By Sustainable Brands ‘Underwriting Our Planet’ finds that rather than addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, many economic activities underwritten by insurance companies actually fuel the twin crises. WWF Switzerland and Deloitte Switzerland have co-launched a report that offers a first comprehensive insight into the impact of insurance companies’ underwriting business on climate change and biodiversity …
Has Britain Lost its Climate Crown?
By Gloria Dickie, Kate Abnett, and Susanna Twidale, Reuters Sept 26 (Reuters) – Britain, which was quick to set ambitious climate goals, is now stumbling on the path to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and facing hurdles that could resonate with nations trying to balance their targets with politics …
The Need for a New Development Paradigm
By Francine Mestrum, Other News Taking the opportunity of the upcoming UN summit meetings ‘We need to put the world back on track’! The objective of the SDG-summit to be held at the UN General Assembly Meeting in September in New York is very clear. Halfway on the road to …
Insurers Can Be Sentinels for Health and Safety
Ralph Nader, Nader.Org For nearly thirty-five years, a small nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. has been having an outsized impact on highway and auto safety. It is Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (saferoads.org) and it is funded by a dozen or more property-casualty insurance companies; with a board composed …
Canada Risks More Than C$50 Billion in Clean Tech as Incentives in Limbo
By Steve Scherer, Reuters OTTAWA, Sept 18 (Reuters) – More than a year after Canada first announced incentives to jumpstart clean technology projects there is still no money flowing, and if they are not in place soon, more than C$50 billion ($37 billion) in investments could be at risk, industry …
Beyond ‘Carbon Neutral:’ Refining Corporate Carbon-Credit Claims
By George Favaloro, Sustainable Brands With the explosive growth of the voluntary carbon market came concerns around carbon-reduction claims lacking clarity or being misleading. Several refined claims frameworks have emerged to bridge these gaps. Historically, companies relied on carbon credits to bolster claims of Carbon and Climate Neutrality; using these …
Study Shows Stronger ROI for Companies with High ESG Ratings
By Sustainable Brands Kroll analyzed data on over 13K companies across industries and found that those with better ESG ratings outperformed their peers with lower ratings; globally, ESG leaders had annual returns of 12.9% vs 8.6% for laggards. A new study by Kroll, a leading independent provider of global risk and …
Fifty Years After Chile’s Coup, the Region Still Not Safe from U.S. Meddling
By John Kirk and Stephen Kimber, Other News Destructive US efforts to control its ‘back yard’ continue to this day. Monday was the 50th anniversary of a devastating military coup in Chile which gave way to one of the most brutal dictatorships in Latin American history. On September 11, 1973, …
ISSB Urged to Prioritize Human and Worker Rights in Next Set of Reporting Standards
By Sustainable Brands The investor letter asserts that the financial materiality of human rights-related topics – and the critical role of human rights due diligence in identifying business risks – has never been clearer, and that ‘investors are in dire need of a unified social disclosure framework.’ A coalition of …
Kenya’s Ruto Urges Africa to Seize Climate Financing Opportunities
By Duncan Miriri, Reuters NAIROBI, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Kenyan President William Ruto on Monday urged delegates to Africa’s first climate summit to see the crisis as a unique opportunity for the continent to attract large-scale investments. Organisers say they anticipate hundreds of millions of dollars in deals to be announced at …