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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Solutions from the One Planet network to curb plastic pollution

One Planet Network
The report outlines solutions to curb plastic pollution by improving sustainability information, driving behaviour change, advancing sustainable procurement, and promoting circular economy measures, particularly for plastic packaging. It presents coordinated actions across sectors, including tourism, to reduce plastic use and support systemic, upstream interventions aligned with SDG 12.
Research
16 May 2023

Making our way: Adaptive capacity and climate transition in Australia’s regional economies

Centre for Policy Development (CPD)
Australia’s fossil-fuel-exposed regions are assessed across seven dimensions of adaptive capacity, showing common weaknesses in economic diversity, social capital and service access. The report outlines region-specific strengths and proposes tailored, place-based transition planning to support diversification and community resilience through the net zero shift.
Research
4 July 2023

Increasing climate ambition, decreasing emissions: The third progress report of the net-zero asset owner alliance

United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
The report outlines the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance’s progress in reducing financed emissions, strengthening target-setting, and expanding climate-solution investments. It highlights updated methodologies, increased engagement with companies and policymakers, and rising member participation, underscoring the need for credible transition pathways and supportive policy environments to advance alignment with 1.5°C goals.
Research
19 October 2023

On YouTube, a Shift from Denying Science to Dismissing Solutions

This article dives into an analysis of over 12,000 YouTube videos and finds that while outright climate-change denial is dropping, content undermining climate solutions and trust in scientists is rising sharply. It also highlights concerns over YouTube’s ad policies, which still allow monetisation alongside videos that downplay impacts or spread misleading claims about climate policy.
Article
18 November 2025

The new climate denial: How social media platforms and content producers profit by spreading new forms of climate denial

Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH)
Climate denial on YouTube has shifted from rejecting global heating to undermining climate impacts, solutions, and science. New Denial now represents most claims, while Old Denial has declined. The report highlights platform monetisation of such content and calls for updated policies and stronger action to address evolving misinformation.
Research
16 January 2024

Net zero carbon buildings in cities: Interdependencies between policy and finance

Climate Policy Initiative
This report analyses how cities can decarbonise buildings by mapping the interdependencies between policy and financial instruments and the barriers they address. It highlights priority actions for cooling, embodied carbon, adaptation and a just transition, outlining pathways that help cities sequence measures to accelerate net zero building outcomes.
Research
20 December 2023

Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA)

Government Sponsored / Multilateral Organisations
Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) is a global multi-stakeholder coalition mobilising finance for urban low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure. It supports sub-national governments in developing bankable projects, strengthening enabling environments and closing investment gaps especially in emerging markets and developing economies.
Organisation
1 research item

Closing the Gap: The evolution of climate transition finance in China

Asia Research & Engagement (ARE)
China’s transition finance market is expanding to support the decarbonisation of high-emitting industries. The report outlines growth in green and sustainability-linked bonds, emerging transition frameworks, and ongoing debates on coal and gas inclusion, highlighting the need for clearer standards and broader financing tools to meet China’s 2060 climate goals.
Research
21 December 2023

Responsible Investment: Australian perspectives on Private Equity practices

&Bloom
This report outlines how Australian private equity firms are integrating ESG across the investment cycle in response to mandatory climate reporting, taxonomy alignment, and stakeholder expectations. It highlights evolving screening, due diligence, ownership, and exit practices, and shows how ESG integration can support value creation and strengthen competitive positioning.
Research
24 September 2025

Firm‐level climate change exposure

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
The report develops a machine-learning method to measure firm-level climate change exposure from earnings calls across 34 countries. It identifies opportunity, physical, and regulatory dimensions and shows that these exposures predict green hiring, green patenting, and are reflected in options and equity markets.
Research
1 March 2023

The pollution premium

The report “The Pollution Premium” analyses how industrial pollution influences asset pricing. Using U.S. firms’ toxic emission data (1991–2016), it finds that companies with higher emission intensity earn around 4.4% higher annual returns than their low-emission peers, even after accounting for known risk factors. The study introduces environmental policy uncertainty as a new systematic risk, showing that firms more exposed to potential regulatory tightening demand higher expected returns as compensation.
Research
13 February 2023

Circular Australia's Circular economy for investors and lenders series

Circular Australia
This series explores how investors and lenders can integrate circular economy principles into financial decision-making. It outlines practical tools and frameworks for assessing risks and opportunities linked to circularity, helping finance professionals align portfolios with sustainability objectives while supporting Australia’s transition to a regenerative, low-waste economy.
Benchmark/series
5 November 2025

World energy investment series

International Energy Agency (IEA)
This benchmark series by the International Energy Agency provides annual analysis of global energy investment trends across fuels, electricity, efficiency, and technology. It tracks capital flows, financing patterns, and policy influences, offering a consistent reference on how investments shape the energy system’s evolution and transition.
Benchmark/series

Value chain collaboration: Unlocking circular markets in Australia

Circular Australia
This report by Circular Australia and Arup identifies opportunities to build circular markets across five key Australian value chains—lithium batteries, PET bottles, green steel, low-carbon concrete, and textiles. It outlines current barriers, future pathways, and policy recommendations to improve resource efficiency, reduce emissions, and strengthen national economic resilience.
Research
1 November 2024

Cost and financing for a future free from plastic leakage: Policy highlights

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The report summarises the costs and financing required to eliminate global plastic leakage by 2060. It finds that coordinated global action could nearly eradicate leakage, with modest global GDP impacts but higher costs for developing economies. Increased development finance and private-sector mobilisation are essential to achieving this goal.
Research
22 December 2022

What We Know About Deep-Sea Mining — and What We Don’t

This article explores the growing interest in deep-sea mining as a source of critical minerals for clean technologies, detailing how it works, its potential economic benefits, and the significant ecological and governance risks it poses. It also examines ongoing international regulatory disputes and alternative solutions such as recycling and circular mineral economies.
Article
10 November 2025
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