Jamie Hicks
The UK has a proud tradition of leadership in climate action and global finance. The urgent need to rebuild the economy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic provides the government with an opportunity to issue a sovereign bond (‘gilt’) that supports both a green recovery and social renewal. This would have significant benefits both domestically and internationally, particularly in the run-up to the COP26 climate summit in November 2021
An Investor Perspective on Enterprise Climate Risk Management In January 2020, climate-related hazards topped the World Economic Forum’s most significant long-term threats in their 2020 Global Risks Report. 1 According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, issued by 13 U.S. Federal agencies, “Without substantial and sustained global mitigation and regional adaptation efforts, climate change is expected to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and property and impede the rate of economic growth over this century”.2 As academics, think tanks, governments and investors affirm the economic implications of climate change, the pressure on regulators to act will likely intensify.3
Demand for impact investing has been on the rise: according to the Global Impact Investing Network, a study of 1,700 impact investors found that aggregate assets under management increased from $502bn in 2019 to $715bn this year. And as the world wrestles with the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen this demand accelerate further as the virus has put the need for impact investing under the spotlight.Our H1 2020 report examines our Fund’s activity and performance in the first six months of the year, demonstrates our engagement progress, explains how three megatrends are shaping our investment thinking, and provides case studies illustrating how two of our current holdings are aligned to our health and wellbeing theme. Find out more.For professional investors only. Capital at risk.
The Baillie Gifford Positive Change Strategy has two objectives of equal importance: to deliver attractive long-term investment returns and to contribute towards a more sustainable and inclusive world. All companies in the portfolio contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Examine how the auto industry transformed over the last decade, why it matters, and if automakers are ready to once again transform their products to become a more sustainable industry
In the U.S., the presidential elections in November 2020 could portend an increase in renewables growth in the next few years in case former Vice President Joe Biden wins, subject to Congressional support, as his plan includes $2 trillion in clean energy spending, while targeting a carbon-free power sector by 2035.
Our ocean is a crucial – but often misunderstood – necessity for a healthy planet. Besides creating livelihoods for billions of people and being a source of natural beauty, our ocean serves as a tremendous asset to climate change mitigation, absorbing 93% of climate heat and sequestering 25% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Energy is essential to increased economic prosperity. But if global energy growth continues in line with past trends and energy supply continues to depend primarily on fossil fuels, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will rise to levels that threaten catastrophic climate change. Even after allowing for significant improvements in energy productivity and for the impact of announced policies, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Current Policies Scenario shows us en route to 3°C warming
Pension funds can potentially play a critical role in combating climate change by providing much needed fi nancing and investment. Intervention is necessary to bridge the fi nancing gap of between $1.6 trillion to $3.8 trillion in mitigation costs and $180 billion in adaptation costs to limit global temperature rise and ecosystem collapse.1 Institutional investors such as pension funds have two motivations to providing such fi nancing. On one hand, if the investor community does not act, they face a potential portfolio value loss of $10.7 trillion triggered by the materialization of transition, physical and regulatory risks. On the other hand, the transition to a 2°C scenario is expected to yield $2.1 trillion in global “green” investment opportunities for investors.
All children should be able to read by age 10. Reading is a gateway for learning as the child progresses through school—and conversely, an inability to read slams that gate shut. Beyond this, when children cannot read, it’s usually a clear indication that school systems aren’t well enough organized to help children learn in other areas such as math, science, and the humanities either. And although it is possible to learn later in life with enough effort, children who don’t read by age 10—or at the latest, by the end of primary school—usually fail to master reading later in their schooling career.