Green, social and sustainability bond issuance is set to jump by 24 per cent in 2020, according to new data from Moody’s Investor Service Inc. Moody’s is predicting issuances will climb to US$400 billion by the end of the year, up from US$323 billion in 2019. More specifically, the research anticipates green bond issuance will […]
New York City is taking major steps toward divesting from fossil fuels by hiring investment advisors to review three of its pension plans and make recommendations about divestment. Combined, the three plans have more than $155 billion in assets under management, of which approximately $3 billion is invested in fossil fuel reserve owners’ securities. The […]
Index-provider FTSE Russell is launching the first government bond index of countries in the economic and monetary union of the European Union that adjusts country weights based on climate risk. The index provides a forward-looking assessment of these countries’ climate risks, such as the expected economic impact of transitioning to Paris Accord target greenhouse gas […]
In an unusual move for an index provider, MSCI Inc. is urging the investment industry as a whole to incorporate environmental, social and governance issues into their investment processes. “Really we think there’s an urgency,” says Remy Briand, head of ESG at MSCI. “We think there are still too many investors that are not realizing that, […]
Climate change’s ramifications for real estate, the rise of innovative technologies and the changing nature of stakeholder activism are some of the environmental, social and governance trends to watch as 2020 kicks off, according to an outlook from MSCI. While asset owners have been eyeing the potential effects of severe weather events and natural disasters […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust, alongside Bruc Iberia Energy Investment Partners and Green Investment Group, are acquiring two solar photovoltaic power plants that are currently under construction in Spain for about €65 million. The plants, which are set to be operational by the third quarter of 2020, will have a combined capacity of 100 megawatts and are located in Alvarado-La Risca in […]
Have you ever noticed that the language of sustainable investment is rife with acronyms? In my opinion, 2020 will see some of the worst tongue-twisters become popularized parlance. Yet an increase in investors learning these bad alphabet jumbles will be a good thing as it will reflect increasing consensus on what’s important in the rapidly […]
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, will make climate change central to its investment decisions. Founder and chief executive officer Laurence Fink, who oversees the management of about $7 trillion in funds, said in his influential annual letter to CEOs Tuesday that he believes we are “on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance” […]
On Friday, a judge in Norwich, U.K. ruled that ethical veganism qualifies as a philosophical belief under Britain’s Equality Act, in a pension-related case filed by ethical vegan Jordi Casamitjana against his former employer, the League Against Cruel Sports. In late 2018, Casamitjana took his grievance to Britain’s employment tribunal, alleging he was unduly dismissed for raising concerns over the organization’s […]
Shareholder environmental activism has been growing in popularity with institutional investors, but is it working? The New York City pension system implemented a boardroom accountability project in 2014, with the intent of improving the sustainability characteristics of its portfolio companies. And, according to a new paper, results show firms targeted by the boardroom accountability project’s […]