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 Industry Platform
The Green Industry Platform provides SMEs with technical knowledge and self-assessment tools, such as the I-GO Assistant, to enhance resource efficiency and implement net-zero measures. Managed by the GGKP, it offers sector-specific guidance, research, and circular economy insights for a sustainable industrial transition.
The petrochemical blind spot: Plastics, fertilisers and bank profits
This research report explores the petrochemical industry’s environmental and human rights impacts, documenting how European banks provide billions in financing to major chemical firms. It highlights the sector’s role in driving fossil fuel demand and recommends that financial institutions implement robust plastics policies and cease financing industry expansions.
End-use Prices Data Explorer
The End-use Prices Data Explorer, provided by the International Energy Agency, tracks global energy prices across sectors like industry and transport. It helps finance professionals assess the impact of energy costs, taxes, and subsidies on market competitiveness and investment risks.
Gas reserve mechanisms and flexibility options: Enhancing gas supply security in a changing global market
This report examines mechanisms to enhance gas supply security, including physical reserves, commercial flexibility, and policy tools. It analyzes the transition to an interconnected, geopolitically complex market, advocating for international cooperation, strategic buffers, and innovative contracting to mitigate future supply disruptions and extreme price volatility.
Trends in climate risk reporting: Lessons from initial voluntary corporate reports under California’s SB 261
This research analyses 154 voluntary corporate climate risk reports submitted under California’s SB 261. It identifies early trends in governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics. Findings highlight that while risk awareness is widespread, gaps remain in financial quantification, quantitative scenario analysis, and the development of formal transition plans.
Preventing Delays to Permitting for Critical Mineral Projects
A report by the IISD and IGF exploring how governments can streamline permitting for critical mineral mining projects to support the energy transition while protecting communities and human health.
A heat circuit breaker for the UK: Preparing for a hotter future: A framing report
This report by the National Heat Risk Commission examines the UK’s lack of preparedness for extreme heat following the summer of 2026. It highlights systemic risks, detailing over £4.4 billion in economic costs and 2,877 deaths, while proposing ten key recommendations to strengthen national heat governance and resilience.
Adaptation Insights 02: Investing in nature: Pathways to scale investments in nature-based solutions for climate adaptation
This report examines pathways to scale nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, highlighting their superior benefit-cost ratios compared to traditional infrastructure. It identifies strategies to mobilise private capital, utilise standardised valuation metrics, and leverage carbon markets to support long-term maintenance and resilience across vulnerable regions, particularly in Africa.
Building capacity to identify and assess nature-related financial risks
This report examines nature-related financial risks in the Indonesian and Malaysian palm oil sectors. Using scenario analysis, it evaluates how an intensified El Niño and ecosystem degradation affect production, costs, and credit risk. Findings highlight the vulnerability of upstream producers and the necessity for banks to assess nature-based dependencies.
Assessing biodiversity-related financial risks: Navigating the landscape of existing approaches
This OECD report examines methodologies for assessing biodiversity-related financial risks. It identifies physical and transition transmission channels, reviews metrics like Mean Species Abundance, and highlights the implications of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The findings inform a new supervisory framework for central banks to manage ecosystem-related instability.
FSB takes stock of the wide range of regulatory and supervisory initiatives on nature-related financial risks
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has published a stocktake of initiatives concerning nature-related financial risks. While some authorities recognise material risks from biodiversity loss, the global regulatory landscape remains at an early stage. Challenges include significant data gaps and the need to translate financial exposures into risk measures.
The economic case for nature: A global Earth-economy model to assess development policy pathways
This World Bank report examines the economic rationale for investing in nature using a global Earth-economy model. It demonstrates that ecosystem service collapse could reduce global GDP by $2.7 trillion by 2030, while "nature-smart" policy reforms can deliver significant economic gains and support global conservation targets.
Green Finance Platform
The Green Finance Platform is a global resource hub providing a database of green financial policies, diagnostic toolkits, and research from organisations including UNEP and the World Bank to support sustainable investment.
Indian states’ electricity transition (SET) 2026
This report evaluates 21 Indian states across decarbonisation, power ecosystem readiness, and market enablers. It identifies regional leaders like Karnataka and Delhi while highlighting structural gaps. Recommendations focus on strengthening distribution company finances, implementing smart metering, and scaling energy storage to support India's target of 500 gigawatts of non-fossil capacity.
Principles of Indigenous Just Transition
The Principles of Indigenous Just Transition, developed by the Indigenous Environmental Network, provide 11 core guidelines for a regenerative economy. The tool helps investors and developers ensure that energy transitions respect Indigenous sovereignty and avoid extractive practices.
Limiting overshoot: Navigating exceedance of 1.5°C and pathways towards return
This report examines the inevitability of exceeding the 1.5°C global warming limit and outlines strategies for navigating this overshoot. It details escalating non-linear risks to ecosystems, food security, and infrastructure, while emphasising that urgent mitigation and transformational adaptation are essential to limit peak temperatures and enable a return.