A carbon tax is a government charge placed on greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions , usually applied to fossil fuels based on their carbon content (e.g., per ton of CO₂e ). The policy goal is to raise the cost of emitting so companies and consumers shift to lower-carbon options, while generating public revenue that can be recycled through rebates, tax cuts, or climate spending. Carbon taxes typically work in two ways: Upstream fuel tax : levied on coal/oil/gas producers or import

Why nature risk is turning into a finance conversation in APAC This topic echoes a question a university student asked me during an ESG sharing session: beyond climate, what should we pay more attention to in 2026? Biodiversity and nature-related risk has moved beyond “ESG reporting” and into the practical mechanics of credit . In APAC, the link is especially direct: several economies depend heavily on land, water, fisheries, forestry, and agriculture, while rapid urban growt

Sustainability reporting has moved from a “nice-to-have” communications exercise to a board-level conversation about capital access, risk pricing, and strategic resilience. A timely new evidence base helps put numbers behind that shift. On 16 December 2025, GRI published a literature review titled From impact to income: How sustainability reporting affects the bottom line. Instead of relying on anecdotes, the report synthesizes findings from 30 peer‑reviewed empirical studies

Sustainable investing (often grouped under ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance ) is an approach to investing that aims to earn competitive financial returns while also considering a company’s long-run effects on society and the environment . Instead of looking only at revenue, profit, and growth, sustainable investors also evaluate factors like carbon emissions, worker safety, supply-chain labor practices, board oversight, and business ethics. sustainable investing! W

For years, climate has been the center of gravity in corporate sustainability. That’s changing fast. In 2026, “nature” ( biodiversity, land use, water, and deforestation ) is moving from a specialist conversation into mainstream risk and strategy—because companies are realizing a simple truth: climate resilience depends on healthy ecosystems, and many supply chains depend on nature whether or not it appears on a balance sheet. This is why nature-related disclosure and due dil

Introduction: From “ ESG as a report ” to “ ESG as a management system ” With 2025 behind us, what ESG and sustainability changes and requirements should we expect in 2026? By 2026, ESG in Asia is expected to move further away from being a communications exercise and closer to a daily management discipline that affects budgets, risk controls, product design, and talent strategy. For many organizations, the question will shift from “Do we have an ESG report?” to “Can we defend

What is ESRS? ESRS stands for European Sustainability Reporting Standards. They are the mandatory ESG reporting standards that companies must use under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) . ESRS define what sustainability information companies must disclose, how, and with what level of rigor , covering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics. Brief History of ESRS 1. Origins (2019–2022) ESRS emerged from the European Green Deal and the

What is ESG Alpha? Alpha should sound familiar to all the finance professionals, especially in investment and portfolio management field. Then how about "ESG Alpha"?? ESG Alpha is a financial concept that refers to the excess returns (or "alpha") generated by an investment strategy that specifically integrates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors. In traditional finance, "Alpha" measures an investment's performance relative to a benchmark index (like the S&P

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chan (IPCC) AR (Assessment Report) is the United Nations’ most comprehensive scientific evaluation of climate change. Here is a quick explanation: What it is: A major report published every 6–7 years by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It summarizes all the latest scientific research on climate change. What it covers: How and why the climate is changing Impacts on ecosystems, economies, and societies Future climate

Implied Temperature Rise (ITR) is a metric used in ESG and climate finance to estimate how much global temperatures would increase by 2100 if the whole economy behaved like a given company, portfolio, or investment . It translates emissions performance and climate targets into an easy‑to‑interpret temperature score (e.g., 1.5 °C, 2.7 °C, 4 °C). What ITR Represents ITR answers the simple question: “ If all companies followed the same emissions pathway as this one, what level

Acute Climate Hazards Acute climate hazards are sudden, short‑term extreme weather events caused or intensified by climate change. They occur rapidly and can cause immediate damage. Examples: heatwaves, cyclones, flash floods, hurricanes, wildfires, storm surges. Chronic Climate Hazards Chronic climate hazards are long‑term, gradual climate‑related shifts that build up over time and progressively impact ecosystems, infrastructure, and economies. Examples: rising sea levels, l

COP30 conference was held from  November 10 to 21, 2025 , in Belém, Brazil. W rapped up in Belém with a mixed but meaningful set of outcomes. The new Belém Package set long‑term direction for adaptation and just transition , while voluntary progress on sustainable fuels and carbon‑market coordination continued despite the absence of a fossil‑fuel phase‑out deal. Key Outcomes at a Glance Tripling adaptation finance by 2035 to close the resilience funding gap. A global Ju

The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) has been a critical foundation for the development of global sustainability reporting standards. Its principles and structure have been directly integrated into the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) framework to ensure a unified approach to sustainability and climate-related disclosures. The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)  was officially disbanded on October 2023 . T