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Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

In the US, the backlash against ESG investing continues. A new ‘anti-woke’ fund from Azoria Partners will exclude S&P 500 companies that incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion considerations into their hiring process. Despite this movement, some fund managers have argued that the Trump era may be a surprisingly good time for clean energy stocks.
Verity Snow
December 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

Last week’s COP29 negotiations finally resulted in a deal for carbon markets; however, questions remain about market integrity. Elsewhere, 11 Republican-led states in the US are suing BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard, claiming they conspired to curtail coal supplies to further their agenda.
Verity Snow
November 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

One of the world’s largest asset managers will give retail investors greater say on proxy votes as it tries to navigate a backlash to ‘woke’ policies. Elsewhere, as this year’s COP29 summit draws to a close, goals for international climate finance are yet to be agreed.
Verity Snow
November 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

Last time Trump won the White House, green funds took off as many imagined a world where capital markets could be the force needed to slow climate change. This time around however, it’s a different story. In other news, an increasing number of asset managers are dropping ‘sustainable’ from fund labels as regulatory concerns about greenwashing grow.
Verity Snow
November 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

The ESG story in the UK and US couldn’t be more different this week. While the former introduced fiscal changes that many hope will unlock more capital to finance the green transition, the election of Trump in the US caused a huge sell off of ESG and green energy stocks.
Verity Snow
November 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

More than two years after BlackRock ran into criticism from US Republicans over its focus on ESG investing, the world’s largest money manager is attempting to change the subject. Elsewhere, carbon markets are still facing problems as a wave of reports show that many projects deliver fewer climate benefits than advertised.
Verity Snow
November 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

Hundreds of ESG funds are being wound down as the investment strategy continues to battle regulatory headwinds. In Q3 alone, European investment firms liquidated or merged over 100 sustainability focussed funds. In the US, oil companies are coming under fire as an investor group pushes for greater transparency on their long-term liabilities.
Verity Snow
October 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

There has been growing interest from big banks in biodiversity credits to tackle nature loss, with the World Bank estimating that damages to the ecosphere could cost $2.7 trillion a year. In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, investors are more attentive than ever to climate risks facing physical assets.
Verity Snow
October 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

Climate is on the agenda this week as investors in catastrophe bonds gird themselves for substantial losses following Hurricane Milton. As COP29 approaches, business leaders rally for support ahead of this year’s conference, despite many global companies backtracking on climate commitments.
Verity Snow
October 2024
Insight

The Week’s Top ESG News

Many of the technologies needed to decarbonise industry already exist says McKinsey. If they were deployed at scale, they could reduce up to 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Difficulties in defining carbon credits could hinder their rollout, as lawyers push for a legal definition to be agreed.
Verity Snow
October 2024