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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A review of the link between sustainability performance and company valuation
The report reviews recent evidence on links between sustainability performance and company valuation, finding growing but uneven market recognition. Strong strategies can improve resilience, EBITDA and capital costs, while inaction raises long-term financial risk amid evolving disclosure and regulation.
A risk professional’s guide to physical risk assessments: A GARP benchmarking study of 13 vendors
GARP benchmarks 13 vendors’ asset-level climate physical risk models, finding wide dispersion in hazard and damage estimates due to differing data, assumptions and methods. The report stresses due diligence, transparency and improved asset data when selecting vendors.
The (mis)use of scenarios in fossil fuel and industry climate disclosures
The report analyses climate disclosures by investor-owned carbon majors, finding widespread misuse of climate scenarios to claim Paris alignment. Common issues include outdated scenarios, opaque assumptions and misleading aggregation, which obscure transition risks and may misinform investor decision-making.
Banking on business as usual: The energy finance imbalance
The report assesses energy financing by 65 major banks (2021–2024), finding fossil fuel finance more than double sustainable power supply. The energy supply financing ratio stagnates around 0.42:1, far below net-zero benchmarks, with regional disparities and weak translation of climate commitments into financing shifts.
Historical redlining and cumulative environmental impacts across the United States
This study analyses 202 US cities, linking historic redlining to higher present-day cumulative environmental burdens. Using EJScreen data and modelling, it finds redlined neighbourhoods face significantly greater combined pollution exposures, particularly from traffic, hazardous waste and wastewater sites, with strongest disparities in western regions.
The Climate Resilience Investment Framework (CRIF)
IIGCC’s Climate Resilience Investment Framework provides investors with a structured approach to manage physical climate risks, integrate adaptation into portfolios, and guide asset-level, portfolio, and policy actions, prioritising real estate and infrastructure through a process-based methodology aligned with financial materiality.
Unlocking Opportunity: Addressing Livestock Methane to Build Resilient Food Systems
This Ceres report outlines the financial and climate case for reducing livestock methane. It maps methane exposure across food supply chains and sets out strategies for companies and investors to manage risk, strengthen resilience, and capture value through near-term methane mitigation.
The role of traceability in critical mineral supply chains
The report examines how traceability can support responsible critical mineral supply chains. It outlines policy drivers, system components, costs and limitations, and mineral-specific challenges, concluding that well-designed traceability can enhance due diligence, transparency and supply security when proportionate and risk-based.
Growing resilience: Unlocking the potential of nature-based solutions for climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa
The report assesses nature-based solutions for climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa, reviewing nearly 300 projects. It finds growing adoption but insufficient scale, highlighting financing, policy, and capacity gaps, and recommends integrating NBS into infrastructure planning, diversifying funding, and strengthening social inclusion and local capability.
Climate inequality & just transition: An introduction for actuaries
This report explains climate inequality and climate justice, outlines risks from unjust climate transitions, and frames just transition principles. It highlights how climate impacts amplify inequality and sets out roles for actuaries in risk assessment, fairness, and supporting equitable climate-resilient development.
Fashion’s plastic paralysis: How brands resist change and fuel microplastic pollution
The report examines fashion brands’ continued reliance on synthetic fibres, highlighting how voluntary commitments, lobbying, and weak accountability delay fibre reduction and regulation. It links current business models to rising microplastic pollution and concludes that systemic policy and production changes are required.
Climate data in the investment process: Challenges, resources, and considerations
The report examines how climate-related data are used in investment decision-making, highlighting limitations in availability, consistency, and comparability. It reviews greenhouse gas metrics, evolving global disclosure standards, and regulatory milestones, and outlines practical strategies for investors managing imperfect climate data.
Distinguishing among climate change-related risks
The report distinguishes planetary, economic and financial climate risks, clarifying their differing scopes, timeframes and responsible actors. It argues that conflating these risks weakens policy and investment responses, and calls for clearer delineation to improve risk assessment, accountability and targeted climate action.
Quantitative climate scenario analysis in financial decisions: Case studies
This CFRF report presents nine case studies demonstrating how quantitative climate scenario analysis informs financial decisions. It assesses physical and transition risks across assets, sectors and geographies, translating climate pathways into impacts on valuations, credit risk and losses to support risk-based decision-making.
The alignment of companies' sustainability behavior and emissions with global climate targets
The study analyses sustainability reports from major listed companies to assess alignment with Paris climate targets. Using natural language processing, it finds alignment depends on the type of actions taken. Firms prioritising innovation and energy transition outperform those focused on risk mitigation.
Nature as Shareholder: Who speaks for the Trees?: The opportunities and challenges of nature owning shares of companies
The paper examines the legal and practical implications of nature owning company shares, drawing on New Zealand precedents for legal personhood. It outlines governance models, challenges, and potential impacts on corporate purpose, investment, and long-term decision-making.
