Against our nature

The idea that human actions are bringing natural systems close to breakdown, threatening livelihoods and financial stability, is making asset managers think harder about nature risk and the environmental dependencies in investee companies.

Reaching net zero by 2050 will require significant injections of capital. But it is also an opportunity to rethink social relationships, as Professor Nick Robins explains.

Reflecting on ESG risks in the pharmaceutical industry, Sora Utzinger discusses supply chains and counterfeit medicines, access to painkillers, and the ethics of gene editing.

In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we explore the world of biodiversity.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to ESG receiving widespread flak. While much of the criticism is unjustified, the episode underlines how many issues related to ESG are complex and involve trade-offs. Investment approaches may need fine tuning, especially if the geopolitical landscape continues to change so rapidly.

Resistance to antibiotics is already killing millions. Professor Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, spoke to AIQ on the latest developments to counter antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in the UK and globally.

As life returns to some form of normality, governments are free to move their focus from COVID-19 to left-behind communities and delivering a just transition. This is important to secure long-term economic outcomes, but also comes with investment opportunities and risks.

Our air, weather, food, the health of diverse marine life and millions of jobs all depend on the ocean. But we have not done well as custodians of marine ecosystems. Here, we set out ten ways where human actions threaten the health of an essential environment.

As we learn to live with COVID-19, focus is returning to delivering a just transition. This is important to secure long-term investment outcomes, but also presents direct opportunities.

Growing awareness that natural systems are stressed or even close to breakdown is prompting asset managers to look closely at nature-based risks and investee companies to understand their environmental impacts and dependencies.

In an age of mass extinctions, policymakers, businesses and financial institutions are beginning to acknowledge the risks associated with biodiversity loss, along with the opportunities that arise from nature-positive solutions.

Healthy and happy employees, consumers, and communities are all critical ingredients in a company’s long-term success. Investors have a key responsibility in ensuring the rights of these groups are respected.

More than one fifth of the world’s largest listed companies have committed to net-zero targets, but few have detailed roadmaps to get there. Mirza Baig considers the challenges for investors managing transition pathways.

We explore how shifting diets can help create a more sustainable world.

Companies operating in the gig economy have been subject to industrial action and legal challenges. Workers say they are being denied basic rights; platforms reply this is the price of flexibility. But there is a viable middle-ground which can be beneficial for all, including investors.

How will the surge in the prices of oil, gas and coal impact the transition to low or zero carbon sources of fuel? In the second part of our Q&A on the energy sector, experts from our credit, equities and ESG teams contemplate the challenges and opportunities in the pivot to green.