Showing 1 - 10 of 19
Sustainability ratings just a gimmick?
Oped, Published on 24/04/2024
» Amid mounting criticism of business operations' environmental and social impacts, businesses are proudly showcasing their sustainability ratings and awards to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development. Yet, do these accolades credibly reflect such commitment, or are they just a public relations tool?
More affordable climate finance
Oped, Published on 14/03/2024
» Emerging-market and developing economies (EMDEs) will need an estimated US$2.4 trillion (86 trillion baht) in climate investment annually to meet climate goals, according to the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, with $1 trillion coming from external sources. Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require even more financing: an increase of $3.5 trillion in new investments annually by 2030. These are daunting figures. But they are also non-negotiable.
ESG: Time for action not words
Oped, Published on 28/12/2023
» Not a week goes by without an ESG meeting, a CEO summit, a sustainability expo. This flurry of events highlights how much the business context has changed in the last decade and is set to change further in the coming years as stakeholders bring their growing influence to bear. Consumers, employees, and other economic actors, especially millennials, are becoming more environmentally and socially conscious. Not only are they increasingly holding companies to account for their performance on various socioeconomic issues, but they are also voicing their expectations for companies to contribute to solving the most complex challenges of our time in view of supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Credit ratings and climate chaos
Oped, Published on 13/12/2023
» The sun-drenched coral islands and reefs of the Maldives are in existential danger. With 80% of the country's population living just one metre above sea level, many islands could become uninhabitable as climate change causes the ocean's level to rise. By the end of this century, half a million people could be displaced. The Maldives is confronting this threat with a range of innovative adaptation initiatives, from restoring coral reefs to floating solar-power systems. But survival does not come cheap.
Boosting the clean energy push
Oped, Published on 05/12/2023
» The world stands at a critical juncture in the fight against climate change. Either we drastically accelerate the clean-energy transition, or our fast-dwindling chances of preventing global temperatures from surpassing 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels will be destroyed. Few understand the stakes better than Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries.
The BRICS investment dilemma
News, Published on 31/08/2023
» In an investment world trumpeting new-found ethical and sustainability guidelines, the seeming indifference of markets to democratic credentials still remains stark.
Making ESG ratings count for something
Oped, Published on 04/05/2023
» MSCI, one of the most influential gatekeepers of environmental, social, and governance ratings, is about to downgrade the ESG ratings of 31,000 investment funds in one fell swoop. The dramatic move comes after MSCI decided to update its methodology and require funds to meet higher standards for AA or AAA ratings. One would expect a move with such a potentially far-reaching impact on financial markets to be scrutinised in advance by regulators. Alas, ESG ratings providers (ERPs) have so far flown under the regulatory radar.
How to finance global survival
Oped, Published on 03/03/2023
» We must face, and act upon, an inconvenient truth. The impact of human activities on Earth's geology and ecosystems is threatening the foundations of life on our planet and decades of progress in human development.
India's oligarchs under Modi facing a crisis
Oped, Published on 21/02/2023
» Over the past two decades, Indian multi-billionaire Gautam Adani's close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi have helped the Gujarati businessman become Asia's wealthiest person. Mr Adani's meteoric rise also made him the poster boy for India's growth story -- until allegations of fraud and stock manipulation brought his eponymous business empire to its knees. With his conglomerate losing US$110 billion in market value within days, Mr Adani has become a cautionary tale about the perils of cronyism in Mr Modi's India.
Averting debt disaster in the developing world
Oped, Published on 02/09/2022
» Many developing countries are teetering on the edge of a debt crisis, with the Covid-19 pandemic, soaring food and energy costs, and the monetary tightening of major economies all threatening to push them over. But the international community has yet to do what is necessary to pull at-risk countries back from the brink.