Partnership between United Nations Environment and the global financial sector to promote sustainable finance
22 October 2021
On 6 October the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) held its first Plenary meeting, bringing together the TNFD Co-Chairs, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and David Craig, former CEO of Refinitiv and Group Leader of Data & Analytics Division at London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG),…
21 October 2021
To support the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) with developing a robust framework for nature-related risks, Global Canopy and UNEP FI are testing TNFD core concepts and an exploratory disclosure framework with organisations operating or investing in soy supply chains Companies and financial institutions are increasingly aware that they may be exposed to nature-related…
15 October 2021
Sustainable Seafood can be one piece of the puzzle in ensuring food security in a low-carbon future. Global leaders are meeting at the Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Summit this week discussing innovations in the space. The blue (ocean) economy offers many opportunities for private finance to lend and invest in a sustainable and nature-positive way. Here we…
30 September 2021
With the Zero and Low-emission Innovation Forum – co-hosted by the IMO and UNEP – having been held this week, the transformation of the maritime transportation sector is taking centre stage this autumn. In this article we look at some of the leading examples of best practice in social and environmental sustainability across the maritime transportation sector which banks, insurers and investors can seek out.
30 September 2021
The Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) announces taskforce members and launch of consultative forum, leveraging global nature and finance expertise. Taskforce Members will work with TNFD Co-Chairs to deliver the Framework in the next two years.
5 August 2021
The blue (ocean) economy offers many opportunities for private finance to lend and invest in a sustainable and nature-positive way. Here we look at some of the leading examples of best practice in social and environmental sustainability across the port sector which banks, insurers and investors can seek out.
26 July 2021
On 22 July 2021, the G20 environment ministers gathered in Naples committing to ‘continue and increase’ their efforts to address the triple crises of climate change, nature loss and pollution. Finance, both ‘green’ and ‘blue’ was on the agenda, as ministers highlighted the urgent need to direct financial flows and mobilise finance sources to align…
6 July 2021
The ocean is not just a victim of climate change, it is also a source of solutions. The transition to a sustainable “blue” economy is an opportunity to re-cast how we use, manage and protect ocean resources in a more integrated manner. Unlocking the financial sector for the sustainable blue economy allows for the potential of an environmentally and socially sustainable future that will be resilient to the impacts of climate change while providing livelihoods, food and prosperity.
24 June 2021
You have signed the UNEP FI Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles. Why did American Hellenic Hull Insurance Company take this step and has it been a challenge to adopt sustainable insurance practices? Shipping itself is crucial to global sustainability. As the carrier of world trade it is the key component in bringing food, energy, vital goods, jobs…
18 June 2021
Investment in blue economy is vital for planet’s future, but the breadth of risks to ocean health pose challenges to asset owners. The ocean economy is estimated to be worth US$2.5 trillion annually, but just US$13 billion has been invested during the past ten years to support sustainability, according to an international joint academic and public institution report. If further action is not taken to tackle the effects of unsustainable use of oceans and their resources, a total of between US$200 billion-US$1 trillion will be required annually by 2100 to pay for coastal protection, relocation of people and loss of land to sea level rise.
17 June 2021
Based on the market-first practical guidance for financial institutions, Turning the Tide, UNEP FI’s recommended exclusions list for a sustainable blue economy provides financial institutions with an overview of activities to exclude from financing due to their damaging impact on the ocean and high risk.
4 June 2021
Major financial institutions and multinational corporates have endorsed the launch of a new market-led Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), which will support business in assessing emerging nature-related risks and opportunities.
26 May 2021
In a critical decade for climate and nature, banks and investors can now explore their portfolio’s impact on species extinction risk and ecological integrity, and take immediate action to reverse biodiversity loss. New UN-backed ENCORE biodiversity module has been launched, enabling financial institutions to explore to what extent their financial portfolio indirectly drives species extinction…
16 April 2021
Read about the conference hosted by the European Investment Bank and WWF, where Portugal, represented by Ricardo Serrão Santos, Minister of the Sea Republic of Portugal, endorsed the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles and the EBRD and the Asian Development Bank were welcomed as recent signatories of the Principles.
11 March 2021
The South African development bank for the agriculture sector is taking action on nature-related risks, as drought contributes to loan defaults in their portfolio. To ensure the long-term success of South Africa’s agriculture sector, Land Bank considers it vital to simultaneously support equitable ownership of land and tackle natural capital risks.
2 March 2021
New practical guidance enables banks, investors and insurers to understand their impact on ocean health and immediately take action to accelerate the transition to a sustainable blue economy. Leveraging best practice based on input from more than 50 pioneering institutions and experts, this guidance sets out pathways to sustainable growth across five key ocean sectors, chosen for their established connection to private finance. It presents a detailed breakdown of which activities to seek out as best practice, which activities to challenge, and which activities to avoid financing completely due to their damaging nature.
2 February 2021
This foundational report maps ocean finance, revealing trends in lending, underwriting and investment activities which impact the ocean .It includes survey results across 100+ financial professionals revealing current trends, frameworks and financial instruments that are successfully addressing ocean sustainability and highlights new opportunities and gaps in the market. The report covers 5 key ocean sectors: seafood, ports, shipping, coastal and marine tourism and marine renewable energy, notably offshore wind, chosen for their established connection with private finance.
21 January 2021
Biodiversity is catching up with climate on the global policy agenda, motivating leading financial institutions to understand their impacts and dependencies on nature. A first step for financial institutions is to look at the impacts and dependencies on nature across the industries they invest in, lend to or insure.
22 December 2020
In this op-ed originally published for The Economist Group’s World Ocean Initiative, Eric Usher, Head of UNEP FI, calls for a transformational shift in private finance to regenerate ocean health. A healthy ocean is one of the critical success factors in the global economy. Prior to covid-19, the value of the blue economy was an…
11 December 2020
With calls to ‘build back better’ after the COVID-19 pandemic, how can insurance companies take a leadership role in transitioning ocean sectors towards sustainability? The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) assembled a star line-up for a webinar hosting a big-picture discussion on the key ocean-related sustainability trends that affect the insurance business.…