Library | ESG issues

Environmental

The environmental pillar in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) assesses an organisation’s impact on the planet. It includes issues such as climate change, biodiversity, waste management and water management. Strong environmental practices help businesses reduce risks, comply with regulations, and drive long-term sustainability.

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Oxford climate policy monitor: 2025 annual review

University of Oxford
Assesses climate policies across 37 jurisdictions and six domains, finding overall strengthening despite political pressures, but slow implementation. Highlights rising policy leadership in developing regions and persistent gaps in ambition and execution relative to Paris Agreement targets.
Research
25 November 2025

2025 Southeast Asia fossil fuel divestment scorecard

RimbaWatch
Assesses 35 banks’ fossil fuel financing and climate policies in Southeast Asia, finding continued coal and gas funding despite commitments. International banks dominate financing, with policy gaps and loopholes persisting. The scorecard highlights misalignment with 1.5°C goals and calls for stricter divestment and increased renewable investment.
Research
24 May 2025

Nature markets: Overarching principles and framework: Specification version 2

The British Standards Institution (BSI)
Sets out overarching principles and framework for high-integrity UK nature markets, covering credit generation, trading and storage. Emphasises transparency, additionality, governance, verification and registries to ensure credible environmental outcomes, prevent greenwashing, and support investment in nature recovery.
Research
11 March 2025

Framing and language for effective climate conversations

Altiorem
Guide outlines how framing and language influence climate engagement, especially among ‘middle ground’ audiences. It emphasises aligning messages with shared values, avoiding polarising or technical language, and using practical, relatable framing to build support for emissions reduction and climate action.
Research
11 June 2024

Australian taxonomy-aligned debt guidance: Issuing use-of-proceeds debt under the Australian sustainable finance taxonomy

Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI)
Guidance explains applying the Australian sustainable finance taxonomy to use-of-proceeds debt, outlining classification, allocation, and disclosure requirements. It details technical screening criteria, Do No Significant Harm and social safeguards, and supports consistent, transparent identification of climate-aligned investments for issuers and investors.
Research
23 March 2026

Energy technology perspectives series

International Energy Agency (IEA)
The Energy Technology Perspectives is a series by the IEA that provides analysis of global energy systems, focusing on the development, deployment and innovation of clean energy technologies and their role in achieving sustainable, secure and low-emissions energy transitions across sectors and regions.
Benchmark/series
2 April 2026

2026 Energy Crisis Policy Response Tracker

International Energy Agency (IEA)
The IEA’s 2026 Energy Crisis Policy Response Tracker is an interactive database monitoring government measures taken in response to global energy market disruptions. It provides regularly updated data on policies to conserve energy and support consumers, enabling analysis of country-level responses to supply shocks and price volatility.
Online tool/database

Nourish and flourish: Water solutions to feed 10 billion people on a livable planet

The World Bank
This World Bank report outlines transforming agricultural water management to feed 10 billion people sustainably. It introduces a water-food nexus framework, highlights inefficiencies in current systems, and emphasises data-driven, service-oriented irrigation and financing reforms to improve productivity, resilience, and environmental outcomes.
Research
8 April 2026

Toxic finance: The banks and investors funding the expansion of petrochemicals in the US

Friends of the Earth
This report argues that banks and investors are enabling US petrochemical expansion despite rising market, legal, climate and public health risks, identifying major financiers and investors while warning that continued support may expose them to financial, reputational and regulatory harm.
Research
3 March 2026

Transitions Mineral Tracker

Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
The Transition Minerals Tracker is an online database by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre that tracks human rights risks linked to mining key minerals for the energy transition. It compiles company data, policies and allegations, enabling users to assess exposure to social and governance risks across global mining operations.
Online tool/database

Mind the gap: An insurance climate vulnerability assessment

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
APRA assesses Australia’s home insurance protection gap under climate scenarios, finding affordability pressures may increase uninsured households from one in seven to one in four by 2050. Rising weather risks and economic factors drive premiums, widening financial system risks, particularly in regional areas, with implications for households, insurers and banks.
Research
23 March 2026

The Climateworks guide to credibility for corporate climate transition plans

Climateworks Centre
Provides an Australian-focused framework for assessing the credibility of corporate climate transition plans, outlining principles, criteria and disclosure expectations. It supports companies, investors and regulators in evaluating emissions targets, governance, strategy alignment and risk management within mandatory climate reporting and net zero transition planning.
Research
7 July 2025

Climateworks Centre

Finance / Corporate Focused NGOs & Think Tanks
Climateworks Centre is an independent non-profit climate research organisation based at Monash University. It develops evidence-based solutions to support net zero emissions across Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, advising governments, businesses and investors on decarbonisation, sustainable finance, and climate transition strategies.
Organisation
1 research item

Governing for net zero: The board's role in organisational transition planning

Australian Institute of Company Directors
This report guides Australian boards on integrating net zero transition planning into strategy, governance, disclosure and stakeholder engagement. It outlines directors’ legal duties, mandatory climate reporting requirements, and practical oversight questions to help organisations manage climate-related risks, opportunities and implementation.
Research
14 July 2025

Guidance for applying absolute environmental sustainability assessment on activities at different scales (BETA version)

Joint Research Centre
Provides beta guidance for applying Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessment, comparing activities’ environmental burdens against planetary boundaries. It outlines a three-phase, nine-step framework, supported by case studies (buildings, cement, EU consumption), and aligns with existing accounting standards while addressing methodological gaps in allocating environmental limits.
Research
12 May 2025

Naturebase

The Nature Conservancy
Naturebase is a free, science-based platform that maps where and how to implement nature-based solutions. It provides data on carbon mitigation potential, biodiversity and social benefits, alongside policy guidance and case studies, enabling investors and policymakers to identify, assess and finance high-integrity climate and nature projects.
Research
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