October 2025

Canada’s largest pension investment manager sued over alleged climate risk mismanagement

Toronto, Ont./ Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — Four young people in Canada are taking the sixth largest pension fund manager in the world to court, claiming it is breaching its duty to invest in their best interests by failing to protect their pensions from climate risk. Represented by lawyers from Ecojustice and Goldblatt Partners LLP, Aliya Hirji, Travis Olson,...

European pension providers back calls for governments to stop deforestation

Institutional investors, including European pension providers, have urged global governments to adopt strong policies to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 and to prevent further loss of natural ecosystems. The Belém Investor Statement on Rainforests highlighted investor concerns about the financial risks posed by tropical deforestation and nature loss, warning that exposure to commodities produced on deforested land creates material vulnerabilities across global investment and lending portfolios. It also said that the degradation of forests threatens the ecosystem...

Pension schemes should consider societal and environmental impact

A new poll of industry professionals shows resounding support for responsible retirement investments, without forsaking financial returns  100 members of the Society of Pension Professionals were asked if funds should take into consideration the long-term implications of investments for society and our planet. 84% believed there was a need for more responsibility in terms of the vehicles being used to safeguard people’s retirements. In contrast, just 9% said there was no need to think about impact on planet or people, and...

US. CalSTRS Forms Climate Co-Investment Partnership With Carlyle Alpinvest

The California State Teachers’ Retirement System is partnering with Caryle Alpinvest to expand the $374.3 billion pension fund’s ability to access co-investment climate solution opportunities, Carlyle Alpinvest announced Tuesday. “This partnership is designed to expand CalSTRS’ ability to invest alongside private equity managers in climate solution opportunities beyond CalSTRS’ direct investment program,” Carlyle Alpinvest stated. Carlyle Alpinvest is a specialist subsidiary of the Carlyle Group.  Alpinvest reports $97 billion of assets under management, the Carlyle Group manages $465 billion in total, including...

A systematic review and meta-analysis of air pollution and increased risk of frailty

By Zahra Jafari, Melissa Andrew & Kenneth Rockwood Background Environmental air pollution is increasingly recognised as a potential contributor to frailty. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesise existing evidence on the associations between environmental air pollution and frailty in middle-aged and older adults, providing insights into the impact of air pollution on public health. Methods The systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement 2020. Four electronic databases were searched without...

Frailty in ageing populations worsened by air pollution, global review finds

Air pollution increases the likelihood of people becoming frail in middle and old age, according to an international review of studies. People are living longer and, while this is often painted as a challenge to healthcare systems, it is also something to celebrate. There are many opportunities to increase the quality of life in old age, maximise independence and minimise the amount time spent being ill. Dr Zahra Jafari, from Dalhousie University and coauthor of the review, said: “Frailty is a critical health outcome...

September 2025

Aligning your pension scheme with the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures recommendations

By Department for Work and Pensions This guide aims to help trustees evaluate the way in which climate-related risks and opportunities may affect their strategies. Trustees should consider how different investments and strategies could be impacted by transition and physical risks, at an asset class, sector and firm level where appropriate. Schemes should set out what risks and opportunities they consider to be relevant or material to them over the short/medium/long term time horizons for their scheme. They should use scenario analysis...

We need to harness pensions to progress the SDGs and economic prosperity

A decade after their adoption, the UN Sustainable Development Goals still need trillions of dollars of investment. Ten years ago today, the UN Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by 193 states at the UN General Assembly in New York. Celebrities from Beyoncé to Stephen Hawking and Malala backed the launch. The then-US President Barack Obama called it a historic achievement. He also warned that emerging and developing nations, “don’t just want aid, they want trade. They want businesses. They want investment”. In...

Leveraging pension funds as an alternative source for climate funding in Ghana

Ghana can unlock a transformative source of climate finance by strategically channelling part of its growing pension fund assets into climate-aligned investments. With pension assets reaching GH¢86.23 billion as of 2024, the country has significant untapped potential to bridge climate financing gaps. Directed deployment of this capital into renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and resilient infrastructure, enabled under existing NPRA and SEC guidelines, offers a scalable pathway to accelerate progress toward national climate commitments, deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),...

How fiduciary duty is shaping pension fund attitudes towards climate risk

From an individual perspective, pensions are promises. Promises of dignity in old age, of rewards deferred, of stability earned over time. From a systemic perspective, however, pensions are systems engineers. Standing at the junction of what is and what will be – set the money aside now to live a good life in the future – pensions effectively enable economic systems to perpetuate themselves. Through investments, they silently design our future or, more often than not, prolong our past decisions. In...