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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Green Building Council of Australia
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is dedicated to transforming the built environment into a sustainable, healthy, and resilient sector. GBCA drives environmental best practices through certifications like Green Star, education programs, and advocacy. Explore their initiatives to advance sustainable communities, reduce carbon emissions, and shape Australia’s sustainable building future.
The hidden environmental cost of cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin mining impacts climate, water and land
Bitcoin mining has significant environmental impacts, driven by its reliance on electricity-intensive processes. In 2020-2021, mining consumed 173 TWh of electricity, primarily from fossil fuels, and emitted 86 Mt CO2, contributing to climate change, water scarcity, and land use issues. Global regulatory action is urgently needed.
U.S. climate policy and blockchain innovation in future smart and sustainable cities
This report explores blockchain's potential to address climate challenges and foster smart, sustainable cities. It highlights blockchain's capacity for decentralisation, transparency, and efficiency in urban governance, renewable energy, and civic participation. Recommendations include multi-stakeholder collaboration, educational initiatives, and human-centred design to ensure ethical, inclusive implementation for climate resilience and innovation.
How business and finance can contribute to a nature positive future now
This report provides an in-depth exploration of the term "nature positive" and its implications for business and finance. It aims to build a shared understanding and alignment on what nature positive means, offering insights and recommendations to drive meaningful action towards halting and reversing nature loss. This report is particularly valuable for investors as it clarifies the concept of "nature positive" and its relevance to investment strategies. It helps investors understand the risks and opportunities associated with nature loss and provides a framework for integrating nature-positive principles into investment decisions.
Biodiversity credit markets: The role of law, regulation, and policy
This report explores legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks to develop high-integrity biodiversity credit markets. These markets aim to finance nature-positive and equitable outcomes, providing innovative and scalable funding for biodiversity conservation and restoration. This report provides investors with insights into the legal and regulatory foundations that support high quality offset markets. As such, this report can be used as a tool to inform policy advocacy in the biodiversity credit market space.
Measuring what matters: An approach for natural capital investors
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.
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is an Australian Government-owned green bank investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-emission technologies to support Australia's transition to net zero emissions by 2050. CEFC collaborates with private investors to finance projects that reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable development.
Following the money: Financial services' links to deforestation and forest degradation in Australia
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.
Australia's State of the Environment 2021
This website hosts the Australia State of the Environment Report, which provides comprehensive assessments of the condition of Australia's environment. The report covers various themes, including biodiversity, land, inland water, coasts, marine environment, atmosphere, and heritage. It offers valuable insights into environmental trends, pressures, and management actions, supporting informed policy and decision-making for sustainable development.
Nature finance focus: Tracking global trends in nature investment
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.
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.
Assessing portfolio impacts: Tools to measure biodiversity and SDG footprints of financial portfolios
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.
Act now! The why and how of biodiversity integration by financial institutions
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.
Beyond 'business as usual': Biodiversity targets and finance - Managing biodiversity risks across business sectors
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.
Top 10 biodiversity-impact ranking of company industries
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.
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.