Despite its image as one of the world’s most sustainable countries, in January 2024 Norway became the first country to licence deep sea exploration for critical metals and minerals in its territorial waters.

Over the past few years, legal and illegal migration to the world’s most developed economies has been at what the OECD calls ‘unprecedented levels’.  Stripping out millions of Ukrainian refugees, more than a third of OECD member countries are reporting their highest migration in at least 15 years, driven by humanitarian and employment considerations. 

The 2018 bestseller ‘Factfulness’ by Hans Rosling seeks to counterbalance some of the pessimism about the state of the world. It provides numerous examples of how global trends are continuing to improve.

It is estimated that 80% of the world’s tourists visit only 10% of its destinations. In September 2023 and for the first time, Venice offered more beds for tourists than for residents. 

Against the backdrop of what the United Nations (UN) describe as the ‘triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution’, sustainable finance has grown rapidly in recent years. And environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles are now viewed with greater urgency in business and investment strategies. 

In a world where poor diet is the most common cause of death and yet some governments struggle to feed their populace, it might seem strange that there are compelling reasons to eat less meat.

It’s only early summer in the northern hemisphere, and yet temperature records are already toppling. May tied as the second warmest month globally, while June average temperatures so far have been the highest ever recorded. 

A prominent indicator of the post-pandemic normalisation following wide ranging shutdowns during Covid has been the recovery in air passenger traffic.

The most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen has been used as a fuel since the beginning of the 19th century. Infinitely renewable, it is also pollution free when burnt.

The oil majors reported record earnings in 2022, as energy markets were driven higher by the invasion of Ukraine and sanctions on Russian oil & gas exports. BP, for example, generated profits that were the highest in its history.

European countries are locked in a heated debate over how best to respond to the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (‘The Act’), amid mounting evidence that it has already caused the EU to lose out on green investment to North America.

Sky-high energy prices and supply worries mean the world is suddenly prioritising energy efficiency. 2022 has been marked by various milestone policy announcements designed to boost investment in clean energy and improve energy efficiency.

Fraught negotiations at the COP27 in Egypt produced a landmark deal. This should see vulnerable countries compensated for the acute damage caused by climate change.

US President Joe Biden signed a $740 billion climate change, healthcare and tax bill into law. Heralding the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for its record investment in cutting carbon emissions. The act is the largest investment to fight climate change in US history.

Cryptocurrencies have not had the best environmental track record and it’s easy to understand why. The primary argument for crypto not being ESG-friendly stems from the processing power required to mine the cryptocurrency and complete transactions in it.

President Joe Biden came into office hoping to be the most eco-friendly president in US history, with ambitious plans to fight the threat of climate change. But he has been thwarted every step of the way by congressional and judicial roadblocks.

As the world faces the challenge of transitioning to a carbon-free future by 2050, companies are facing pressure to operate their businesses more sustainably to meet ambitious net-zero targets.

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

Sustainable finance regulation keeps coming at a dizzyingly fast pace. We round up the state of play heading into 2022.

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) brought together leaders from more than 120 nations in Glasgow. Here, we look at the main takeaways from the conference, and what they could mean for investors.

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

Here, we take a closer look at saving for retirement, and why people might choose to align their pension investments with their personal beliefs.

Our decisions are often a product of our environment. Rarely is it the case that any single decision we make in our lives is based purely on only one influence. 

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

Sustainability is everywhere. What used to be a niche topic is now part of our day-to-day business and personal discussions.

It’s clear that different things matter to different people. And that’s particularly true for environmental, social or governance (ESG) investment strategies. Our research demonstrates that there are certain industries people believe should never be included in an ESG fund.

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

What is ESG? From this simple question comes seemingly unending complexity. 

As the world transitions towards a carbon-free future we have witnessed impressive growth in terms of inflows into ESG funds. However, despite the flurry of new and repackaged funds offered to retail investors, it remains an emerging market in the retail space.

Our latest research into the views of 11,000 individual investors and prospective investors in 11 markets across Asia and Europe gives us key insight into perceptions and understanding of ESG investing, the motivations behind why people invest, and how investors would like their hard-earning savings to be invested.

In recent years, issues around sustainability have become increasingly important for investors and the wider public. To meet this demand, a broad range of investment approaches has emerged, aiming to address these issues in different ways and to varying extents.

Governments everywhere are racing to lock in historically low borrowing costs by issuing ever longer dated debt – in recent years Mexico and Argentina even managed to sell century bonds. 

Partner insight from Pictet Asset Management

If the first two decades of the 21st century were about awareness, the next 10 years will be marked by transition. The impact of the changes made over the next decade, in human consumption patterns and how we maintain the planet’s resources, will define our future.

Partner insight from AXA IM.

Climate change is real, it is being driven by record and still-rising greenhouse gas emissions and human activity is mostly responsible for it. The impact of global warming is becoming uncomfortably tangible.

Partner insight from Schroders Investment Management

The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across many sectors, but it has also led to an acceleration in long-term mega trends, linked to technological, demographic and environmental change.

Partner insight from Natixis Investment Managers

Inflation fears are rumbling through financial markets again.

Partner insight from Pictet Asset Management

At the end of March, the S&P 500 index of US large companies was valued at 34 times its earnings over the past 12 months.

Partner insight from Schroders Investment Management

From where we were to where we stand…can sustainable investing really save the world?

From where we were to where we stand…can sustainable investing really save the world?

Partner insight from Natixis Investment Managers

2020 was an extraordinary year for climate change action. Public opinion, governments, businesses and financial markets all had major shifts in their appreciation of the urgent need to address the climate crisis. 

Partner insight from Schroders Investment Management

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

The expansion of the digital economy is fuelling demand for data centres, but also raising concerns about their energy use. The solution to this problem comes in the form of an attractive green real estate investment. 

Partner insight from Pictet Asset Management

A year after the Covid-19 outbreak triggered widespread social and economic upheaval, Asia is emerging out of the crisis stronger and with greater influence on the world stage, pulling the globe’s economic centre of gravity steadily to the East.

Partner insight from Pictet Asset Management

In 2020, the global issuance of green bonds alone totalled $226 billion as governments and companies sought finance for planet-friendly initiatives, Bloomberg has revealed. That’s compared to about $40 billion at the end of 2015.

Partner insight from Schroders Investment Management

As technology and finance grow increasingly intertwined, how will new forms of money shake up the global economy? And what opportunities will they create along the way? 

Partner insight from Natixis Investment Managers

When one of the world’s wealthiest individuals writes a book on avoiding climate disaster – and suggests changes we all need to make to our lifestyles – it is easy to be cynical.

Partner insight from Schroders Investment Management

A blend of public and private money has certainly achieved a wealth of success in the past. In the US, the combination of public and private investment enabled many of the early infrastructure projects to be realised. 

Partner insight from Natixis Investment Managers

New facts and insights from the world of responsible investing, available to you every month.

As attention increases for investors to take action on climate change, bondholders are taking active steps to influence issuers, while pension funds have the investment scale to meaningfully drive ESG progress.

Partner insight from BlueBay Asset Management

Is China serious about decarbonising? And how does a country that consumes more coal that the rest of the world combined get to carbon neutrality?

Partner insight from Schroders Investment Management

On 20 January, Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States. Here we look at Biden’s plans in areas such as climate change and green infrastructure, and consider what these could mean for responsible investing.

Louise Schreiber, SRI Analyst at Mirova, looks at the investment potential of 5G today and assesses its future uses and limitations in the context of ESG.

Partner insight from Natixis Investment Managers

In December 2020, we asked our experts for their predictions on the five key questions the global economy faces as we enter the second year of the pandemic.

Partner insight from Natixis Investment Managers

In recent years there has been growing interest in responsible investing, where environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are analysed during the investment process. But as this approach has become more popular, a new risk has emerged for investors. It is called greenwashing. Here we find out what greenwashing is and how to avoid it.