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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Impact investing messaging playbook
The GIIN Impact Investing Messaging Playbook provides a unified communication framework for members. It outlines core industry stories, guiding principles, and tailored messaging for diverse audiences and sectors, including energy and healthcare. The report highlights the industry's growth to a $1.571 trillion market dedicated to solving systemic global problems.
APAC trends: Sustainability’s new center of gravity: How Asia-Pacific is defining the next era of sustainable business
This report analyses how the Asia-Pacific region influences global sustainable business through four trends: rising investment and disclosure standards, the tension between clean energy growth and security, AI expansion alongside resource limitations, and the shift towards proactive health, safety, and environmental regulations across regional markets.
Advancing rights-based and community-led conservation in Africa: Evidence, lessons, and recommendations
This research examines rights-based and community-led conservation in Africa, demonstrating that community management on lands under customary tenure is essential for biodiversity. It identifies key success factors, evaluates formal and informal initiatives, and provides recommendations for governments to integrate these approaches into national biodiversity strategies and financing plans.
Strengthening synergies between JREDD+ and sustainable supply chains to protect tropical forests
This white paper examines the integration of Jurisdictional REDD+ (JREDD+) programmes with corporate supply chain sustainability. It identifies pathways for corporate engagement, addresses structural barriers, and provides recommendations for recognising jurisdictional progress within sustainability frameworks to scale investment and enhance forest conservation outcomes in commodity production landscapes.
Traceability
The Accountability Framework provides guidance on supply chain traceability to ensure products are free from deforestation and human rights abuses. It outlines traceability requirements for different supply chain actors, defines four approaches for controlling product origins, and provides tools for companies to assess and report on their ethical commitments.
The State of Cities Climate Finance: Part 2: The enabling conditions for mobilising urban climate finance
Produced by the World Bank and CCFLA, this report examines frameworks for mobilising urban climate finance. It introduces a conceptual framework based on country, city, and climate-specific elements. Findings highlight that cities generate 70% of global emissions and require urgent investment through improved planning, fiscal systems, and carbon pricing.
Guidelines on Member States' adaptation strategies and plans
1. Identify document purpose. 2. Highlight key implementation steps. 3. Note new policy areas. 4. Verify UK English and word count. These guidelines assist EU Member States in updating climate adaptation strategies and plans. Aligned with the European Climate Law, the report outlines processes for risk assessment, stakeholder engagement, and implementation. It also introduces critical policy areas, including just resilience, nature-based solutions, and climate stress testing.
Synergies between Biodiversity and Climate Policy
A resource from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) exploring policy alignment between biodiversity and climate change frameworks. It provides insights into Nature-based Solutions and integrated environmental governance.
Interactive: What China’s ‘five-year plans’ say about climate and energy
This interactive tracker by Carbon Brief analyses China’s 15th five-year plans, identifying key climate and energy targets. It provides a searchable database of national and sectoral policies, including specific targets for carbon intensity, renewable energy capacity, and fossil fuel consumption through 2030.
Mining Fiscal Regime Simulator
The Mining Fiscal Regime Simulator is an open-source modelling tool by the IGF that helps users evaluate the impact of tax and royalty policies on mining project economics and government revenue.
Financing battery energy storage systems in Indonesia
This report analyses financing requirements for 9.6 GW of battery energy storage in Indonesia’s RUPTL 2025-2034. Total investment needs reach USD 5 billion. It evaluates business models and the role of concessional funding in bridging bankability gaps for standalone and hybrid projects across various island systems.
Modernising grids in the Age of Electricity: Scaling digital technologies and AI for better use of existing networks
This IEA report examines modernising electricity grids using digital technologies and AI. It estimates that grid-enhancing technologies could unlock 330 GW of capacity, saving USD 100 billion in investment. Success requires reforming regulatory frameworks, improving data foundations, and addressing critical skills shortages to optimise networks for the energy transition.
ERA5 Global Climate Data
ERA5 is the fifth-generation global climate reanalysis tool from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, providing hourly estimates of atmospheric, terrestrial, and oceanic variables from 1940 to the present.
Forging ahead: A 2026 assessment of investor climate action across North America
This 2026 assessment of 50 large North American investors reveals that most are prioritising climate risk management and clean economy opportunities despite shifting regulations. Findings show 74% assess portfolio risks and allocate capital to climate solutions, though only 22% have disclosed explicit, measurable targets for increasing these investments.
Stop in the name of law: How litigation is challenging offsetting claims
This report analyses the rising legal and regulatory scrutiny of corporate carbon offsetting claims. It examines landmark cases in Europe, Australia, and the US, highlighting a global shift towards banning misleading 'net-zero' labels. The findings underscore the necessity for companies to prioritise genuine in-house emissions reductions over carbon credits.
Spillover: Shell and TotalEnergies' expansive roles in the voluntary carbon market
This report analyses the extensive involvement of Shell and TotalEnergies in the voluntary carbon market. It highlights how fossil fuel majors use carbon credits to obscure a lack of absolute emissions reductions, while exercising structural influence over credit supply, project development, and market governance.