Articles by Simon Jessop and Ross Kerber

Insurers, Other Financial Firms Lag in Climate Disclosure for Investors

The world’s banks, asset managers and insurers should provide more information to investors about the greenhouse gas emissions from the activities they finance, a group that tracks emissions data said on Wednesday. CDP, which maintains a system used by hundreds …

Many Climate Scientists Moving from Fieldwork to Jobs in Financial Services

LONDON – Environmental scientist Laura Garcia Velez cut her teeth on projects to help Ethiopian farmers insure crops for drought and connect remote Colombian communities to the electricity grid before working for conservation campaigners WWF. Now she’s an analyst for …

EU Prepares to Get Tougher on Asset Managers that ‘Greenwash’ Sustainable Credentials

LONDON/BRUSSELS – For money managers and advisers keen to market their sustainable investing credentials to European clients, going green is about to get a lot tougher. Under a suite of new EU finance rules due to be rolled out in …

Aviva Investors Weighs Ditching Holdings in Biggest Carbon Emitters for Climate Inaction

LONDON – Aviva Investors said on Monday it could ditch its stock and bond holdings in 30 of the world’s biggest corporate emitters of carbon if their boards failed to take sufficient action over climate change. The move comes as …

World Economic Forum: Allianz CEO Says Europe Must Alter Capital Rules for Climate

European regulators need to overhaul their capital rules to free up insurers to invest more in climate-friendly infrastructure projects, the chief executive of German insurer Allianz said on Wednesday. “Today, the regulatory framework we have in Europe has actually disincentivised …

Top Investor Group Including Allianz Warns Firms to Cut Ties to Coal

Some of the world’s largest insurers and pension schemes are warning companies they invest in not to finance, insure, build, develop or plan new thermal coal plants or face sanctions, including possible divestment. The Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, whose members …

Employers Asked to Reveal Data to Test Their Diversity Pledges

More data disclosure will help investors, employees and customers judge the pledges many American companies have made to diversify their workforces and boardrooms, activists and analysts said on Tuesday. Companies should release specific information such as on the racial backgrounds …

$5 Trillion Investor Group Aims to Align Portfolios with Paris Climate Agreement

Thirty of the world’s largest investors managing a combined $5 trillion said on Tuesday they plan to set targets to lower their portfolio carbon emissions by as much as 29% over the next five years. All members of the Net-Zero …

UN Envoy Carney Backs Investors’ Call for Increased Climate Risk Disclosure

United Nations climate envoy Mark Carney on Thursday threw his weight behind a growing push by investors for companies to more accurately reflect climate-related risks in their financial accounts. Such risks can range from physical dangers such as water levels …

ESG Industry Booms but Investors Worry Risks Are Piling Up

LONDON— If fund managers are serious about clean investments, they need to get their hands dirty. That’s the view of Sasja Beslik, head of sustainable finance at Swiss bank J. Safra Sarasin, as demand surges for companies that perform well …