Institutional investors must recognize the risks and opportunities presented by climate change and national efforts to mitigate it, says Jaakko Kooroshy, head of sustainable investment research at FTSE Russell. “Climate-related physical and transition risk threats to the global economy are real,” says Kooroshy, who leads a team that recently published a paper on the carbon reduction […]
A new report from the C.D. Howe Institute says pension plan fiduciaries shouldn’t ignore climate change and other environmental, social, and governance factors that are relevant to financial purposes. However, when plan fiduciaries use ESG factors to prioritize social or environmental concerns, such as those expressed by plan members, they put themselves on shaky legal […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is revealing details about its responsible investment strategy in a new report. PSP Investment’s responsible investment report highlights its efforts to integrate material environmental, social and governance factors into its investment process. It also includes a climate-related financial disclosure based on the recommendations of the task force on climate-related […]
Canada’s defined benefit pension plans aren’t taking full advantage of regenerative agriculture practices, says Shidan Gouran, founder and chairman of Bluesphere Carbon, a New York-based carbon credit marketplace. “Agriculture is a good way of sequestering carbon, though it can be a very bad way, too. . . . Any pension fund that owns a lot […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is appointing Richard Manley as its chief sustainability officer. In the role, Manley will lead the team responsible for refining and enacting a strategic roadmap to help the investment organization navigate the global transition away from fossil fuels. The CPPIB expects the plan to help anticipate, manage and integrate […]
The number of global indexes increased 4.43 per cent this year, led by environmental, social and governance indexes, which grew to new records, according to a new survey by the Index Industry Association. Although overall growth for 2022 slightly trailed 2021’s pace of nearly five per cent for the industry, the number of ESG indexes […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust is enhancing its climate change strategy to successfully navigate the global transition toward net-zero emissions. The pension fund’s priorities include updating climate scenarios and examining any implications for its investment approach; launching climate due diligence frameworks for use by investment teams across all asset classes; implementing stewardship plans to advance the transition […]
A popular method for tracking a business’ carbon footprint over time creates the illusion of increased efficiency during periods of high inflation, warns Sudhir Roc-Sennett, head of environmental, social and governance at Vontobel Asset Management Inc. “The most consistent way [of analyzing an organizations’ carbon footprint] is looking at tons-per-sales units, usually the tons of […]
The world’s 500 largest asset managers’ total discretionary assets under management increased by 10.2 per cent in 2021, reaching US$131.7 trillion, according to a new report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. It found North American AUM accounted for more than half (59.9 per cent) of AUM in the top 500 managers, garnering $78.9 trillion by […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is advising the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities to take a less prescriptive approach in its proposed guidelines on risks related to environmental, social and governance factors, cybersecurity and leverage. In an open letter to the CAPSA, the ACPM said a one-size-fits-all approach to ESG regulation could potentially […]