Library | ESG issues
Social
The social pillar in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) assesses a organisation’s impact on people and society. It covers labour practices, diversity and inclusion, human rights and community engagement. Prioritising social responsibility not only benefits society but also mitigates risks, strengthens reputation, and creates long-term value for businesses and investors.
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Urban heat risk management: Resource package
This resource package provides practical guidance for local and national governments on managing urban heat risks through governance, planning, nature-based solutions and emergency preparedness. Drawing on global evidence and city case studies, it outlines strategies to strengthen urban resilience to increasing extreme heat.
Unlocking climate risk insurance: The role of public development banks
This report examines how public development banks (PDBs) can expand climate risk insurance in emerging markets and developing economies. It identifies five key barriers to insurance uptake, analyses distinct roles for national, regional, and multilateral development banks, and provides recommendations to scale insurance solutions that build climate resilience.
Posters & Resources - Reconciliation Australia
The Posters & Resources portal by Reconciliation Australia offers downloadable assets to support National Reconciliation Week 2026.
Anti-harassment policy and the startup labor market
This paper studies the effects of state-level NDA-weakening laws on hiring in over 50,000 U.S. VC-backed startups from 2014–2022. Anti-harassment reforms reduce female hiring by approximately 8%, concentrated among junior women and small startups, while also triggering internal restructuring including more female promotions and male manager departures.
The TISFD framework: Recommendations for disclosure of people-related information by businesses and financial institutions
The TISFD Framework (Beta Version 0.1) presents draft disclosure recommendations for businesses and financial institutions on people-related impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities. Building on ISSB, GRI and ESRS standards, it covers governance, strategy, and impact and risk management pillars, with metrics and targets to follow in future iterations.
The Swiss investors in the ICE system
This BreakFree Suisse research note examines Swiss institutional investors — including UBS, SNB, Zurich Insurance, and others — holding billions of dollars in US ICE contractors Palantir, AT&T, Geo Group, and CoreCivic. The report argues these investments conflict with the investors' stated human rights policies and ESG commitments.
Nature-based solutions for a sustainable critical minerals value chain
This report examines how nature-based solutions (NbS) can be integrated into critical minerals mining. Drawing on case study research and expert events at Climate Week NYC and COP30, it identifies six resilience-building NbS categories and highlights the need for systems-based planning, community collaboration, and improved financing mechanisms.
Just transition in action: Complement to NZIF supplementary guidance for just transition
Produced by IIGCC with support from AIGCC, IGCC, and Ceres, this report complements the NZIF Supplementary Guidance on Just Transition. It provides practical case studies and frameworks to help investors integrate social equity considerations into climate-aligned investment strategies across internal direction, asset alignment, and external engagement.
Global report on internal displacement series
The Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) is an annual benchmark series published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It tracks the scale, drivers, and geography of internal displacement worldwide, covering both conflict- and disaster-driven movements across countries and regions.
Data centers and local economies in the age of AI: A shift-share approach
This NBER working paper examines the local economic effects of data centre expansion across U.S. counties from 1995 to 2020. Using shift-share instruments, the authors find positive effects on employment, establishments, income, and house prices, alongside higher electricity prices, presenting a mixed policy outcome for counties hosting data centres.
EU Funding Watch
EU Funding Watch curates calls, grants and opportunities across the European funding landscape for impact ecosystem practitioners.
Trump climate endangerment stories
This interactive mapping tool from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) combines climate data and community stories to show how climate change is affecting temperatures, water resources, disaster losses, insurance costs and public health across the United States. It also illustrates the projected impacts of changes to federal climate pollution regulations.
Modeling ghost GDP: Macro-financial risk and diversified portfolios in the age of artificial intelligence, automation, and populism
This PDI working paper stress-tests four AI-driven labour displacement scenarios against US macro-financial data, modelling cascading losses across household debt, corporate credit, equities, pensions, insurance, and fiscal channels. Total economy-wide value at risk ranges from approximately $15–18 trillion (Light) to $62–72 trillion (Aggressive). Predistributive mechanisms are proposed as structural solutions.
The accountability framework operational guidance series
The Accountability Framework Operational Guidance series provides practical guidance for companies on implementing responsible agricultural and forestry supply chains. The series covers environmental protection, human rights, workers’ rights, Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ rights, supply chain management, reporting, remediation, and compliance with voluntary commitments and applicable law.
Voice without influence? Global investor voting rationale disclosures in Korea
This study examines whether global institutional investors’ voting rationale disclosures influence Korean firms’ gender diversity and climate-related policies. It finds stronger investor focus on board gender diversity than climate risk, limited influence on large firms, greater impact on smaller firms’ emissions reductions, and evidence that voting rationales affect the credibility of sustainability reporting.
Trust, financial literacy, and financial behaviors: Shaping retirement security
This NBER working paper examines how trust in financial institutions and government programmes, and financial literacy, shape retirement security for Americans aged 50+. Using 2020 Health and Retirement Study data, it finds trust in financial institutions supports retirement saving, while trust in government programmes reduces private saving, with notable racial disparities.