Posts by Broc Romanek
A nifty chart: “The Big Three’s” voting policy changes
This guide has a nifty chart with 15 pages of changes to the voting policies from BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard. Check it out!
Read MoreHow can index benchmarks better align with net zero?
Here’s a note from the “Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change” (IIGCC): How can index benchmarks better align with net zero? Our latest report (also see our “Insight”) draws on the expertise of more than 30 investors, who assessed the net zero benchmarks market and the impact of EU Paris-Aligned and Climate Transition Benchmark regulations.…
Read MoreIs carbon transition risk priced by equity markets?
Here’s a note by Alex Edmans about three papers: Whether carbon transition risk is priced by equity markets is a first-order question that matters not only for finance, but the fight against global warming. The Review of Finance is publishing three papers reaching different conclusions on this question. “Are Carbon Emissions Associated With Stock Returns?”,…
Read MoreVanguard’s withdrawal from “Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative” is the end of glib ‘win-win’ thinking
Here’s a note from Alison Taylor: Vanguard’s withdrawal from the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative has been widely criticized as a sign of insufficient commitment to ESG. In this great piece for Harvard Business Review, Ken Pucker explains that what it actually symbolizes is the end of glib win-win thinking and empty PR, and points…
Read MoreEmployees in the best position to force companies to change climate focus?
Check out this report from McKinsey’s entitled “Help your employees find purpose—or watch them leave.” Here’s an excerpt: Nearly two-thirds of US-based employees we surveyed said that COVID-19 has caused them to reflect on their purpose in life. And nearly half said that they are reconsidering the kind of work they do because of the…
Read MoreUNEP FI’s latest: “The 2023 Climate Risk Landscape”
Here’s an excerpt from this post by Zsuzsanna Tajti about UNEP FI’s latest report entitled “The 2023 Climate Risk Landscape“: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬’ 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬: Physical climate change impacts are becoming increasingly prevalent, “affecting almost every human and natural system across the globe”. In the meanwhile, our economies are transitioning to a net-zero…
Read More‘Diversity and Belonging’ instead of ‘Diversity and Inclusion’
Here’s an excerpt from this NY Times article: Interest in creating more inclusive workplaces exploded after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. Many corporations turned their attention to addressing systemic racism and power imbalances — the things that had kept boardrooms white and employees of color feeling excluded from office life. Now, nearly three years since…
Read MoreMSCI’s “Net Zero Tracker”
Here’s this note from David Carlin about MSCI’s “Net Zero Tracker”: Terrific analysis by MSCI from their net-zero tracker report! While progress continues on disclosure, companies are rapidly burning through the 1.5 C carbon budget. Some key takeaways: 1. Listed companies are on a path to warm the planet by 2.7 C 2. Only 19%…
Read MoreWhat we need to know about corporate governance—but don’t
Here’s an excerpt from this blog by Cydney Posner about this recent study that I found quite interesting: In this paper, “Seven Gaping Holes in Our Knowledge of Corporate Governance,” from the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford, the authors observe that it “is extremely difficult to produce high-quality, fundamental insights into corporate governance.”…
Read MoreWorld likely to breach 1.5C climate threshold by 2027
Here’s the intro from this article from “The Guardian”: The world is almost certain to experience new record temperatures in the next five years, and temperatures are likely to rise by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, scientists have warned. The breaching of the crucial 1.5C threshold, which scientists have warned could have dire consequences,…
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