Commentary: Is data the problem or the answer for ESG investors?
Tamara G. Close for Pensions & Investments
In guest commentary for Pensions & Investments, CGC Founder + Managing Partner, Tamara Close, carefully considers the role of data in assessing ESG investments risk. Data is good, but is it enough?
ESG: How climate related due diligence will change
Tamara G. Close for Private Debt Investor
In 2023, leading private credit GPs will include environmental, social, and governance as a core part of due diligence, both from a credit risk perspective and to ensure no unforeseen regulatory or reputational risks arise during the life of a loan, writes CGC Founder + Managing Partner, Tamara Close.
How Canadian Pensions Can (Re)gain their Global Leadership Position in Sustainable Investing
Tamara G. Close for Pension Pulse
In a guest comment for Leo Kolivakis’ Pension Pulse, CGC Founder + Managing Partner, Tamara Close, writes about the state of play in ESG and the underlying challenges for cross-asset global investment managers and asset owners, as well as for Canadian pensions.
Forget everything you have heard about ESG: 5 fundamental questions all investors need to ask
The CGC Team
In Part 3 of CGC’s Thought Leadership series on The State of ESG, we cut through the confusion and noise in the current market and answer a key concern– what can investors do today to ensure that they are fulfilling their duties as stewards of capital?
Forget about labels, acronyms, politics, and everything you have heard about ESG, and ask 5 fundamental questions for all your investment strategies:
The State of ESG: Some reasons why ESG has become a target for politicization, and why it doesn’t matter
The CGC Team
In Part 2 of CGC’s Thought Leadership series on The State of ESG, we discuss the profound change in how ESG is recognized. From the early days of a niche and often underrated area of interest to today’s rather boisterous debate on its merits, it is clear that ESG is not a fad. It is not going anywhere and market participants have begun to explore ways to position themselves in light of this reality.
The state of ESG: how did we get here?
The CGC Team
Depending on who you ask, ESG is either a new way for managers to raise capital with little proof of its efficacy or the single aspect of capitalism that could ultimately save the planet. The truth is ESG is a more nuanced and dynamic concept that falls somewhere between those extreme ends of the spectrum. Follow the link below to read Part 1 of CGC’s Thought Leadership series on The State of ESG.
Top Ten ESG Trends for 2023
The CGC Team
ESG continues to dominate the discourse in the financial sector and beyond. Along with an increased awareness of the benefits of ESG there has been unwelcome politicization. By using our unique position in the ESG arena (and a bit of futurecasting), we are pleased to share another top-ten list of ESG trends for 2023.
Improving your ESG Score
practicalESG.com Webcast
Listen to a panel of expert ESG practitioners, including CGC’s Founder and Managing Partner, Tamara Close, CFA, discuss how ESG ratings have become an indispensable element of investing and greatly influence how companies manage and market themselves. A myriad of issues exists when relying on and using ESG ratings from a corporate perspective. This panel will explain some of the fundamentals, explore ways to improve corporate ratings and discuss why you may not want to emphasize ESG rating improvements at a management level.
Can short selling be used as a carbon offset?
By Tamara G. Close
This paper addresses the subject of whether a short position in a carbon emitting company can be perceived as a carbon offset for a long position in another carbon emitting company within the same portfolio.
Climate Change Risk Classification Methodology
By Tamara G. Close
Climate change is a known risk. It will occur, and yet it is not being priced into the market. Climate change risk is inherently complex, resulting in many investors failing to factor it into their investment valuations. Employing a climate change risk classification methodology is crucial in bringing transparency to investment portfolios.
How Zero-Washing Undermines the Impact of Net Zero Investment Portfolios
By Tamara G. Close
Investment portfolio managers can utilize net zero portfolios as an effective way to mitigate carbon risk, but it is imperative they understand the underlying path and strategy to get to net zero in order to truly reduce absolute emissions and avoid zero-washing. “…simply getting to net zero emissions for a company is not enough to ultimately achieve the emissions mitigation required to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In order to get there, the pathway and business model design have to reduce actual emissions.”
Top 10 ESG Trends for 2022
The CGC Team
ESG has gained serious momentum in 2021. Like never before, businesses are using ESG in a variety of different ways and metrics that promise a clear, permanent reorientation of best business practices. With that in mind, CGC has compiled a Top 10 ESG Trends list for the coming year, in no particular order or rank.
Climate Change Risk for Pension Funds and Financial Institutions: A Stress-Testing of the Global Financial Markets
By Tamara G. Close and Mark Van Clieaf, et al
CGC and FutureZero provide a response for climate change risks and net zero transformation.
CGC and FutureZero U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Response for Climate Change Disclosures
By Tamara Close and Mark Van Clieaf, et al
The authors call on the SEC to mandate a climate-related Net Zero Business Model strategy in order to bring transparency to the capital markets.
Is Your Manager Integrating ESG? 5 Things Investors Can Easily Check
By Tamara Close
While ESG integration practices vary widely among managers – from initiated to sophisticated – it is not always easy to know how a manager is integrating ESG factors into their investment and risk management processes without a comprehensive analysis of their ESG integration practices.
The Three “Bs”
By Tamara Close
How Institutional Investors can shift the industry to a more sustainable long-term focus.
Three Reasons Why Investors Should Double Down on ESG Analysis
By Tamara Close
In global economic growth environments and bull markets it can be tempting to rely on more peripheral ESG analyses. However, in slowdowns and market uncertainty, any lack of in-depth analysis quickly becomes apparent.