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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Significant challenges exist for asset stewards in terms of assessing whether pertinent ESG factors have been identified and integrated into the investment process of their asset managers, according to Niall O’Shea from Discern Sustainability. At Minerva’s recent ESG Educational Event in London, Niall explored the topic of the growth of ESG and Climate Change factor […]
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The CEO of business lobbying giant, the US Chamber of Commerce, has delivered a surprise speech calling for bipartisan action on a number of issues – including climate change. In a clear departure from its traditional pro-Republican stance, the Chamber’s CEO Tom Donahue urged all political sides to come together to push through 35 bipartisan […]
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Climate change is a significant risk and all Pension Scheme Trustees now need to give it specific attention, according to The Pensions Regulator. At Minerva’s Autumn ESG Education Event in London, Melanie Jarman, Policy Analyst – ESG Issues at TPR, updated attendees on recent legislative changes in the UK that affect pension schemes. These changes […]
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Major investors demand change at Barclays A group of investors has filed a landmark shareholder resolution with banking giant Barclays over its financing of fossil fuel intensive companies. Eleven major institutional investors, including Brunel Pension Partnership and LGPS Central, together with more than 100 shareholders, have urged Barclays to phase out its financing of fossil […]
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Since the global economic meltdown in 2007, the debate over shareholder primacy and who ‘owns’ a company has raged on. But at no time has the debate been as contentious as today with more stakeholders and industry commentators challenging the view that a corporation should exist principally to maximise shareholder wealth – a notion that was re-popularised by economist Milton Friedman in the 1970s. Just as climate change is no longer a topic taken seriously solely by […]
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Stewardship moves beyond box ticking The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has published a new UK Stewardship Code which is due to come into effect on 1 January 2020. The revised Code has set a higher standard for how money is invested on behalf of UK savers and pensioners that the FRC said reflects “the changing […]
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Environmental groups take aim at US corporates Eleven of the world’s leading environmental groups have written an impassioned open letter imploring America’s big corporates to step up their climate change efforts. The letter, published in the New York Times, urged CEOs of US corporations to adopt science-based climate policies to help achieve net-zero emissions by […]
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