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We summarise credible research and reports on sustainable finance and ESG issues. Our summaries, along with our AI ChatBot saves members time reading large reports, to focus on knowledge building and action.

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SHOW: 16

Measuring what matters: An approach for natural capital investors

Clean Energy Finance Corporation
This report provides guidance on the consistent measurement of emissions reduction activities across agriculture and forestry assets. This report may assist investors in agriculture and forestry to screen investment strategies and hold asset managers and operators to account for emissions reduction. This may facilitate the flow of capital into replicable sustainable activities, allowing investors and financiers to compare projects more easily and prioritise investments according to their own sustainability goals.
Research
24 June 2024

Engaging affected stakeholders: The emerging duties of board members

World Economic Forum
This report provides guidance for corporate boards on effectively engaging stakeholders to uphold human rights. It outlines strategies for meaningful engagement, addressing stakeholder concerns, and integrating human rights considerations into corporate governance and decision-making processes.
Research
11 May 2022

The state of Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ lands and territories

World Wide Fund for Nature (World Wildlife Fund – WWF)
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current status and challenges faced by Indigenous peoples and local communities in managing their lands and territories. It highlights the importance of these lands for biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and cultural heritage. This report supports investors in integrating biodiversity into investment decision-making by providing crucial insights into the stewardship of Indigenous lands. It informs engagement and stewardship activities with corporations, and, through the provision of data about the importance of these lands for the provision of ecosystem services, aids in assessing biodiversity impacts and dependencies, and highlights the importance of sustainable land management.
Research
3 June 2021

Following the money: Financial services' links to deforestation and forest degradation in Australia

Ernst & Young (EY)
This report examines the financial flows that drive deforestation and environmental degradation in Australia. It tracks investments and funding sources linked to activities that impact the environment, providing transparency and accountability. The report aims to inform stakeholders, including policymakers, investors, and the public, about the financial drivers of environmental harm and promote responsible investment practices.
Research
15 August 2023

Recommendations toward the development of scenarios for assessing nature-related economic and financial risks

Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System
This technical document on nature scenarios develops a rationale for the necessity of such scenarios. It then sets out a step-wise approach to the design of such scenarios, as well as some preliminary considerations on the challenges linked to the design of nature scenarios and the potential benefits that overcoming those challenges could present for scenario design at large. This report offers investors recommendations for incorporating nature-related scenarios into financial risk assessments, helping to evaluate the potential impacts of biodiversity loss on financial stability.
Research
20 December 2023

Nature finance focus: Tracking global trends in nature investment

Pollination
This report discusses results of a global Investor Nature Survey to understand what is motivating their work, where they see risk and opportunity, and how the investment footprint on nature is evolving today. This report provides investors with an overview of the latest trends and opportunities in nature finance, highlighting innovative financial instruments and investment strategies for supporting biodiversity.
Research
30 September 2023

Building a capital consortium for nature-positive investments

The report explores strategies to increase private sector investment in nature-positive projects. Using a capital continuum framework, it identifies barriers such as risk perception, funding gaps, and scalability challenges. Recommendations include development finance institution involvement, innovative funding models like DevCos, and strengthening voluntary carbon markets to provide price signals and liquidity.
Research
25 September 2023

Assessing portfolio impacts: Tools to measure biodiversity and SDG footprints of financial portfolios

World Wide Fund for Nature (World Wildlife Fund – WWF)
This resource includes a deep dive into tools that can be used now by financial institutions to measure the biodiversity and SDG footprint of their portfolios. This report supports investors in assessing the biodiversity impacts of their portfolios, providing methodologies and case studies to guide the evaluation and mitigation of biodiversity risks.
Research
24 June 2021

Act now! The why and how of biodiversity integration by financial institutions

Finance for Biodiversity Foundation
This is an operational guide bringing together information that financial institutions need to be aware of when embarking on the process of biodiversity integration. It includes information on what other financial institutions are doing, regulations and policies, relevant scientific insights, and developments in the field of biodiversity measurement approaches. This guide aims to support all financial institutions in integrating biodiversity in their decision-making irrespective of their level of maturity on biodiversity.
Research
10 December 2022

Beyond 'business as usual': Biodiversity targets and finance - Managing biodiversity risks across business sectors

United Nations Environment Programme
This report aims to enable a better understanding of the business sectors and financial mechanisms a risk from biodiversity destruction and lay the ground-work for target setting by the finance sector. It also supports investors in understanding the broader economic implications of biodiversity loss, offering insights and recommendations for integrating biodiversity into business and investment strategies.
Research
30 June 2020

Top 10 biodiversity-impact ranking of company industries

Finance for Biodiversity Foundation
This briefing paper employs four biodiversity impact measurement tools to provide biodiversity footprint scores of high-impact sectors and industries. It also provides investors with a ranking of companies based on their biodiversity impacts, helping identify high-impact areas and prioritise engagement and investment strategies.
Research
12 April 2023

Why nature’s future underpins the future of business

This extended article by the Financial Times captures how nature loss is impacting businesses across the globe, comparing and contrasting biodiversity loss with climate change. The challenges and opportunities for businesses presented by the nature crisis are also discussed, with the article closing by reinforcing the business case for responding to nature loss.
Research
30 November 2023

Financing nature: Closing the global biodiversity financing gap

The report examines the economic case for protecting biodiversity, identifies market failures causing biodiversity loss, highlights the biodiversity financing gap, and recommends nine financial and policy mechanisms to close this gap and maintain ecosystem integrity. This report also supports investors in identifying investment opportunities in nature-based solutions by providing comprehensive analyses of financial mechanisms and case studies, encouraging the allocation of capital to biodiversity-friendly projects.
Research
15 September 2020

Biodiversity in the balance: How nature poses investment risk and opportunity

The white paper summarises and presents key information about biodiversity risks and opportunities for investors, drawing from prominent publications by a range of international agencies. The paper re-produces popular charts from papers such as the Millennial Ecosystem Assessment, WEF Nature Risk report series, and the WEF Global Risk Report to highlight the key investment/business case for biodiversity.
Research
11 January 2024

The financial stability implications of artificial intelligence

Financial Stability Board (FSB)
The report discusses the rapid adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial sector, driven by advancements in technology and increasing operational efficiency. Key risks include dependencies on third-party providers, market correlations, and cyber vulnerabilities. Generative AI's accessibility could amplify systemic risks, necessitating enhanced regulatory frameworks, vigilant monitoring, and robust governance to ensure financial stability amid evolving AI technologies.
Research
14 November 2024

Developing responsible chatbots for financial services: A pattern-oriented responsible AI engineering approach

CSIRO
The report outlines a pattern-oriented engineering approach for responsible AI in financial services. It identifies challenges in scaling responsible AI, introduces a Responsible AI Pattern Catalogue for addressing lifecycle risks, and provides case studies on chatbot development. The study underscores governance, process, and product strategies to operationalise responsible AI principles effectively.
Research
28 February 2023
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