Library | ESG issues
Governance
The governance pillar in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) refers to the systems, policies, and practices that ensure an organisation is managed responsibly and ethically. It includes issues such as board structure, reporting & disclosures, shareholders & voting, and risk management. Strong governance reduces risks, enhances trust, and supports long-term business sustainability.
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Futureproofing industry: Investor priorities for a reformed Safeguard Mechanism
This report outlines investor priorities for reforming Australia's Safeguard Mechanism during the 2026-27 review. It recommends a seven per cent annual decline rate to align with 2035 climate targets, expanding scheme coverage, and implementing financial supports to incentivise on-site abatement over carbon offsets to ensure long-term industrial competitiveness.
Metals-as-a-Service economic analysis: Comparing the MAAS and linear business models in the context of a wind project
This research compares Metals-as-a-Service (MaaS) and linear business models in onshore wind projects. It finds that MaaS improves risk-adjusted performance, increasing project internal rate of return to 19.94% and reducing levelised cost of energy by 15%. The analysis assesses financial viability and risk mitigation strategies for stakeholders.
ESG ratings and the French Duty of Vigilance Law
An analysis of the 2017 French Duty of Vigilance Law’s impact on corporate ESG and financial performance. Using difference-in-differences analysis, the study finds a significant negative association with social and environmental ESG scores, suggesting the law reduces rating "gaming" or prompts the production of more realistic risk disclosures.
Seeing green: The effects of financial exposures on support for climate action
This research evaluates a randomised controlled trial using financial exposure to the energy sector to build support for climate action. Findings demonstrate that ownership of green and brown assets increases support for mitigation policies through a learning mechanism, where participants consume more financial news and improve their environmental knowledge.
Putting climate coalitions into practice: A common framework for balancing competitiveness and equity
This technical report proposes a framework for international climate coalitions, focusing on emissions-intensive industries such as steel and aluminium. Modelling indicates that coordinated carbon price floors could reduce annual emissions by up to 584 million metric tons. It introduces an 'effective carbon cost' metric to balance global competitiveness and equity.
Green trade, regional value chains and new partnerships for cooperation: Accelerating green industrialisation through partnerships with a focus on Africa
This briefing paper examines how green trade and regional value chains can accelerate African industrialisation. It outlines opportunities within the AfCFTA and the African Green Industrialisation Initiative, emphasising the need for de-risking instruments, institutional capacity building, and new partnership frameworks to align international capital with Africa’s sustainable development goals.
First Street Research Library
The First Street Research Library provides transparent, peer-reviewed reports and climate risk data focused on flooding, fire, and heat. It helps finance professionals quantify physical risks and their economic impacts.
Landscape of Climate Finance in Latin America and the Caribbean
The report assesses climate finance across Latin America and the Caribbean from 2020–2024. Finance doubled to US$108 billion but remains well below estimated needs and unevenly distributed. It examines public and private flows, mitigation and adaptation investment, financing constraints, and measures to mobilise capital and strengthen climate resilience.
Top-down Climate Finance Needs Data Dashboard
Developed by the Climate Policy Initiative, this dashboard provides interactive visualisations of the global financial requirements for climate mitigation and adaptation, helping finance professionals quantify the investment gap.
Land GHG Monitoring System
A high-resolution geospatial monitoring system from Land & Carbon Lab and WRI that tracks global greenhouse gas emissions and removals across agriculture, forests, and soils to support corporate accounting and climate-smart land management.
Collaboration in action: How to collectively work towards systems change
This report examines how diverse capital providers collaborate to achieve systems change. It identifies catalytic capital as a pivotal tool for de-risking investments and mobilising private funds. Key findings highlight the necessity of trust, long-term partnerships, and shared metrics to overcome structural barriers and address the $4 trillion SDG financing gap.
The Quadripartite Joint Offer: A call for targeted One Health investment
This advocacy document calls for targeted investment in the One Health Joint Plan of Action. The Quadripartite collaboration proposes a Joint Offer to support at least ten countries over five years, strengthening governance, multisectoral coordination, and sustainable financing to prevent and control global health risks effectively.
Taskforce on official standards and the Green Bond Principles. Phase 1: Comparison of the Green Bond Principles and the European Green Bond Standard
This report compares the voluntary Green Bond Principles with the regulatory European Green Bond Standard. It identifies high proximity and synergy between the frameworks, providing guidance on how issuers can navigate both sets of requirements to enhance transparency and facilitate global investor recognition in the sustainable finance market.
Embracing carbon uncertainty in portfolio construction
This research introduces a framework for decarbonising sovereign bond portfolios using 'carbon returns'—treating emissions as random variables rather than deterministic values. By applying a modified Hierarchical Risk Parity algorithm with Expected Shortfall, it effectively balances financial and environmental goals, mitigating climate-related tail risks both in-sample and out-of-sample.
Energy transition index series
The Energy Transition Index is a benchmark series providing a structured, data-driven framework to assess national energy systems and track transition progress across 120 countries. It evaluates performance through security, equity, and sustainability lenses, alongside transition readiness factors, helping decision-makers identify gaps and understand the conditions required for resilience.
The value of non-value-maximizing managers
This research argues that hiring managers biased towards poorly-measured goals, such as social impact, is often optimal. This selection allows organisations to implement high-powered financial incentives for well-measured tasks without neglecting non-financial objectives. The study highlights how managerial selection and incentive design function as complementary governance tools.