September 2025

UK. ​Schemes urged to probe asset managers’ net zero commitments

Pension schemes and institutional investors should look beyond industry pledges when assessing whether their asset managers are genuinely committed to net zero, consultancy LCP has said. The warning follows recent changes and an ongoing review of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative. While such pledges provide a useful indication of intent, including target setting and progress reporting, LCP said pension schemes must scrutinise managers’ actions more closely to ensure climate goals are credible. LCP has suggested four questions for pension schemes...

August 2025

US. BlackRock decries ‘politicizing’ pension fund management

Top asset manager BlackRock (BLK.N), opens new tab on Wednesday pushed back against pressure from U.S. Republican and Democratic officials, saying both sides have injected politics into the running of retirement assets and it only seeks to fulfill its fiduciary duties to clients. The message isn't new but it came in an unusual memo the company sent to 43 state treasurers, auditors and other officials of both major political parties, seen by Reuters. In late July, 26 Republicans signed on to a letter, opens...

In a Hotter World, Some People Age Faster, Researchers Find

Living through extreme heat waves can accelerate your rate of aging, according to research published Monday. Scientists analyzed 15 years’ worth of health data from nearly 25,000 adults in Taiwan and found that two years of exposure to heat waves could speed up a person’s so-called biological aging by eight to 12 extra days. It may not sound like a lot, but this number builds over time, said Cui Guo, an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong who led...

Enhancing Financial Regulation of Green Infrastructure Investment

By Andreas (Andy) Jobst The paper examines the critical need for enhanced financial regulation to support green infrastructure investment as climate action becomes increasingly pressing. It points out that infrastructure is responsible for more than two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions and that climate-related disasters lead to annual losses of nearly one percent of GDP, with poorer countries being disproportionately affected. Green infrastructure plays a crucial role in reducing carbon footprints through renewable energy and low-emission transport, as well as...

July 2025

UK. DC pensions continue to back Net Zero despite ESG backlash

Barnett Waddingham’s latest DC Sustainability Report finds a 34% increase in allocations to funds with a climate target in the growth stage since original 2021 report. Despite this, providers have on average 35% of growth assets exposed to investment managers who have stepped away from climate collaboration initiatives. Misalignment between UK DC schemes and global asset managers on sustainability requires a strategic shift to ensure ESG ambitions are fulfilled.     Against the backdrop of anti-ESG sentiment among many global institutional investors,...

UK regulator to develop climate transition plan template for pension funds

The UK’s pensions regulator will work with industry to develop and test a voluntary net-zero transition plan template suitable for occupational pension schemes. Announcing the move today, it said transition plans could help organisations, including occupational pension schemes, prepare for the government’s goal of transitioning the UK to a net-zero nature-positive economy by 2050. Last month, the government launched a consultation on how to take forward a manifesto commitment to introduce climate transition plans for financial institutions and FTSE100 companies. The...

June 2025

Canada’s anti-greenwashing rule sparks far-reaching impact for pensions

Canadian pension giants are grappling with the complex consequences of a national anti-greenwashing rule, which could leave businesses and investors more exposed to legal challenges for issuing environmental claims in marketing materials. The law, known as the environmental provisions under the federal Competition Act, was introduced in June last year. The country’s largest pension investor, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), was criticised for recently backing down from the commitment to make its portfolio and operations net zero of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050....

US. Hollywood heavyweights call on pension fund to divest fossil fuels

More than 200 actors have signed an open letter to the trustees of the SAG-Producers Pension Plan asking it to divest from fossil fuels and redirect the assets into responsible investments. Members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union have launched the Retire Big Oil campaign. The campaign asks the US$5 billion ($7.7bn) SAG-Producers Pension Plan to phase out its coal, oil and gas holdings. It notes that while many public and private...

UK pensions remain committed to net-zero

UK pension schemes are increasingly committed to climate- and nature-focused investing, even amid geopolitical instability and the growing politicisation of net-zero, according to new research. The report, Climate Innovation – Investing in the Net-Zero Economy, released by Pensions for Purpose and commissioned by SAIL Investments, found that 40% of UK pension schemes now have dedicated climate allocations, while 60% regard climate risk as a core fiduciary responsibility. “In our conversations with pension funds, we found that they do not expect political volatility, particularly in the US,...

African Development Bank’s Commitment to Paris Alignment

The African Development Bank is fully committed to aligning its operations and investments with the goals of the Paris Agreement. This alignment supports Africa’s sustainable development, helps address climate challenges, and promotes climate resilience and low-carbon growth, in line with the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 “The Africa We Want”. PARIS AGREEMENT The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted by 196 parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris...