Government signals drive to boost ESG options for pension funds UK government pensions minister Guy Opperman has signalled plans to accelerate ESG action for pension funds ahead of the milestone COP26 conference in 2021. “The government will be making announcements on climate change considerations on the whole investment chain and you can expect more and […]
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China announces aim to be carbon neutral by 2060 China has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 in an ambitious statement by a country that currently burns half the world’s coal. In perhaps the most significant positive climate development since the 2015 Paris Agreement, President Xi Jinping announced at the UN’s General Assembly that […]
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Top UK pension sets “net-zero” target The UK’s largest defined contribution pension scheme has set a goal of becoming net-zero on its carbon emissions by 2050 to avoid members retiring into a “world devastated by climate change”. Nest, the multiemployer scheme with more than 9 million members, has also committed to invest £5.5bn in climate […]
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Pension fund investors in the United States may need to prove allocations made under their environmental, social and governance policies are primarily aiming for a financial return should proposed new rules be enacted. At the end of June, the Department of Labor (DoL) announced it was recommending the enactment of a rule that would provide […]
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Carney: Data interpretation key to zero carbon transition Investors must learn how to interpret, and apply, the increasing volume of ESG data if they are to formulate successful strategies to tackle climate change, according to the former Bank of England governor Mark Carney. Addressing members of the Personal Investment Management and Financial Advice (PIMFA) trade […]
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Santos, one of the largest oil and gas producers in Australia, has suffered a huge revolt by shareholders over its strategy on climate change. At last week’s annual investor meeting, over 43% of Santos shareholders defied the board and backed a resolution to set harder emission targets. The resolution was tabled by an ethical investment […]
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Accountants commit to improve corporate climate disclosure A group of prominent accounting bodies, representing over 2.5 million accountants globally, have signed an “urgent” call to action pushing the profession to agree standards on climate change. The 14 bodies and 13 chief executives, who are all members of the Prince of Wales’s Accounting for Sustainability Project […]
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Whilst asset owners’ approach to ESG has been slowly shaped by regulatory and best practice influences over time, we have now reached the point that inaction on the topic is no longer possible, according to Sarah Wilson, Minerva’s Chief Executive. At Minerva’s recent ESG Educational Event in London, Sarah addressed the topic of ‘ESGvolution’, looking […]
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Asset owners must drive the fundamental changes needed to fight climate change in the next five to 10 years before time runs out, a $4 trillion investor alliance has warned. The warning, made at the World Economic Forum event in Davos, comes from the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance. The organisation’s members pledged to ensure […]
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One of the biggest shareholders in the oil and gas industries has stepped up its efforts on environmental issues, with its chief executive calling on companies to do more to combat climate change. Last week, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, joined influential climate change investor group, Climate Action 100+. The organisation, which represents […]
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