Webinar: ESG Outlook – Key trends for 2019

A partnership with Deutsche Bank

Understanding emerging trends in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) landscape has become central to boardroom strategy and corporate performance. Amidst a steady flow of new voluntary and mandatory ESG and climate initiatives, companies must discern what they need to measure, adopt and report.

To help companies navigate these issues, we partnered with Deutsche Bank to produce a report and webinar: ESG Outlook: Key trends for 2019.

Thursday, May 2, 2019 
8am US EST / 1pm UK / 8pm HK

The webinar will provide an overview of emerging trends in the ESG landscape, with a particular focus on relevant legislative and regulatory developments impacting corporate reporting.

Key takeaways include:

  • Corporates are increasingly looking to remedy their climate-related risks, including both the transition risks associated with a move towards a low-carbon economy, and the physical risks related to the direct impacts of climate-related events.
  • The EU is rapidly implementing new rules for the financial sector to support its 2030 energy and climate targets. Beyond potential changes to non-financial reporting requirements for European firms, the plan is expected to affect broader market incentives related to ESG risk.
  • Emerging market jurisdictions continue to introduce carbon pricing instruments, adding to the regulatory complexity facing corporates.
  • China’s approach to ESG reporting is moving from voluntary guidelines towards compulsory disclosure. Beijing believes that the corporate sector has an important role in shifting China’s economy onto a greener footing.
  • The rise of ESG and passive investment strategies is radically reshaping market needs around corporate sustainability data. ESG data intermediaries are working together to harmonise sustainability frameworks in an initiative which, if successful, will help clarify expectations for corporate reporters.

Speakers:

James Lockhart-Smith, Head of Financial Sector Risk
Elizabeth Hypes, Analyst
Arun Pillai-Essex, Managing Consultant

What will you learn from the webinar?

Helping companies understand their exposure to climate risk

Multinational companies with large operational footprints and extensive supply chains are exposed to varying degrees of climate risk based on geography. A majority of US investment abroad occurs in countries which have implemented a carbon price - typically through an emissions trading system (ETS) or carbon tax. Using data from our Carbon Policy Index, we've looked at how US-held portfolio investment is exposed to climate risk.

Exposure of US-held portfolio investment to climate risk