Articles by Alastair Marsh

Wall Street Pushes Back After Activists Escalate Protests

Against a backdrop of intensifying climate protests targeting Wall Street, the heavyweights of US finance are pushing back against what they characterize as a fundamentally flawed debate. For more than a month now, scores of activists have mounted near-daily protests …

Bird Flu Found in Michigan, Idaho Cows as Virus Spreads in US

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been discovered in dairy herds in Michigan and Idaho, indicating the virus is spreading into new US states. The National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed the presence of bird flu in a Michigan herd that …

Net-Zero Investor Group Reports Financing Activities Lead to Emissions Decline

A $9.5 trillion investor group that includes Allianz SE, Legal & General Plc and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System reported a modest decline in greenhouse gas emissions enabled by its members’ lending and investment activities, the first time it …

UK Closer to Mandatory CO2 Disclosures With New Guidelines

The UK just moved a step closer to requiring companies to provide detailed statements on future carbon emissions reductions that will include both their operations and supply chains. The Transition Plan Taskforce, an initiative started by the UK Treasury and …

European Insurers Underwrite 30% of US Coal: Study

Some of Europe’s biggest insurers are underwriting close to a third of the coal production that takes place in the US, even after pledging to target net zero emissions, according to a report by climate campaign group Insure Our Future. …

Allianz Unveils €20 Billion Spending Target in Net-Zero Transition Plan

Allianz SE is planning to invest €20 billion ($21.4 billion) in renewable energy and low-carbon technology by 2030, as it unveils its first ever net zero transition plan. The German insurance and asset management giant also plans to increase revenues …

Financial Services Firms ‘Largely Blind’ to Exposures From Nature-Related Risks: Report

Most financial firms aren’t assessing their portfolio exposure to nature-related risks with the same urgency they use to measure climate impacts, a shortcoming that could lead to higher costs, litigation and a hit to reputations, according to a new report. …

Update: List of Insurers Exiting Climate Group Grows, Including Lloyd’s, Tokio Marine

The list of firms walking out of the Net Zero Insurance Alliance continued to grow this week, adding to an exodus as the industry struggles to navigate anti-ESG attacks led by the Republican Party. The latest round of defections includes …

UPDATE: ESG-Bashing Triggers More Defections From Insurer Climate Group

The world’s biggest climate alliance for insurers has started hemorrhaging members, after Republican attorneys general accused the group of antitrust violations. On Thursday, French insurers AXA SA and SCOR SE, as well as Allianz SE of Germany, became the latest …

Anti-ESG Rhetoric in U.S. Prompts Urgent Talks as Insurers Quit Climate Coalition

The world’s biggest climate coalition for insurers is set to hold emergency talks after a wave of defections revealed the extent to which anti-ESG rhetoric in the US is unsettling members. Signatories of the Net Zero Insurance Alliance are due …