November 2021

Why scaling investment is crucial for sustainable development

Global organizations are cooperating on scaling investment to help achieve sustainability goals. Investment promotion needs to change to target sustainable investments, particularly to help reach climate goals. Turkey is implementing this approach by making the SDGs central to its foreign direct investment strategy. Climate change has been on the international agenda for a long time, but recent developments have upped the urgency of taking immediate action for both humanitarian and developmental reasons. World leaders gathered in Glasgow to discuss...

Ethics of the Environment

By Julia M. Puaschunder Globalization leveraged pressure on contemporary society. Today's most pressing social dilemmas regarding climate change demand for inclusive solutions that marry the idea of sustainable growth with environmental economics. Understanding the bounds of environmental limits to avoid ethical downfalls beyond the control of singular nation states infringing on intergenerational equity – the fairness to provide an at least as favorable standard of living to future generations as enjoyed today – has become a blatant demand. In a...

What happened at COP26 and what does it mean for pension scheme investments?

What happened at COP26 and what does it mean for pension scheme investments? COP26 drew to a close on Saturday 13th November, a day later than scheduled, as delegates from 197 countries pushed to finalise a deal which aims to limit global warming and accelerate the shift of the world's economies to a greener future. But what is in the deal, known as the 'Glasgow Climate Pact', and what does it mean for pension schemes? Read also One-third of UK pension schemes...

One-third of UK pension schemes to set climate risk targets

A third of UK pension schemes have set, or are in the process of setting, targets to reduce their exposure to climate-related risks, but a similar proportion do not plan on doing so themselves. That is according to a new report from the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA), which has identified an emerging division in pension scheme attitudes to climate risk. Although 33% were at least in the process of setting climate risk targets as of July this year, 28% said...

La sostenibilidad y el nuevo marco institucional y regulatorio de las finanzas sostenibles

Por José María López Jiménez & Arturo Zamarriego Muñoz La presente obra colectiva tiene por objeto analizar el marco institucional y regulatorio que permitirá en los próximos años, con el horizonte de 2030, la plena implantación del nuevo paradigma de las finanzas sostenibles. En especial, se presta atención al nuevo marco normativo de la Unión Europea, y a su impacto en el sector financiero, tanto por parte de la oferta de servicios como por la de la demanda. consigue el libro...

UK. Investment consultants publish ESG metrics for consistent reporting

A group of investment consultants working in the UK has come up with a list of environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related metrics for all public equity and public credit asset managers to report on, or work towards being able to report on, as soon as possible. The Investment Consultants Sustainability Working Group (ICSWG) said the list was based on metrics that institutional investors were increasingly seeking to collect from asset managers. Anthony Soothill, chair of Telefonica UK Pension Plan Trustees, is...

Quantifying the Impact of Impact Investing

By Andrew W., Ruixun Zhang We propose a quantitative framework for assessing the financial impact of any form of impact investing, including socially responsible investing (SRI), environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives, and other non-financial investment criteria. We derive conditions under which impact investing detracts from, improves on, or is neutral to the performance of traditional mean-variance optimal portfolios, which depends on whether the correlations between the impact factor and unobserved excess returns are negative, positive, or zero, respectively. Using...

Fiduciary Duty, Social Conscience, and ESG Investing by a Trustee

By Max M. Schanzenbach, Robert H. Sitkoff This chapter, prepared for the 2021 Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, examines the law and economics of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing by a trustee. Trustees of pensions, charities, and personal trusts invest tens of trillions of dollars of other people’s money subject to a sacred trust known in the law as fiduciary duty. Recently, these trustees have come under increasing pressure to use ESG factors in making investment decisions. ESG investing...

In the race to a net-zero and inclusive future, Canadian pension funds have a critical role to play – and a new report shows how

In a fast-changing world where global investors are embarking on the largest reallocation of capital in history, pursuing sustainability and inclusivity offers social, environmental, and investment benefits. To seize this unprecedented opportunity, and maintain their tradition of excellence, Canadian pension funds must play a vital role in realizing a sustainable, inclusive future, says a landmark new release. This report emerges from a partnership between The Natural Step Canada, Smart Prosperity Institute, and Corporate Knights, and extensive collaboration with an...

Impact investing: A brief guide to responsible investing

Impact investing is gaining more attention among investors today, especially with the Millennials and Generation Z. The growing popularity of impact investing is not anecdotal, as a rising number of asset owners and managers have turned to impact investing in pursuit of meaningful financial and social gains. In a nutshell, impact investing focuses on generating positive returns for investors and society in general. What is Impact Investing? Impact investing is a strategy where you put your money to work not only to acquire...