Articles by Alastair Marsh

Swiss Re Becomes Fourth Insurer to Leave Net Zero Group

Swiss Re is quitting the world’s main climate alliance for insurers, joining a growing exodus from the coalition of some of the industry’s biggest companies. The world’s second-largest reinsurer is now the fourth major company to walk away from the …

More Insurers Weigh Joint Strategy to Climate Change as They Assess Antitrust Risk

Insurers are being forced to rethink their approach to climate change as they assess the risk of being sued for antitrust violations. Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurer, recently backed out of the Net Zero Insurance Alliance citing what it …

ESG Backlash Overshadows Power to Drive Better Returns: UK’s Biggest Fund Manager

The politicization of the acronym ESG risks overshadowing its power to drive returns for shareholders, according to the head of investment stewardship at the UK’s biggest asset manager, Legal & General Investment Management. Taking environmental, social and corporate governance issues …

Zurich Exits Insurance Climate Alliance, Days After Munich Re

Zurich Insurance Group AG is leaving a coalition of major insurers that have committed to reach net-zero emissions, the second high profile exit from the group in a matter of days. The Swiss insurer said in a statement that it’s …

Munich Re Exits Insurance Climate Group, Citing ‘Material’ Legal Risks

Munich Re is leaving an alliance of leading insurers that have committed to reduce emissions due to what it says are “material” legal risks, in a move that marks the latest blow to a coalition built by former Bank of …

Biodiversity Emerges as New Risk for Asset Managers After UN Summit

Fund managers who haven’t cared about biodiversity may soon find they have to. In the early hours of Monday in Montreal, a deal was struck that has the potential to shake up the regulatory landscape for the investment industry. After …

Companies Increasingly Keep Climate Pledges Secret as ‘Green Hushing’ Takes Off

Companies are increasingly trying to keep their climate pledges away from public scrutiny. The phenomenon, known as green hushing, has become pervasive even as businesses set more ambitious internal targets, according to a survey by South Pole, a climate consultancy …

Coalition of Insurers, Pension Funds Commit $7.1 Trillion to Support 1.5°C Climate Goal

A coalition of pension funds and insurance companies that includes Allianz SE, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and Zurich Insurance Group AG have committed to managing $7.1 trillion of assets in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting …

Insurer Aviva Urges UK Government to Detail How It Will Reach Net Zero Emissions

The British government should practice what it preaches on net-zero emissions, according to insurer Aviva Plc and conservation group WWF. Having said last year that UK-based companies must detail how they will deliver on their 2050 emission-reductions goals, the government …

Burn the Client or Burn the Carbon? Insurer AXA Grapples With Clean Energy Transition.

The glass tower in Paris where AXA SA, one of the world’s largest insurers, has its temporary headquarters looks as if a giant feral cat has ripped chunks out of it. In recent months that jagged feeling extends inside, too, …