RIA News: PRI Purchases RI Academy

RI Industry News 

Investor Letter to IOSCO to Support Corporate Sustainability Reporting

PRI, Ceres’ Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR),and UNEP FI are facilitating a global investor communication to the IOSCO Secretariat to draw attention to investors’ growing needs for material disclosure of corporate sustainability information. Institutional investors and financial service providers are invited to sign the letter by Sep. 16. More info.

Investor Oil Sands Visit 

The PRI is arranging a site visit to the oil sands in Fort McMurray. This will take place September 22-23 as a side event to PRI in Person 2014. The site visit will include a tour of Suncor’s oil sands operation and engagement with company management and a meeting with representatives of a local First Nations community. More info.

ESG in Manager Selection and Monitoring (NYC, Oct. 21)
Responsible-Investor is hosting a workshop on the hiring and retention of asset managers by asset owners. Receive a 20% discount using the code: RIRIA14. Read more.

New Online Cleantech Funding Platform Launched in Canada

New online portal will create a common destination and systems for matching cleantech investment opportunities into sources of financing. Read more. 

New Governance Database to Profile 6,000 Companies  

MSCI’s GovernanceMetrics service to incorporate data from GMI Ratings following acquisition. Read more. 

New Responsible Investment Tool Launched by Thomson Reuters 

Thomson Reuters has launched a new set of indices to measure ESG practices at European companies. More info.

ESG News

Investors Can Improve Returns by Screening out Stocks with Lowest ESG Ratings

Eliminating the 10 percent of stocks with lowest ESG ratings also lowers portfolio volatility, according to new research. Read more.  

Burnaby Takes Legal Action Against Kinder Morgan Over Pipeline

The City of Burnaby is taking legal action against Kinder Morgan in its battle over a pipeline expansion into Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. Read more. 

China Seeks Pollution Cut with National Carbon Market

China, the world’s biggest GHG emitter, plans to start a national market for carbon trading by 2016 as it seeks to balance pollution reduction with economic growth. Read more.

Fossil Fuels Stir Debate at U.S. University Endowments 

Showdown between activists and schools over investments in coal, oil and gas intensifies, with California in the spotlight. Read more.

BP’s Reckless Conduct Caused Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Judge Rules 

Judge’s ruling that BP bears 67% of blame for Deepwater Horizon disaster could nearly quadruple amount of civil penalties. Read more.

New Technologies are Being Used to Extract Bitumen From Oil Sands

Oil companies in Alberta are developing new methods to reduce water use and increase energy efficiency. Read more.

Analysis

PwC Report: Global Economies Must Lower Carbon Emissions Fivefold 

In this new report, PwC finds that current rates of carbon intensity have us on a path to 2°C warming within 20 years. Read the report. 

Carbon Tracker Initiative Report: A Response to Exxon

In March 2014 ExxonMobil assured investors that the company was managing climate-related risks. A new report from Carbon Tracker suggests otherwise. Read the report. 

Sustainalytics Report: Banks & Responsible Finance

New report from Sustainalytics examines how banks are taking environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria into account. Read the report. 

Viewpoints

Balancing Executive Pay and Corporate Sustainability

Fiona Reynolds of the PRI explains that a company’s performance on ESG issues should be a factor in deciding executive pay. Read here. 

3 Reasons the World is Moving Beyond Shareholder Value

Terry Yosie of the World Environment Center, says we are moving beyond shareholder value, toward a renewed approach to assessing investment decisions. Read here.

Seven Ways That Lead to Corporate Sustainability

Ivey Business School professor outlines seven steps to achieving corporate sustainability. Read the Globe and Mail article here.