Industries

Banking, Climate Change, Net Zero Banking, Publications | 14 January 2026

The real estate sector is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, representing 34% of total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It is also one of the more challenging sectors to decarbonize due to the decentralized nature of building ownership and the significant role of value chain emissions, notably from power grids and construction.

Banking, Climate Change, Net Zero Banking, Publications | 14 January 2026

The power generation sector lies at the heart of the transition needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, as it underpins economy-wide electrification and decarbonization efforts. Renewable energy technologies are key to this systemic transformation, but grid congestion and modernization issues need to be addressed, storage and baseload considerations are critical and existing fossil fuel plants will need to be retrofitted.

Banking, Climate Change, Net Zero Banking, Publications | 14 January 2026

The food and agriculture sector accounts for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—making it both a major challenge and a critical opportunity for climate action. The most immediate gains lie in reducing on-farm emissions and in addressing land-use change emissions. These efforts can be complemented by enhancing carbon sequestration through sustainable practices. 

Asia Pacific, China, Policy, Publications, Sustainable finance taxonomies | 01 January 2026

A new UNEP FI policy brief discusses the evolution of the sustainable finance policy and regulatory landscape in China. It is intended as a short and accessible primer for financial sector stakeholders, policymakers and others with interests in China's green finance policies—highlighting the key sustainability-oriented regulation and instruments that China has deployed over the past two decades.

Banking, Pollution & Circular Economy, Publications | 31 December 2025

This series helps banks addressing pollution, one of the three planetary crises alongside climate change and biodiversity loss. The first sectoral supplement offers banks a practical framework to start reducing pollution impacts and manage risks related to the buildings and construction sector within their portfolios.

Asia Pacific, China, Events, Policy, Webinars | 22 December 2025

This webinar presents a new UNEP FI policy brief titled “Greening the Chinese Banking System: A policy and regulatory landscape analysis”. A presentation of findings and conclusions by lead author Shouqing Zhu will be followed by a discussion of developments and trends in China and the EU and potential areas of collaboration with leading experts who have been active in greening China’s financial system and have served as technical expert reviewers for the development of the brief.

Banking, Climate Change, Insurance, Investment, Nature, News, Policy, Pollution & Circular Economy, SDGs and Impact, Social | 19 December 2025

Find out about the accomplishments of UNEP FI throughout 2025 in this annual review article.

Banking, Climate Change, Pollution & Circular Economy, Principles for Responsible Banking, Publications | 17 December 2025

This series focuses on the nexus between circular economy and climate mitigation, outlining steps for banks to effectively embed circular solutions in their climate transition plans to achieve their net-zero and climate mitigation targets. It includes four sector supplements, guiding banks to develop sector-specific financing action plans that promote circular economy principles in high impact sectors with significant circularity potential, namely agrifood, buildings and construction, textiles, and metals and minerals.

News, Policy | 17 December 2025

Prudential supervisors are increasingly considering how institutions can use their strategic transition plans to inform assessments of resilience, governance and financial stability—which, in turn, can help institutions evaluate their exposures to climate-related risks, and manage the financial implications of the transition. This article highlights emerging supervisory approaches and trends for financial institutions navigating evolving prudential expectations. It includes examples of how prudential supervisors in different countries and regions are approaching transition plans, and discusses implications of transition planning for banks’ risk management and governance.

Africa & Middle East, Events, Policy, Webinar, Webinars | 15 December 2025

In this webinar, regional policymakers will reflect on the region’s implementation of sustainable finance policies, with a focus on the Africa and Middle East regions’ alignment and implementation of ISSB IFRS S1 and S2 standards, implications for the region, and interoperability with European Sustainability Reporting Standards and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards.