Ideas
The green bond market has undergone rapid expansion over the last five years. Given its still small size compared to the bond market as a whole, investors remain cautious regarding certain features of green bonds, such as the liquidity of the market.
This document is part of a series published by Mirova to illustrate our approach to sustainability sector-by-sector. We aim to address solutions, risks, and how we optimize impact through investment. This second paper focuses on environmental, social and governance issues in the Software & Communications industry.
Nuclear power makes up about 9% of global electricity generation, with 443 reactors and 385 GW of capacity in operation today. This includes reactors in 31 countries, with Belarus and the United Arab Emirates currently constructing their first (World Nuclear Organization 2016).
In fulfillment of Article 173 of the French Energy Transition Law
Regulation, cost reduction, and the rise of renewable energy in the United States. Historically and famously fossil-fuel dependent, the U.S. energy and electricity mixes are evolving quickly as costs fall for renewables, regulations mandate their implementation, and fiscal policy incentivizes their installation.
The current global scale and consequences of land degradation make a compelling and urgent case for reaching Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) worldwide by 2030, a target that has now been formally incorporated into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve LDN, large amounts of financial resources need to be mobilised, and public resources alone will not suffice. Attracting long-term capital from private investors by creating a sound market-driven investment framework is also critical.
Understand, take action, and be accountable. If we are to successfully address the challenge to our civilizations posed by climate change, these are imperatives that must be heeded, not only by political decision-makers and regulatory bodies, but companies as well. Obviously, the responsibilities and levers for action relevant for various parties will differ significantly. But few today can claim that these issues are no concern of theirs. The financial industry especially, and more broadly, the many players holding roles in the capital markets, possess considerable leverage for driving change. This conviction is the cornerstone of Mirova’s foundation as a business, as a company.
For some, a responsible investment is by definition a long-term investment. And they’re right, to be sure. Problems arise, however, with any attempt to define these terms. Surprisingly, it is almost as difficult to achieve a consensus on the meaning of long-term investment as it is to arrive at a broadly acceptable definition of responsible investment.
