ESG

EU Council Agrees Position on Financial ESG Reporting

January 11, 2019

The Council of the EU recently agreed to a common position on requiring financial companies to disclose how they are integrating “environmental, social and governance” (ESG) impacts into their investment decisions and creating new benchmarks aimed at producing more information on the “carbon footprint” of investment portfolios.
“Green New Deal” Plan Includes Vast Changes to Industry

January 09, 2019

Tom Elliott of Grabien examines the plan championed by newly elected House of Representatives Member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a “Green New Deal,” which echoes the comprehensive UN Sustainable Development Goals in targeting a vast reorganization of American industry in pursuit of social and environmental goals.
UN, Partners Host Event on “Investment-Ready” Climate Projects

January 09, 2019

The UN Development Programme, the World Bank, and consulting company World Climate Ltd organized an inaugural “Investment Conference of Parties (COP)” at the recent UN climate summit in Poland pushing global and regional investors to fund projects aimed at combating the impacts of climate change.
UN Report Examines National Plastics Strategies

January 09, 2019

The UN Environment Programme has produced a report describing national efforts across the globe to limit and regulate the manufacture, sale, and use of so-called “single-use” plastics and microplastics to help guide research on future measures to combat the production and use of such plastics.
NGO Rates European Asset Owners on Climate Action

January 08, 2019

The environmental activist organization WWF recently published a report rating European owners of large assets on their efforts to align their portfolios with the goals of the UN’s Paris climate pact, while calling for the creation of “harmonised frameworks” requiring climate disclosure in the investment industry.
ISO Promotes Use of Global Standards to Combat Climate Change

January 08, 2019

At a recent UN summit on climate change in Poland, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) hosted an event at which a group of “sustainability experts” emphasized ISO’s contributions to global standards seeking to “mainstream” efforts by companies and other organizations to combat climate change.
GRI Pushes for BHR-Focused Corporate Reporting

January 03, 2019

In a recent press release, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) described its ongoing efforts, including at the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights (BHR) in Geneva, to promote “sustainability” reporting as a tool to encourage corporate compliance with global BHR principles and establishment of BHR “due diligence” processes.
UNGA Chief Prioritizes Anti-Plastics Action

January 03, 2019

In December, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Maria Fernanda Espinosa launched a Campaign Against Plastic Pollution pushing countries to begin phasing out the production of “single-use plastics” including water bottles as a “priority” during her one-year term.
UN Committee Points to Expansion of “Climate Finance”

January 03, 2019

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Standing Committee on Finance recently found an ongoing expansion of “climate finance,” aimed at fulfilling the goals of the UN’s Paris climate accord, though UN officials warned that the financing of the environmental agenda needed to increase rapidly to achieve the UN’s environmental agenda.
“Green” Banks Mobilize Funding for Environmental Agenda

January 03, 2019

The Green Bank Network, a membership group of banks dedicated to funding projects that fulfill global environmental goals, has touted recent transactions of its members that they expect will mobilize $41 billion toward “green” infrastructure projects.