Investor engagement critical to tackling climate change in South-east Asia

THE actions taken by business and investors in the coming years will be critical to the regional and global efforts to combat climate change and progress other important sustainability issues – including income inequality, rising non-communicable diseases on top of communicable diseases such as Covid-19, and biodiversity.

This is especially important to consider in Asia, where the impact of climate change is being felt sharply, as we have seen with the recent horrific floods in Pakistan and the ongoing heatwave and drought in China. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that rising flood levels and heatwaves will become more common across Asia.

As we confront these challenging realities, it will be critical to ensure that the investment community is using its influence strategically to drive sustainable behaviour towards better long-term outcomes. Investors have a range of options available to them to encourage more sustainable actions by companies – including voting at shareholder meetings, engaging with the company’s management and board, public campaigns, and in some cases, divestment.