Is the energy crisis an opportunity for banks? Ben Caldecott comments

Financial services companies, especially European banks, are often eager to talk about how sustainable finance, the transition to a lower-carbon economy, is a huge business opportunity for them, writes Dominic O’Neill for Euromoney. Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate that this energy transition could award wholesale banks extra revenue of between $15 billion and $20 billion […]

Times article: Big businesses are told ‘Your ‘greenwash’ tactics won’t wash’

Greenwashing is set to be a key issue at the Cop27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, which starts today, writes Ben Spencer for the Times. Climate activist Greta Thunberg last week said she will not attend the conference because it is rife with “many different kinds of greenwashing”. Activists have criticised the involvement of Coca-Cola […]

Copernicus Sentinels help to spur green financial investments

Oxford’s Spatial Finance Initative is being supported by the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission to accelerate green economic development in Europe and beyond. Imagery from the mission is contributing to SFI to enable investors, regulators and governments to price in environmental externalities and funnel capital towards more sustainable and resilient enterprises. Advancing the responsible management of […]

Big banks and UN green finance group clash in alliance: Wall Street Journal article

An uprising by banks in the United Nations-sponsored climate coalition Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero has been quelled, but opened wounds that could weaken an alliance meant to funnel trillions of dollars to fund the transition away from fossil fuels, per the Wall Street Journal. “GFANZ needs to answer the question: ‘What is it […]

Barclays and Oxford University Announce 3 Year Agri-Climate Partnership

Barclays has announced a three-year partnership with Oxford University’s Sustainable Finance Group (OxSFG) and the UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment (CGFI). This first of its kind project will meet the urgent need to generate better emissions data and establish decarbonisation pathways which would enable Barclays and other financial institutions to support clients in […]

Banks Try Quiet Quitting on Net Zero: Ben Caldecott comments

For some bankers, net-zero is like a new year’s resolution – a pledge one makes and often breaks before a year has passed, reports Alistair Marsh for Bloomberg. Members of the the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) publicly committed their banks to reach net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury. Banks were irked when United […]