Library | ESG issues
Public Policy
Public policy refers to the actions and decisions taken by governments to address societal issues through laws, regulations, and funding priorities. It shapes the business environment by influencing regulatory requirements, market conditions, and corporate responsibilities. Policies related to taxation, labour laws, environmental regulations, and trade agreements can impact business operations, costs, and investment strategies.
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European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)
European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights is an independent human rights organisation using strategic litigation and legal advocacy to advance accountability worldwide. ECCHR works on business and human rights, international crimes, migration, and democratic freedoms, producing casework, research, and public interventions for courts, policymakers, and civil society globally.
The state of the climate series
This benchmark series provides concise annual assessments of the global climate, using consistent scientific indicators to monitor environmental conditions, human pressures, and system responses. It is designed to support structured analysis and comparison over time for researchers, policymakers, and finance and sustainability professionals.
Peoples' climate vote series
The Peoples’ Climate Vote is a global survey series capturing public perspectives on climate change, policy priorities and collective action. Led by international institutions, it provides a consistent framework to understand how people experience climate impacts and how they expect governments, businesses and global actors to respond.
State and trends of carbon pricing series
The State and Trends of Carbon Pricing series provides an annual, global overview of carbon pricing policies and carbon markets. It reviews the development and structure of carbon taxes, emissions trading systems, and crediting mechanisms to support policy, regulatory, and market analysis.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a United Nations specialised agency coordinating global cooperation on weather, climate, hydrology and related environmental services. WMO sets international standards, publishes authoritative climate and weather reports, supports early warning systems, and strengthens climate resilience, risk management and scientific data sharing worldwide, across governments and communities.
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.
The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray
The report argues that behavioural public policy has over-emphasised individual-level (“i-frame”) solutions, often aligning with corporate interests and weakening systemic reform. It contends that structural (“s-frame”) interventions, alongside institutional changes in research and policy design, are necessary to address entrenched social and economic problems effectively.
State of finance for nature 2026: Nature in the red: Powering the trillion dollar nature transition economy
UNEP’s State of Finance for Nature 2026 finds global finance remains heavily skewed towards nature-negative activities. In 2023, US$7.3 trillion harmed nature versus US$220 billion for nature-based solutions. Meeting Rio Convention targets requires more than doubling nature investment by 2030.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is a federal department advancing sustainable development of Canada’s energy, minerals, forests and earth sciences. It delivers research, data, policy and tools on climate change, clean energy, critical minerals and resource efficiency, supporting evidence-based decision-making by governments, industry and the public across domestic and international contexts.
UN SDG Portal
The United Nations SDGs platform (sdgs.un.org) is an online hub for the 2030 Agenda and 17 Sustainable Development Goals, offering goals, targets, indicators, events, publications and global actions to track and support SDG implementation. It also includes registries of voluntary commitments and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
The twin transition century
This paper argues that Europe’s green transition depends on aligning digital transformation with sustainability goals. It outlines how digital research can both reduce its own environmental footprint and enable climate action, calling for long-term, interdisciplinary research investment and coordinated EU policy.
Climate risk index series
The Climate Risk Index is an annual benchmark series that compares countries’ exposure and vulnerability to extreme weather events using a consistent, historical, data-driven framework. Across all editions, it supports comparative assessment of physical climate risk over time and informs policy, risk analysis, and climate-aware financial decision-making.
How the circular economy can revive the sustainable development goals: Priorities for immediate global action, and a policy blueprint for the transition to 2050
This report argues that embedding circular economy principles within the Sustainable Development Goals could revive stalled progress. It outlines five global policy priorities and proposes a 2050 blueprint linking circularity, inclusive growth, trade, finance and standards to post-2030 development agendas.
New approaches and challenges regarding trade, climate action, and the WTO
The report analyses how WTO trade rules can support climate action. It assesses tools such as border carbon adjustments, standards, subsidies and technology policy, identifying legal gaps, development impacts and the need for coordinated reforms to align multilateral trade governance with climate objectives.
Defining climate finance justice: Critical geographies of justice amid financialized climate action
The article defines “climate finance justice” as a framework for analysing how financialised climate action shapes equity, power, and outcomes. It critiques climate finance mechanisms, including UNFCCC processes and voluntary carbon markets, and argues for justice-centred approaches that address historical responsibility, governance, and uneven impacts.
Time to plan for a future beyond 1.5 degrees
The report argues that limiting warming to 1.5°C is no longer realistic and may hinder preparedness. It calls for acknowledging higher warming scenarios, accelerating mitigation, and adopting disruptive policy, financial, and governance approaches to manage climate and nature risks in a likely 2°C-plus world.
