Climate change

ESG INSIGHTS

Issue 179: No longer the poorer cousin of mitigation?

This week in ESG: Growing momentum in adaptation financing

Asia-Pacific’s underinsurance problem means those with the least financial capacity are bearing the greatest share of economic losses from climate-driven extreme weather events.
ESG INSIGHTS

Issue 178: Asia’s perennial problem of underinsurance

This week in ESG: Only 12.3 per cent of the region’s natural disaster losses were insured

Multinational investment company BlackRock has slashed its support for social and environmental shareholder proposals.

How Wall Street turned its back on climate change

Six years after the financial industry pledged to use trillions to fight climate change and reshape finance, its efforts have largely collapsed

Cyclone Ditwah, which hit Sri Lanka and India late last year, has caused total losses of around US$4 billion.

Only 12.3% of natural disaster losses in Asia-Pacific for 2025 were insured: Munich Re

This makes it one of the least insured regions against natural disasters

Downtown Jakarta (above). The city already faces traffic congestion and air pollution, and is sinking at the rate of 20 to 25 cm a year in some areas.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Jakarta is now the world’s largest city, but it isn’t ready for the challenges

A new UN report highlights the rise of Asia’s megacities and the urgent need for them to have the infrastructure for climate resilience

Deforestation in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Handling the effects of climate change cannot be outsourced to a small group of experts, says the writer.

We can’t innovate our way out of the climate crisis

Beyond a single issue, it has worked its way into every facet of our world

The influences behind Jane Austen's Persuasion show how humans can be wonderfully creative when faced with tough times.

Bankers get a dire warning from Jane Austen’s final book

As climate change advances, failing to prepare one’s business or move with the times can be ruinous

Projected global warming by 2100 is now at 2.6 deg C, lower than the 3.6 deg C forecast in October 2015.

Emissions are still rising. That doesn’t mean we’re failing

The Paris Agreement has put us in a far better position than we would have been without it

Green bonds are often used by companies to raise money for switching to renewable energy or lower-carbon transportation.

Green debt sales hit record levels in 2025 despite climate backlash

Europe has also rolled back some of its toughest environmental rules amid concerns about growth and competitiveness

The public, media, investors, NGOs and communities all want proof of climate action. The world’s major emitters offer a clear example: Shell, BP or ExxonMobil still make broad environmental claims but continue to receive negativity as the public registers only their insufficient action.
THE BROAD VIEW

Turning climate commitments into proof: A leadership imperative

Companies earn trust when they can point to tangible measures of resilience and adaptation