Library | ESG issues
Long-termism
Long-termism prioritises enduring strategies over immediate gains, ensuring sustainable development and resource availability for future generations. Corporations and investors are encouraged to consider the long-term consequences of their decisions, moving beyond short-term profit motives to incorporate sustainability and intergenerational impacts. A long-term approach can enhance financial resilience, mitigate risks, and generate more stable and sustainable returns over time.
Refine
194 results
REFINE
SHOW: 16
Climate fiduciaries: part II – the duty of even-handedness
This article explores the fiduciary duty of even-handedness and its implications for climate-aware pension fund investing, focusing on emerging legal challenges in Australia and Canada. It argues that unmanaged climate risk may breach trustees’ obligations to act equitably across generations, particularly where younger members bear disproportionate long-term harm.
Systems-informed stewardship part I: Reshaping sustainable and impact finance through systems thinking
This article introduces systems thinking and explains how it is reshaping sustainable and impact finance by addressing interconnected systemic risks like climate change and inequality. It outlines four emerging applications; from systemic risk management to systems-informed stewardship, highlighting the implications for investors’ roles, tools, and decision-making.
Climate fiduciaries: part I – the climate prisoner’s dilemma
This article explores how climate change is reshaping fiduciary duty for pension funds, through court cases, legal analysis, and the concept of systemic risk. It introduces the “climate prisoner’s dilemma,” arguing that climate-aware investment may be shifting from discretionary to obligatory for long-term fiduciaries.
Nature Enters the Boardroom: Why Directors Are Paying Attention
Drawing on Australia’s first national study of board-level engagement with nature, this article shows how directors are treating nature as a material governance and financial issue. It highlights how boards are extending climate governance systems to manage nature-related risks, adopt frameworks like TNFD, and build resilience and long-term value despite policy uncertainty.
Can you be the change you’d like to see? Three US philosophers aim to offer hope
This review examines Somebody Should Do Something, a timely book arguing that individuals can spark meaningful social change by acting collectively rather than alone. It assesses the authors’ hopeful framework alongside contemporary political realities, questioning whether grassroots agency is sufficient amid concentrated power and rising authoritarianism.
Still or sparkling?: Approaches to changing portfolio compositions in long-term stress-tests and scenario analyses
The report reviews approaches to modelling portfolio changes in long-term climate stress tests, comparing static portfolios with macro, ex ante, and ex post adjustments. It outlines trade-offs, shows results are sensitive to assumptions, and argues approach choice should match supervisory objectives.
Green finance was supposed to contribute solutions to climate change. So far, it’s fallen well short
The article argues that while climate disclosure and green finance initiatives have expanded since Mark Carney’s “tragedy of the horizon” speech, they have failed to shift capital at the scale required to address climate and nature risks. It contends that deeper structural reforms to financial valuation, incentives and capital allocation are needed to move beyond managing symptoms toward financing real-world solutions.
International round table: Financing climate action at city level
This report synthesises discussions from an international round table on financing city-level climate action, highlighting how local governments overcome fiscal constraints through tailored funding scales, partnerships, innovative revenue mechanisms, and long-term approaches to deliver major decarbonisation programmes across Europe and North America.
Starting in and transitioning into sustainable finance careers
This guide explores ways to get started in and transition into sustainable finance careers. It focuses on how professionals can build foundational knowledge, apply transferable skills, and take opportunities to create impact. Through expert insights it highlights strategies to navigate evolving roles and align finance with real sustainability outcomes.
Integrating human rights due diligence (HRDD) in finance and investment
This guide provides practical steps for successful investor collaborations, helping investors navigate challenges, align on objectives and leverage collective influence. Drawing from expert insights and real-world case studies, it outlines effective governance, engagement strategies and resource management to drive measurable corporate and policy change through coordinated investor action.
The investor climate policy engagement paradox
The article explores the paradox in which institutional investors focus heavily on climate-risk disclosure, an area of comfort and perceived legitimacy, while underinvesting in real-economy climate policy that could meaningfully reduce systemic risk. It argues that meaningful climate action requires shifting from technocratic “managing tons” approaches toward politically challenging asset revaluation and more robust policy engagement.
More than just good ethics: new research links corporate diversity to better investment decisions
New research on Australia’s ASX 300 companies finds that diversity within board committees, particularly in terms of gender, independence, and professional background, leads to smarter and more efficient investment decisions. The study shows that diverse committees make more disciplined and forward-looking choices, linking inclusion directly to better financial performance and long-term value creation.
The Real Tragedy of the Horizon
Mark Carney’s “tragedy of the horizon” warned that markets would act too late on climate risks. A decade later, this article argues that framing climate change as a financial risk has misdirected efforts—what’s needed now is coordinated action to create investable markets, especially in emerging economies.
ESG and financial performance: Uncovering the relationship by aggregating evidence from 1,000 plus studies published between 2015 – 2020
This report summarises over 1,000 studies (2015–2020) and finds that most show a positive relationship between ESG and financial performance. ESG integration and long-term strategies tend to enhance returns and risk management, while disclosure alone has limited financial impact.
Rockefeller Capital Management
Rockefeller Capital Management (RockCo) delivers wealth management, asset management and investment banking services grounded in the Rockefeller legacy. Serving individuals, families and institutions, RockCo emphasises bespoke financial solutions, generational wealth planning and strategic advisory — combining innovation with long-standing trust.
Outsourcing active ownership in Japan
This report summarises private shareholder engagements in Japan by Governance for Owners Japan between 2009 and 2019. Findings show high success rates and positive abnormal returns, with quiet activism proving more effective than public campaigns. Evidence indicates such private engagements support Japan’s governance reforms and long-term shareholder value.
