Library | Sustainable Finance Practices
Issue/sector focused research
General research and analysis that provides deep dives and insights into specific sustainability issues or industry sectors, addressing the current status, trends, risks, and opportunities for the issue but not specifically addressing a finance or business audience.
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Labor market effects of California's $20 fast-food minimum wage
This NBER working paper examines the labour market effects of California's AB 1228, which raised the fast-food minimum wage to $20 per hour in April 2024. Across 32 QCEW and QWI specifications, wages rose by roughly 7 per cent with an own-wage elasticity of employment ranging from −0.29 to +0.26, indicating modest to no disemployment.
Ranking digital rights: The 2026 Telco giants edition
Ranking Digital Rights' 2026 Telco Giants Edition scores 12 major telecom companies on governance, freedom of expression, and privacy. Telefónica leads overall with 57%, while Ooredoo ranks lowest at 14%. Historical data from 2017 to 2026 shows varied progress, with scores dipping in 2020 due to new indicators.
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.
Climate Shift Index Global Map
The Climate Shift Index Global Map by Climate Central is an interactive tool visualising global air, ocean, and humid heat climate factors.
Climate Central
Climate Central Resources is an online library of climate science content, interactive tools, graphics and datasets. It provides evidence-based information on climate change impacts, extreme weather, sea level rise and climate risk, supporting analysis, communication and decision-making across sectors, including finance.
CEF Newsletter
The CEF Newsletter delivers updates and financial analysis on the global energy transition, renewable energy markets, and climate policy.
Where cultivated meat can be sold
An interactive tracker by The Good Food Institute mapping global regulatory approvals and market pathways for cultivated meat products.
The Ocean framework: An investor guide to navigating ocean risks and opportunities
This investor guide examines ocean-related risks and opportunities across nine ocean-dependent sectors. It outlines five key drivers of ocean degradation, introduces a seven-step portfolio assessment framework, and provides sector-specific engagement guidance for fisheries, aquaculture and maritime transportation.
Market success of short-duration batteries paves the way for longer-lasting storage
Short-duration battery storage in the U.S. has grown 25x in five years, reaching 43,419 MW. This IEEFA report examines how that success is opening pathways for long-duration energy storage, driven by state mandates, data centre demand from AI companies, and advances in technologies including iron-air, liquid air, and carbon-oxygen systems.
Biodiversity loss will decrease the future creditworthiness of nations
This study examines how biodiversity and ecosystem service loss affect sovereign creditworthiness across 23 countries. Using ecological-economic modelling, it finds that a partial ecosystem collapse could generate US$162 billion in additional annual debt servicing costs globally, highlighting that sovereign credit ratings are systematically underpricing nature-related financial risks.
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.
Airports and aviation emissions: The Airport Tracker as a tool for data-driven advocacy
This policy brief presents findings from the third update to the Airport Tracker, a global inventory covering the world's 1,300 busiest airports. Using 2023 data, it analyses CO₂ and local air pollution from passenger, freight and private jet flights, finding that aviation remains off track to meet net-zero goals.
The differential impacts of critical mineral prices and oil prices on the economy
This paper uses a neoclassical open-economy growth model to compare the macroeconomic impacts of critical mineral and oil price shocks. Oil price increases are found to be more contractionary for output and welfare, while mineral price shocks primarily affect investment and external balance sheets, warranting macroprudential and fiscal policy responses.
Making water use in global trade more sustainable: The challenge to improve supply-chain resilience and water security in the context of geopolitical change
This Chatham House paper examines how global supply chains drive unsustainable water use and water insecurity, particularly in the Global South. It explores 'virtual water' trade dynamics, the impact of geopolitical fragmentation on cooperative water governance, and presents 10 recommendations for governments, corporations, financial institutions and civil society.
Climate change and cruelty: Revealing the true impact of factory farming
This World Animal Protection report examines the climate and environmental impacts of factory farming in Brazil, China, the USA and the Netherlands. It models scenarios for reduced meat consumption and higher welfare production, finding that eating less and better could halve the climate impacts of chicken and pork by 2040.
Leading the charge: Turning risk into reward with a circular economy for EV batteries and critical minerals
This report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation examines systemic risks in the EV battery value chain and sets out a circular economy framework, identifying five bright spots — battery design, rightsizing, circular business models, regional infrastructure, and data transparency — to build resilience and reduce critical mineral demand.