COP28: Beijing and Washington’s arms race on renewables
The economic rivalry between Washington and Beijing will shape the next decade of renewable energy, Net Zero Investor takes a closer look at the key elements of their stimulus programmes
Atharva Deshmukh
COP 28: fossil fuel subsidies - will history repeat itself?
COP 28 will revive an old debate about subsidies, it is a vital signal to read
The EU is chasing net zero autonomy, but at what cost?
A new amendment to the EU’s net zero industry act has expanded the list of strategic technologies to include nuclear and fusion technology, increasing the range of risks it is willing to take on
The elusive quest for fossil fuel peaks: inside the World Energy Outlook 2023
What should asset owners take away from the IEA’s flagship report?
The methane menace: low-hanging fruit or stalled progress?
Reducing methane emissions is both cheap and technologically feasible. Yet, the current trajectory is off-track
Managing the manager: Spirit Super’s path to emissions reduction
Revising asset management mandates is becoming an increasingly vital part of transition planning.
Akademiker Pension’s Eni divestment: when all else fails
Akademiker's decision to divest from an Italian fossil fuel giant puts the spotlight on a grey area of active ownership – escalation
Now boarding: net zero aviation
Is hydrogen-fuelled sustainable aviation ready for patient capital?
The allure of the unlisted: should active owners have faith in private equity?
A decade-long boom in private equity asset allocation has left a mist of investor optimism.
CA100+ pledges enter phase two: are companies on track to hit their 2030 targets?
Setting climate targets won’t impress investors anymore. Staying on course to deliver, will. Data suggests most companies might miss the mark
CDP: water security is a $2.3 trillion opportunity
Five years of corporate disclosures suggest the commercial viability of water security is hard to ignore.
IGCC Summit: investors down under discuss the art of adaptation
The Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) annual summit put the spotlight on financing adaptation
IGCC Summit Day 1: Spotlight on policy, capital allocation and engagement
At the IGCC Summit in Sydney, asset owners are digging deep on decarbonisation down under.
IGCC’s Climate Change and Investment Summit: what to expect this week?
Asset owners kicked off the Investor Group on Climate Change's annual summit in Sydney earlier today. What to expect this week?
Why asset owners should have a seat at the IEA’s Critical Minerals Summit
At the world’s first high-level summit on critical minerals, the voice of capital warrants an audience
Expecting More: Investor Agenda revises its climate action plans
Will engagement tactics change after the 2023 proxy season? New information on investor expectations offers clues
Room to Play: How stock market listing impacts Asia’s largest emitters
Climate laggards in Asia tend to have free float of less than 50%, does this affect their climate ambition?
Right or wrong: the ethical side of net zero asset ownership
A divestment decision by Norges Bank Investment Management begs the question: do investors have any ethical obligations towards our planet?
IIGCC Guidance on Bond Stewardship: Fighting for progress in fixed income
With the IIGCC publishing an updated guidance on bond stewardship Net Zero Investor shines a spotlight on the latest trends for bond stewardship.
Nerves of Steel: How leveraging demand could decarbonise the industry
IIGCC’s new vision to decarbonise the steel industry puts the spotlight on the purchasers
Ultimate control: the state as a powerful asset owner
In some parts of the world, predominantly Asia, the state has emerged as the most powerful asset owner. How does this shape decarbonisation efforts?
Financing efficiency: In pursuit of IEA’s ambitious climate vision
The world of climate regulation now has its own 'Treaty of Versailles' and it's all about efficiency
Engagement hotspots: the unusual climate suspects
Climate-related shareholder resolutions have flowed downstream this proxy season, into sectors such as finance, food and beverage, healthcare and technology. Why?
No-action requests: the SEC’s careful balancing act
Thus far, the SEC has primarily protected shareholder interests, making it harder for companies to avoid climate-related proposals
SEC ‘no action’ requests: the justifications
How do companies justify avoiding a climate-related shareholder proposal?
SEC ‘no-action’ requests: The issues companies don’t want to discuss
In this 3-part series, Net Zero Investor takes a deep dive into so-called 'no action requests' submitted to the SEC, which disclose a hidden side of engagement
Can net zero superfunds expand their emerging markets footprint?
According to the Australia-based Investor Group on Climate Change, the answer is unequivocally yes
Proxy season with a twist: The rise of the activist shareholder
This year’s proxy season has pushed a new set of actors to the forefront as environmental advocacy groups are making their presence felt at AGMs
No to net zero: Climate motions in America’s banking space seem doomed to fail
At some of America's biggest banks, shareholders continue a trend of voting against climate-related resolutions this proxy season
When corporates go all anti-net zero: The art of defence
A growing number of companies are pushing back against climate and net zero resolutions. How do they defend their positions?
The pressure is on: More and more investors demand transparency on climate lobbying
A growing number of corporates are facing investor scrutiny when it comes to their climate policy engagement efforts
Net zero push by Australia’s heaviest emitters gets warm response down under
A collective statement signed by Australia's industrial and financial sector companies signals cautious optimism down under
Climate motions do not stand a chance in Canada’s banking space
Canada's 'Big Five' lenders are under pressure over financing fossil fuel projects. At their AGMs, however, shareholders dismissed all climate-related resolutions
Proxy Preview: who and what to look out for this season
A range of shareholder resolutions filed by investors at some of the world’s largest companies expose relatively new concerns
All eyes on brown spinning: do banks have a net zero duty to act?
A shareholder resolution at RBC is taking aim tomorrow at 'brown spinning', reflecting investor concerns over carbon-intensive assets
All hands on deck: Inside ETC’s bold plan to scale net zero finance
Achieving scale in climate financing as envisaged by the ETC hinges on targeted interventions and concessional lending
Woodside board pushes back against activist shareholders
The energy giant's reluctance to address gaps in its transition plan is attracting serious investor scrutiny
India’s ESG disclosure regime under scrutiny as investors demand alignment
The sub-continent's disclosure framework has reached a critical point as investors lose confidence
Analysis: Emissions in 2022 were lower than feared but higher than ever
NZI takes a deep dive into the International Energy Agency’s 2022 carbon emissions report
IGCC Investor Survey: progress made, acceleration needed
There is an increasing appetite for engagement and “whole-of-portfolio” approaches to decarbonisation
More and more investors demand disclosures from private markets
Private markets increasingly account for a significant portion of GHG emissions. Investors seem to support their inclusion in mandatory climate disclosure regimes
NZI Special: The European Investment Bank’s Climate Finance Footprint
New data shows the bank’s climate-related PPP lending is spreading across the globe. NZI scrutinises the details
Singapore set to publish green taxonomy
Singapore’s Green Finance Industry Taskforce has launched the final consultation on a green taxonomy that will have wide-ranging impact on climate finance across Asia.
Will 2023 be the year of corporate greenhushing?
If 2022 was the year of waging war against greenwashing, then 2023 could be when we see the unintended consequences – with greenhushing starting to grow.
A global call to green arms
There is no end in sight to the ‘arms race’ on green subsidies that has been sparked by the passage of the US Inflation Reduction Act.
Financing the $30bn adaptation gap
A report from Standard Chartered makes the case for investors to deploy capital in climate adaptation, an investment theme that currently accounts for just 0.4% of surveyed portfolios.
Bringing the retail investor into engagement
Pushing retail investors into the historical territory of institutional capital could transform the relationship between boards and shareholders.
Norway’s sustainable taxonomy: the tool investors have been missing?
The country’s policy reform is a reminder of why definitions matter in sustainable finance and why it is crucial to know what constitutes ‘green’ capital.
SGX: sorting the green from the greenwashed
The Singapore Stock Exchange has launched an initiative to identify fixed-income securities that are sustainable and not promoted using exaggerated claims.
IEA calls for rapid development of carbon storage
Capturing carbon is a job half-done – it’s deploying safe and cost-effective storage solutions that is the real challenge.
The art of climate resolutions
As the number of shareholder climate resolutions reaches record levels, Atharva Deshmukh discusses how they can be used as part of an effective engagement strategy.
Mike Cannon-Brookes: the billionaire shaking things up at AGL Energy
The software mogul-turned climate activist has won a battle to refresh the board of Australia’s largest emitter and is unlikely to stop there.
Beyond net zero: the goal of climate positivity
As a new investor alliance targets climate positivity, Atharva Deshmukh examines this concept and discusses what will be required to achieve it.
‘Time is running out’: lessons from MSCI’s Net-Zero Tracker
MSCI’s Sylvain Vanston discusses findings from the index provider’s latest Net-Zero Tracker, a quarterly publication that evaluates the state of corporate climate targets.
Never let a crisis go to waste: inside the WEO 2022
Net Zero Investor’s head of research delves into the World Energy Outlook 2022, a report documenting how today’s energy crisis could change the trajectory of the transition.
Asia: the net-zero battleground
When it comes to achieving global progress on climate goals, investors should look to the East.
Carbon Tracker: companies ‘still flying blind’ on net-zero
Carbon-intensive companies appear to have made little progress in disclosing the effects of net-zero targets in their financial statements.
Voluntary carbon markets: the what, why and how
With the London Stock Exchange on track to launch a carbon market, Atharva Deshmukh examines why this approach is becoming popular and highlights the issues and challenges.
Engagement vs divestment: should investors walk away?
Investors are increasingly adopting an engagement approach when dealing with high emitters, but the ‘bazooka’ of divestment could still have its place, argues Atharva Deshmukh.
Lenders extend €1bn for Southern Europe renewable energy project
First-of-its-kind construction facility involves one of the EIB’s largest ever loans.
Jackson Hole 2022: in search of the elusive green central banker
As the 45th Jackson Hole symposium draws to a close, Atharva Deshmukh argues that central bankers need to pay as much attention to climate change as they currently do to inflation.