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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Early VfM adaptation toolkit: Delivering value-for-money adaptation with iterative frameworks & low-regret options

Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
This 2014 DFID toolkit by Watkiss, Hunt and Savage guides advisers in designing value-for-money climate adaptation programmes. Using iterative frameworks, it sequences no- and low-regret options across six steps: risk identification, theory of change, option selection, prioritisation, programme design and economic appraisal, with Ethiopian case studies.
Research
25 July 2014

Innovation, business cycles, and the climate transition

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
This research documents that non-green innovation is procyclical, while green innovation is countercyclical. This divergence is driven by green technologies' backloaded profit structures and the reduced cost of skilled R&D labour during downturns. The study highlights that innovation subsidies are significantly more effective when implemented during economic contractions.
Research
16 September 2026

Economics of demand-side and supply-side climate policies

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
This research evaluates demand-side and supply-side climate policies, recommending a portfolio that combines carbon use and extraction pricing to mitigate emissions leakage. It emphasises transmission reform, innovation support, and green industrial policies while analysing the domestic and global distributional consequences for low-income and major fossil fuel producing nations.
Research
23 September 2026

Developing regional climate resilience investment plans and project pipelines: Implementation guidance to support regions through the Adaptation Investment Cycle

This guidance outlines the six-phase Adaptation Investment Cycle for European regions to develop Climate Resilience Investment Plans. It details how to address financing barriers, conduct economic appraisals, and structure bankable project pipelines, aiming to bridge the adaptation funding gap through strategic public and private sector engagement.
Research
10 September 2026

Guidebook: Mobilising private sector finance for climate change adaptation

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
This guidebook provides a structured framework for designing and financing climate change adaptation projects in India. It addresses barriers to private sector participation, offers methodologies for risk and impact assessment, and explores diverse funding mechanisms, including blended finance, green bonds, and catastrophe insurance, to bridge the significant adaptation funding gap.
Research
1 March 2019

Powering up: Business perspectives on electrification

A global survey of 1,994 business leaders across 18 markets reveals overwhelming support for clean electrification. While 90% expect largely electric operations by 2035 to improve energy security and competitiveness, 72% believe government policy is moving too slowly, citing grid constraints and high upfront costs as significant barriers.
Research
13 June 2026

From planetary hazard to financial stability: Disentangling climate risk and institutional responsibility

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
This report identifies the misalignment between institutional mandates and climate risk expectations. It distinguishes between planetary, economic and financial risks, outlining six distinct responses. The authors argue that current frameworks distract from real-economy decarbonisation and shift climate costs onto public balance sheets, requiring clearer policy distinctions and instruments.
Research
1 June 2026

Sovereign risk ceilings: Rethinking methodology through risk disaggregation

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
This report critiques sovereign ceiling practices in credit ratings for emerging market infrastructure. It proposes a disaggregated framework to assess eight specific transmission channels and mitigants, arguing that empirical data shows high survival rates for well-structured projects during sovereign crises, contrary to current blanket rating caps.
Research
1 May 2026

Government announced increases in carbon pricing and their implications for corporate valuations

EcoMap
This report explores global corporate environmental costs, finding that unpriced carbon emissions represent a material risk to valuations. Analysing approximately 20,000 companies, it illustrates how projected carbon price increases in jurisdictions like Norway and Canada could significantly erode enterprise values, especially within the aviation and maritime sectors.
Research
13 May 2026

Ready-to-Fund Resilience Toolkit

A framework and diagnostic tool developed by the American Society of Adaptation Professionals to help climate projects move from planning to investment-ready status. It provides criteria for assessing project maturity, equity, and financial feasibility.
Online tool/database
14 December 2023

CLIMATEFIT

CLIMATEFIT
CLIMATEFIT is an EU-funded initiative that provides public authorities and investors with tools, databases, and methodologies to develop bankable climate adaptation projects and bridge the resilience finance gap.
Resource hub
10 October 2023

Workforce heat resilience: An actionable framework to close the execution gap

World Economic Forum
This report provides a framework for businesses to address workforce heat risks. It details a seven-step roadmap to assess climate impacts, design tailored interventions, and scale resilience. With heat-driven productivity losses projected to reach $2.4 trillion by 2030, the document highlights the strategic necessity of protecting workers.
Research
18 September 2026

The age of interconnected risks: How interdependencies are shaping the next generation of systemic crises

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
This report examines rising systemic vulnerabilities driven by interconnected financial, digital, natural, and socio-economic risks. It highlights the gap between market pricing and actual risk, noting how AI, climate change, and geopolitical fragmentation amplify potential crises. It proposes collaborative monitoring and expanded risk-transfer capacity to strengthen global resilience.
Research
21 September 2026

Successful corporate approaches to climate policy engagement

Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (University of Oxford)
This research examines how leading companies maintain climate policy engagement despite geopolitical challenges. It identifies three core approaches—direct engagement, trade association influence, and coalition forming—driven by business motivations such as competitive advantage and transition plan delivery. Success depends on timing, transparency, and alignment with corporate decarbonisation goals.
Research
16 September 2026

Governing climate credibility: Reviewing the governance of climate and sustainability standards

Oxford Net Zero
An independent review of governance across five leading climate standard-setters: GHGP, GRI, ISO, ISSB, and SBTi. The report evaluates structures, finance, and independence, identifying strengths and transparency gaps. It offers recommendations to enhance accountability, resource governance effectively, and ensure long-term credibility for net zero objectives.
Research
31 August 2026

Sowing the seeds of change through private sector partnerships: Lessons from two seasons of pilots and system-building

International Labour Organisation (ILO)
This ILO report evaluates the BOUZOUR project's efforts to strengthen Lebanon’s cherry sector through private sector partnerships. By establishing a national phytosanitary framework and improving exporter-farmer linkages, the initiative increased farmer incomes by USD 688,564 in 2025, enhanced worker conditions, and expanded access to high-value international markets.
Research
23 September 2026
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