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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The silence of the loans: Banks should adopt methane policies that cover financing and facilitating emissions
Planet Tracker examines twenty-five banks' policies regarding agricultural methane emissions. Despite methane's high potency, no banks have specific reduction targets for this sector. Most policies focus solely on direct financing, ignoring facilitated debt which constitutes 96% of corporate funding, creating significant financial and regulatory risks for lenders.
Global energy review series
The Global Energy Review is an annual benchmark series published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that assesses trends across the entire energy sector, covering all fuels, technologies, regions, and energy-related CO2 emissions for the preceding calendar year.
Clean cooking in Africa 2026: Progress report
This report evaluates progress toward universal clean cooking access in sub-Saharan Africa. While delivery rates have tripled since 2010, population growth continues to outpace gains. The analysis covers investment trends, infrastructure development, and the impact of the 2026 energy crisis on regional fuel supply chains.
Corporate diversification and corporate carbon performance
This research examines how corporate diversification and cash flow coinsurance reduce carbon intensity in Japanese firms. It finds that industrial diversification alleviates financing constraints, enabling substantial decarbonisation investments. The effect is most significant in carbon-intensive industries and for Scope 1 emissions following the Paris Agreement.
Exploring guarantees for resilient and low-carbon cities: Part 2: De-risking urban climate finance series
This report examines how guarantees can unlock private climate finance for cities. It identifies barriers to uptake in emerging markets, such as high costs and complex structures. Proposed solutions include strengthening governance, standardising products, and expanding regional facilities to mobilise the USD 4.3 trillion required annually by 2030.
Mapping the landscape of net-zero nature-positive finance: A review of definitions and frameworks
This report provides a comprehensive review of definitions and frameworks for net-zero, nature-positive, and climate-nature finance. It identifies alignment areas and implementation gaps, advocating for integrated risk and investment approaches to achieve global sustainability goals under the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Connecting capital within African agrifood systems: Lessons from a decade of practice
This report examines the structural misalignment between investors and agribusinesses in African agrifood systems. It highlights that while annual climate finance reached USD 7.8 billion, it falls short of the USD 1.1 trillion global requirement. Recommendations focus on improving technical assistance and intermediation to mobilise capital effectively.
Environmental claims, climate promises, and ‘greenwashing’ by meat and dairy companies
This research examines environmental claims from 33 major meat and dairy companies. It finds that 98% of 1,233 identified claims constitute greenwashing. While most claims are climate-related, many are unverifiable future promises lacking scientific evidence. The industry’s sustainability reporting often mimics tactics used by the fossil fuel sector.
The price of gas: The hidden costs of European banks’ support for gas power expansion
This report examines how 24 European banks provided US$41.9 billion to gas power developers between 2021 and 2024. It highlights significant health impacts, including nearly 3,000 premature deaths in Europe, and warns that expanding gas infrastructure undermines global climate targets and exposes economies to price volatility.
Insurers' resilience toolkit: A practical taxonomy of climate adaptation and resilience measures
This research provides a practical taxonomy for the insurance sector to advance climate adaptation and resilience. Analysing over 200 measures, it highlights structural barriers and enabling conditions for scaling initiatives. The report advocates for a shift from post-event compensation towards proactive risk reduction and long-term stakeholder engagement.
Toward transformation in finance: Seeds of nature-positive futures
This research examines "finance for nature seeds" — innovative initiatives aimed at transforming the financial sector to reverse nature loss. By analysing 92 global projects, the study identifies diverse approaches to funding nature stewardship, highlighting current reliance on market-based mechanisms and the potential for inclusive, value-pluralistic financial systems.
The emancipatory potential of biodiversity reporting: Evidence from the United Kingdom and South Africa
This research evaluates the emancipatory potential of biodiversity reporting within the United Kingdom and South Africa. Analysing disclosures from 2018 to 2022, it finds significant increases in reporting intensity. The study presents a principles-based framework to distinguish between compliance-oriented disclosures and transformative, action-oriented environmental reporting.
Tropical rainforest loss slowed in 2025, but fire is a growing threat to forests worldwide
Global tropical primary forest loss decreased 36% in 2025, though 4.3 million hectares were destroyed. Significant policy-driven reductions occurred in Brazil, but global deforestation remains 70% above levels required for 2030 targets. Fires drove 42% of global tree cover loss, with severe impacts in Canada and Europe.
EJF's squid fisheries series
This report series examines global squid fisheries, focusing on governance gaps, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, labour and human rights issues, supply chain transparency, and fisheries management. It analyses risks across key squid fisheries and explores policy and regulatory measures to support more sustainable and accountable fishing practices.
Just transition metrics benchmark
Just Transition Metrics is a benchmark series developed by Shift in collaboration with multiple organisations. It provides a foundational, sector-agnostic set of quantitative metrics designed to assess the 'justness' of companies' climate-related transition plans, covering workforce, communities, and value chain impacts.
Sector insights: Real estate series
Sustainable Fitch Sector Insights Report Series is a series providing analytical assessments of the sustainability profiles of different sectors. It examines sustainability impacts, ESG rating trends, sustainable finance developments, sector-specific issues, and relevant sustainability-related regulations to support finance professionals’ understanding of sector performance.