carbon reduction targets. This report, mandated by the...more
9/7/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Infrastructure ,
Net Zero ,
Pollution Control ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
UK
In June 2023, the UK and France announced a joint plan to launch a new biodiversity credits scheme. Through the Global Biodiversity Credits Roadmap, the two countries have pledged to support private sector biodiversity...more
On June 18, 2023 Swiss citizens voted in favor of a new climate law intended to promote carbon neutrality by 2050. The Federal Act on Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security, known as the...more
8/3/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Reform ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pollution Control ,
Renewable Energy ,
Switzerland
In June 2023, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) published a draft of its Financial Institutions Net Zero (FINZ) Standard to enable financial institutions to establish targets consistent with achieving net-zero...more
7/26/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation Papers ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financing ,
Net Zero ,
Paris Agreement ,
Renewable Energy
In April 2023, the Centre for Climate Finance & Investment and the International Energy Agency issued a report identifying and addressing the investment gap in renewable and clean energy in the Association of Southeast Asian...more
On April 21, 2023 the European Commission approved a €401 million scheme proposed by the Czech Republic to promote green district heating from renewable energy and waste heat. The scheme represents another environmentally...more
As we have been regularly reporting, the European Union is pursuing major changes in its climate policy. The next significant development is a new legislative policy package, dubbed “Fit for 55.” The planned reforms would...more
The European Commission has launched a public consultation and a call for evidence seeking opinions on the EU’s intermediary climate targets for 2040. This is a scheduled step in the EU’s ambition to reach net-zero emissions...more
5/8/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Transactions ,
Green Deal ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Consultations ,
Renewable Energy
On March 27, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Taxonomy Board (ATB), representing ASEAN finance sectoral bodies, released Version 2 of the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance. This follows Version 1, which...more
On March 23, the British Standards Institution (BSI), the UK National Standards Body, announced the launch of a three-year Nature Investment Standards Programme and related consultation, which aims to stimulate private sector...more
On March 23, 2023, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) commenced a new “maintenance” project to “explore whether and how financial statements can better communicate information about climate-related risks.”...more
On March 8, 2023, 25 organizations wrote to the European Commission concerning its treatment of agriculture in the forthcoming Taxonomy Delegated Act, urging them to follow the advice published by their own expert group. The...more
4/10/2023
/ Agribusiness ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Farms ,
Greenwashing ,
NGOs ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy
On March 13, 2023, the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) and the European Central Bank (ECB), published a Joint Statement on climate-related disclosure for structured finance products. In describing the need for such...more
4/3/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Green Bonds ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Securitization Standards ,
Structured Financial Products
On March 22, 2023, the European Commission unveiled a proposal, the Green Claims Directive, (Proposal) aimed at combating greenwashing and misleading environmental claims. By virtue of the Proposal, the EC is attempting to...more
3/29/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Claims ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
European Commission ,
Greenwashing ,
Misrepresentation ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Border to Coast Pension Partnership (the “Partnership”), a pension pool consisting of 11 UK local government pension schemes, announced that “[o]il majors and banks must make greater progress on climate pledges or risk losing...more
At the recent G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Bengaluru, India, attendees called for the creation of a common global framework to facilitate financing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development...more
On February 13, 2023, as part of the European Commission’s Strategy for financing transition to a sustainable economy, the European Banking Authority (EBA) launched an industry survey seeking input on green loans and...more
3/6/2023
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Green Loans ,
Mortgages ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Sustainable Finance