November 2021

COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health

By World Health Organization The 10 recommendations in the COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health propose a set of priority actions from the global health community to governments and policy makers, calling on them to act with urgency on the current climate and health crises. The recommendations were developed in consultation with over 150 organizations and 400 experts and health professionals. They are intended to inform governments and other stakeholders ahead of the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26)...

Ethics of the Environment

By Julia M. Puaschunder Globalization leveraged pressure on contemporary society. Today's most pressing social dilemmas regarding climate change demand for inclusive solutions that marry the idea of sustainable growth with environmental economics. Understanding the bounds of environmental limits to avoid ethical downfalls beyond the control of singular nation states infringing on intergenerational equity – the fairness to provide an at least as favorable standard of living to future generations as enjoyed today – has become a blatant demand. In a...

What happened at COP26 and what does it mean for pension scheme investments?

What happened at COP26 and what does it mean for pension scheme investments? COP26 drew to a close on Saturday 13th November, a day later than scheduled, as delegates from 197 countries pushed to finalise a deal which aims to limit global warming and accelerate the shift of the world's economies to a greener future. But what is in the deal, known as the 'Glasgow Climate Pact', and what does it mean for pension schemes? Read also One-third of UK pension schemes...

One-third of UK pension schemes to set climate risk targets

A third of UK pension schemes have set, or are in the process of setting, targets to reduce their exposure to climate-related risks, but a similar proportion do not plan on doing so themselves. That is according to a new report from the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA), which has identified an emerging division in pension scheme attitudes to climate risk. Although 33% were at least in the process of setting climate risk targets as of July this year, 28% said...

In the race to a net-zero and inclusive future, Canadian pension funds have a critical role to play – and a new report shows how

In a fast-changing world where global investors are embarking on the largest reallocation of capital in history, pursuing sustainability and inclusivity offers social, environmental, and investment benefits. To seize this unprecedented opportunity, and maintain their tradition of excellence, Canadian pension funds must play a vital role in realizing a sustainable, inclusive future, says a landmark new release. This report emerges from a partnership between The Natural Step Canada, Smart Prosperity Institute, and Corporate Knights, and extensive collaboration with an...

UK. Advisers could be forced to ask about sustainability

I am writing this piece from the relative comfort of an Avanti train, heading home from Glasgow having recharged my batteries somewhat by listening to some great presentations at COP26. Although I could have seen more of the major announcements had I watched it online, the experience of ‘being there’ was quite something. I particularly enjoyed getting the sense that there are so many of us working on different aspects of the sustainability puzzle. An event organised by Make My Money Matter...

UK. More than 130 MPs call for parliament pension fund to divest from fossil fuels

More than 130 MPs, including over half of the parliamentary Labour party, have signed a cross-party letter to their pension fund calling on it to divest from fossil fuel companies to “ensure that our pensions are not funding climate disaster”. The letter, to be delivered on Monday to trustees of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF), applauds recent reductions in investments in fossil fuels, but adds: “We believe you must go a step further, divesting from the fossil fuel industry...

Can ethical investing really help in the fight against climate change?

By Ralph Benson What links climate change, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Facebook whistleblowing controversy? They’re all impossible to ignore when it comes to investing your money ethically. As global leaders and climate activists gather in Glasgow this week for COP26, in the face of the threat of climate catastrophe, the term ‘ethical’ will be bandied about in relation to all topics, from government finances to corporate responsibility. We, as potential pension investors, can play our part in this by...

Pension funds commit $130 billion to fight climate change at the COP26 summit

Nordic and British pension funds on Tuesday committed to invest $130 billion by 2030 to fight climate change, and report annually on the progress of their green investments. Denmark said $75 billion of the funds were new commitments. The pledge, launched at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, included asset owners in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom, plus a fund from Greenland. "Green transition requires massive investments. Governments have to do their part...

October 2021

Denmark. Pension major ATP aims for $31 billion of green investments by 2030

Denmark's ATP, one of Europe's largest pension funds, aims to have 200 billion Danish crowns ($31 billion) worth of green investments by 2030 and half that in 2025, it said in a statement on Thursday. "Reaching 100 billion DKK in green investments in just three years is - even for an investor of ATP's size - an ambitious challenge," ATP's chief executive Bo Foged said in a statement. "We want to spend the money where the return is attractive and a...