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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El Niño Heat Mortality Tracker
The El Niño Heat Mortality Tracker projects heat-related deaths at a state and provincial level. Developed by the Climate Impact Lab, it helps users visualise the human toll of extreme temperature events to inform risk assessment and public health strategies.
Nature Stocktake
The Nature Stocktake by BankTrack evaluates 30 global banks on their biodiversity commitments and exclusion policies. It provides finance professionals with comparative data on bank alignment with the Global Biodiversity Framework and exposure to forest-risk commodities.
State of the Banking Transition
This benchmark series reviews the progress of 36 large global banks on the low-carbon transition. Produced by the TPI Centre, it evaluates transition plans and decarbonisation targets using the Net Zero Banking Assessment Framework and Carbon Performance for Banks to measure alignment with international climate goals and the Paris Agreement.
Financing zero waste: Practical guidance for immediate action by local and national governments
This report provides guidance for governments to finance zero waste systems. It highlights fiscal benefits, including job creation and cost reductions of 66–75% compared to incineration. It details mechanisms like procurement reform and extended producer responsibility while identifying pitfalls such as capital-intensive debt traps and dependency on grants.
Food, land, and money: The case for ending the Agribusiness Financial Complex and funding the Peoples’ Food Web
This report examines the 'Agribusiness Financial Complex', where global finance and industrial agribusiness prioritise shareholder profit over food security. It analyses the top 100 agrifood companies, highlights the environmental and social harms of financialisation, and advocates for a transition to a decentralised 'Peoples' Food Web' through agroecology.
An update on the potential impacts of subsidizing transmission in the United States
This report evaluates the impact of transmission investment tax credits on the United States power grid. Under high load growth, these credits reduce annual system costs by up to $1.17 billion and lower emissions. Conversely, in low-growth scenarios, benefits are limited and may modestly increase emissions.
IGF country profiles collection
This country profile is part of a benchmark series providing a comprehensive overview of Zambia’s mining sector. It examines geological, industrial, economic, and environmental factors to evaluate the mining landscape. The report offers structured data on mineral reserves, infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks for the extractive industries.
The East and Southeast Asia Green Central Banking Scorecard
This benchmark series assesses the integration of environmental considerations into the policies of thirteen central banks and financial supervisors across East and Southeast Asia. Evaluating the ASEAN Plus Three grouping, it provides a factual framework for tracking regional progress and identifying leadership in the development of green finance strategies.
Sustainable Signals: Institutional Investors
Sustainable Signals is a benchmark series produced by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing. It explores global market trends in sustainable investing through surveys of institutional investors. The series examines perspectives on asset allocations, risk management, and thematic priorities to provide a comprehensive overview of the evolving investment landscape.
Making credible sustainability claims: A guidance series for schemes and companies collection
This report guides companies and sustainability schemes in making credible environmental claims under the EU ECGT Directive. It differentiates between specific and generic claims, outlines performance requirements, and offers principles for clear, accurate communications to prevent greenwashing and restore consumer trust.
Confronting the insurability crisis: A new framework for natural hazard insurance
Finance Watch details a growing insurability crisis in Europe, where around three quarters of extreme weather losses remain uninsured. The report proposes a new framework, including mandatory public-private insurance schemes and a systemic risk capital buffer, to address protection gaps and incentivise risk reduction through harmonised regulatory standards.
Can the emergence of AgFinTech revolutionize agrifinance? Lessons from five case studies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
This report examines how digital innovations address barriers to inclusive agricultural credit in developing countries. Through five case studies, it highlights the role of agri-data stacks and AI-powered analytics in reducing information asymmetries, improving risk management, and lowering service delivery costs for smallholder farmers and agri-MSMEs.
From chemical risk to competitive advantage: What BPA, PFAS, phthalates, and microplastics teach sustainability leaders about anticipating the next chemical of concern
This report examines the transition of BPA, PFAS, phthalates, and microplastics from beneficial chemicals to substances of concern. It identifies recurring risk signals, such as biological activity and persistence, providing a framework for sustainability leaders to anticipate future regulatory shifts and lead through proactive, safer material innovation.
Pure dynamite: How Bolsonaro’s government (2019-2022) mineral policy set up a climate and anti-indigenous bomb
This report analyses Brazil's mineral policy under the Bolsonaro administration from 2019 to 2022. It details how deregulation, lobbying, and legislative changes facilitated industrial and illegal mining, leading to environmental degradation and human rights violations. It provides a timeline of events and suggests measures for policy reform.
Investing in Resilience: Building an insurance-centric framework for resilience investment
Carlyle and Marsh introduce an insurance-centric framework to incentivise resilience investment. It addresses structural barriers preventing the recognition of risk reduction in underwriting, offering a four-step protocol to translate documented measures into tangible financial benefits, such as lower premiums, reduced deductibles, and improved asset durability.
Citizens’ assemblies propose ambitious climate policy but impacts remain limited
This research assesses 488 recommendations from six European climate citizens' assemblies. It finds that 67% were more ambitious than current government policies. However, causal impact on policy was rare, occurring primarily in France (33%) due to strong political leadership, while impact in other cases was minimal or absent.