The anti-ESG backlash may have an unexpected benefit for European index fund managers

The Financial Reporting Council has got it about right with its revised UK Stewardship Code

The Transition Finance Market Review is an impressive piece of work. But I still don’t understand what a “transition finance” label will achieve.

A recent paper from the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance does little to resolve the underlying dilemmas facing fiduciaries concerned about climate change

Electrification has cut my home energy bills by 2/3rds, but at a significant capital cost

Could there be a good faith argument for fiduciaries to allocate a portion of their portfolio to climate impact investments? I argue that there could.

By aiming for less asset owners can achieve more as universal owners.

After a year living with my heat pump I’m pleasantly surprised by the economics of ownership.

I’m very happy with my heat-pump but I blundered my way through the installation process. This is what I’d do differently now.

The last couple of years of my personal decarbonisation path have been dominated by heat pumps, offsetting, investments, and hypocrisy

The working world for women is improving but much remains to be done

Market pricing is just too short-term to take account of climate impacts to the extent we’d like, while carbon remains unpriced

Offsetting has both technical and behavioural problems, meaning my preferred approach is self-taxation to fund nature and policy projects

Amidst the sound and fury of the ESG debate there are genuinely tricky fiduciary duty issues to consider for asset managers committed to accelerating action on climate change.

Smart minds and cool heads will be needed to avoid conflict around C-suite remuneration during this year’s AGM season

There’s unstoppable momentum behind linking executive pay to ESG targets. That’s not all good news.

A light-hearted, but serious take, on what GFANZ should’ve announced in Glasgow in November 2021, written with Harald Walkate

The Financial Conduct Authority plans significantly tougher requirements for funds to be labelled as sustainable. That’s a good thing, although it’s not straightforward.

The latest publications from GFANZ expose the limitations of the project. Is there an opportunity to reframe its objectives?

Asset managers need to figure out how to align membership of GFANZ with their fiduciary duty to clients, and fast.