Partnership between United Nations Environment and the global financial sector to promote sustainable finance
17 May 2022
By The Rev. Kirsten Spalding (Ceres) Chair and Rahnuma Chowdhury (UNEP FI) Manager for the Investor Agenda ICAPs Working Group The latest warnings from the world’s leading scientists urge us to take swift action if we have any chance to prevent the worst effects of the climate crisis. Notably, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…
The Net Zero High-level Dialogue provides an opportunity for leaders to discuss how to prepare their banks for the transition to a decarbonized economy and explore the enablers to set robust climate targets and identify climate financing opportunities.
5 May 2022
UNEP FI’s 17th Global Roundtable (GRT), a major global agenda-setting event on sustainable finance, will take place virtually on 10-14 October 2022. Held under the theme of “Transforming Finance, Accelerating Change”, this online event will bring together decision-makers, experts and thought leaders on a virtual event platform to help shape approaches to integrating sustainability across…
26 April 2022
This public consultation aims to collect input from external stakeholders on the first ESG guide for the global Life and Health insurance industry developed by UNEP FI’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative and HSBC Life.
26 April 2022
A new report, released today sets out to provide answers. It investigates how far businesses are interested in and ready for nature-related financial disclosures, and gathers insights from company leaders to help guide and refine the development of disclosure frameworks, including the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).
21 April 2022
On 21 April, the Net-Zero Banking Alliance observes its first anniversary. At this milestone, the Alliance looks ahead to the coming year and puts forward a vision for change as it undertakes the next phase of the net-zero commitment.
14 April 2022
As the financial sector has turned its attention to climate change, the demand for climate tools and analytics has skyrocketed. A robust marketplace of tool providers has developed to support these institutions, with new solutions, data, and methodologies appearing almost daily. The rapidity of development can feel overwhelming, but financial actors can become more informed consumers of climate tools by understanding the current and emerging trends.
13 April 2022
From rising sea levels that sweep away coastal properties to heatwaves that cause energy bills to spike, real estate assets face a diverse set of threats from climate change. However, while these physical risks from climate change are often well known to real estate investors, less appreciated are the challenges presented by the low-carbon transition. Nearly 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions come from the real estate sector.
8 April 2022
A statement from the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance: As countries face critical choices in their energy strategies, amid heightened geopolitical tension and a rapidly warming climate, governments must ensure that energy security policies are compatible with net-zero scenarios mapped out by the International Energy Agency (IEA) or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).…
7 April 2022
Ocean-linked sectors such as fishing, shipping and marine tourism are among the major arteries of the global economy, providing food, goods, and livelihoods to billions of people worldwide. Due to declining ocean health, climate change and its accompanying social impacts, this ‘blue’ economy is at risk of faltering if it is not rapidly transitioned towards…
7 April 2022
The UN-Convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance releases a high-level paper outlining a forward-looking, systematic stewardship approach for investors that seeks to mitigate the existential risk of climate change. This stewardship approach focuses on how investors can leverage multiple tools of engagement to support changes to economic realities that align with a transition to a 1.5C…
6 April 2022
At the launch of the latest IPCC report, UN Secretary General António Guterres warned that a 3.2C rise in global temperatures would see our planet hit by “unprecedented heatwaves, terrifying storms, and widespread water shortages.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Working Group III Contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report emphasises that while we have…
6 April 2022
Following deliberations on finance and biodiversity at the recent global biodiversity conference in Geneva, two major organizations strengthen their cooperation to accelerate positive action for nature from the world’s private financial sector. UNEP FI and the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation today announce their intention to build synergies, to support banks and other private financial institutions…
1 April 2022
2022 will be a crucial year for the world to come together to tackle biodiversity loss. After two years of unfortunate delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, COP15 is expected to conclude in China in the second half of the year. This session aims to seek agreement worldwide to accelerate action needed to safeguard nature…
30 March 2022
This blog highlights the need for high-level climate pledges to be accompanied by net zero targets and detailed climate action plans and suggests ways for investors to turn bold pledges into action in 2022.
29 March 2022
Investors have both a profound responsibility and a huge stake in the maintenance of a sound financial system. International frameworks set out the plan to preserve and enhance those systems but the global investment sector is currently not holding up its end of the deal. The project “A Legal Framework for Impact” is clarifying the legal responsibilities of investors to consider the sustainability impact of their decision-making and explains how policymakers can deliver legal frameworks that support sustainable economies.
23 March 2022
Nature and climate are intrinsically linked. Indeed, climate change is one of the five major drivers of the global loss in biodiversity, diminishing the variety of plant and animal species and available genetic material, and degrading the natural resources which underpin supply chains across the global economy. The interconnectedness of nature and climate means the…
22 March 2022
Having received a positive response to its initial Call to Action to Asset Managers – released in February 2021 – the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance launched the Renewed Call to Action to Asset Managers for Climate-focused Blended Finance Vehicles. The purpose for this renewal is to organise another set of presentations of blended finance product offerings…
18 March 2022
ESG Investor interviews Jessica Smith, Nature team lead at UNEP FI on why it’s time for biodiversity to take its place alongside climate in investor priorities.
16 March 2022
With the global economy heavily reliant on ocean health, a sustainable future is paramount. This article gives an overview of the scale of the problem, and highlights how Financial institutions can take action to transition sectors such as shipping and seafood transition to sustainable practices. It gives an overview of available innovations, guidance, principles for financial institutons to ensure that investment, underwriting and lending activities are aligned to a positive future for the marine environment.