News
The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund blacklists Glencore, Anglo american
The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund introduced new criteria-based exclusions to divest itself from coal. Strongly committed to the fight against global warming, the fund recently classified large coal mining companies on the same level as high-emitting utility and oil companies. For now, Glencore...
Oil giant Total will be carbon neutral by 2050
Following BP and Shell, Total recently announced its 2050 carbon neutrality commitment. Their plan will focus on the oil giant’s production activities and the energy products used by its customers. Convinced that this strategy is a prerequisite for company sustainability, Total has aligned itself...
Controversy mounts over Blackrock’s environmental and social advisory role for the European commission
The European Commission recently hired BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, to help advise on environmental, social and governance standards concerning banks. This was a startling decision for the European NGO Finance Watch, which estimates that BlackRock is set to act as judge and jury in...
Coronavirus : Rehumanize finance to reprogram high frequency trading
Since February 20th, global markets have dropped an average of 30% due to a massive plummet that was soon followed by a temporary upswing. The cause of these massive fluctuations is High Frequency Trading (HFT), a system controlled by pre-programmed algorithms which overreact to even the slightest...
As Covid-19 brings the world to its knees, could this be the opportunity for a new beginning?
“To stop the virus, we must kill the economy”, stated one American finance expert, and it is the remedy being applied by an increasing number of countries. Stock markets are plummeting, companies are closing their doors, people are going into confinement and consumption – the economic motor of...
Taxonomy : Europe agrees on a “green list”… but hesistates on nuclear energy
The European Commission has been committed to directing financial flows towards activities that will allow Europe to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. A group of experts recently submitted a list of key sectors for investment in order to achieve this goal. Nonetheless, nuclear energy—which emits...
Global warming: major german companies are putting the planet on a path to 5°C
Major German companies are far from meeting the Paris Agreement objectives. According to the German start-up "Right. based on science", the climate trajectories of DAX 30 companies, equivalent to the FTSE 100 in England, is set to reach nearly 5°C by 2050. RWE , HeidelbergCement and E.On, even hover...
European companies fail to meet the climate emergency with big data on ESG factors
Reporting by European companies on the environmental and social dimensions of their activities is not meeting stakeholder expectations and the climate emergency. The Alliance for Corporate Transparency coalition made this stark observation in its February 17th publication in Brussels. This makes the...
Investor payouts show oil majors live well beyond their means
The largest oil companies live well above their means, according to a study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Despite their steadily declining economic weight, oil majors continue to pay out generous dividends to shareholders every year, at amounts greatly...
The European Commission begins work on non-financial reporting standards
Valdis Dombrovskis, vice-president of the European Commission, wants to create non-financial reporting standards for companies. He recently announced the launch of the Commission’s preparatory work on these standards. This project would complement Europe’s action plan on sustainable finance by...
Australia is burning and the stock market are surging: does the climate not have a price?
The gap is widening between stock markets indices and the real world. This is striking in the case of Australia and France. In the first case, Australia is on the verge of going up in flames while the national stock exchange breaks records. In France, the longest social crisis in history has not...
Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, wants to move the world's largest asset manager towards sustainable investments
According to Larry Fink, global warming is one of the most significant crises of our time. In his annual letter to clients, the CEO of BlackRock announced that he wants to expand his share of sustainable investments and his desire to push companies towards a low-carbon model, even if it means voting...
"I haven’t heard very much from the Australian investors in terms of talking about the fires", says Fiona Reynolds, CEO, PRI
The bush fires ravaging Australia are increasing citizen pressure on government and economic actors to accelerate the climate transition. Some steps could be taken, says Australian Fiona Reynolds, CEO of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), but inaction from both the financial and...
With disclosure regulations, European Sustainable Finance is taking shape
The European Commission published a substantial plan outlining European disclosure regulations; a key document for the development of sustainable finance. Laid out in a clear and pedagogical manner, the plan’s reporting disclosure should be the impetus for a new standard on impact and risk...
The European Investment Bank makes a historic decision to stop fossil fuel financing
This month, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that it will stop funding new projects related to fossil fuels, including gas, from 2022 onwards. This decision has been hailed for its contribution to the fight against climate change.
BHP shareholders intensify pressure to leave fossil fuel lobbyist groups
For shareholders in support of the ecological transition, BHP – one of the world’s largest mining companies – must end ties with fossil fuel lobbyist groups. Almost one-third of shareholders voted for such a resolution, but according to the CEO of BHP, leaving these associations will not lead the...
Exxonmobil heads to trial after being accused of deceiving clients and investors on climate change
Exxon has lied to its investors and underestimated, or rather neglected to consider, the costs associated with climate change regulations. This mistake has had a significant impact on the profitability of the oil giant’s business operations and became the focus of a climate change trial that began...
The crisis in Ecuador demonstrates the risks of an unjust transition on the poorest populations
The Indigenous and most vulnerable segment of Ecuador’s population set the streets ablaze after a presidential decree ended subsidies that effectively doubled the price of fuel. The decision was a condition imposed by the IMF in exchange for a several billion-dollar loan.
Blackrock, Vanguard, JP Morgan : big investors declare climate engagement but rarely vote in its favor
The American organization Majority Action recently reviewed the voting trends of the world’s top 25 asset management firms’ shareholder resolutions, as they pertain to the climate. The result: major actors, such as BlackRock and Vanguard voted almost systematically against climate-related...
The first global summit on the sustainable development goals proves there is a long road ahead to achieving them
Four years after their adoption, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become the focus of a first-ever summit at the UN. While certain targets seem increasingly unattainable, it may only be a matter of remobilizing the public and private actors needed to achieve results by 2030.