Ahren Lester

Articles by Ahren Lester

  • Time is ripe for US asset managers to engage oil majors

    11 May 2020

    Domestic asset managers have been largely absent from climate engagement with US oil majors, but the Church Commissioners for England tells Ahren Lester that this could finally be changing.

  • A fifth of Barclays investors back fossil fuel financing phase out

    07 May 2020

    More than a fifth of investors in Barclays backed a shareholder resolution urging the FTSE 100-listed lender to outline a plan to phase out its financing for fossil fuel firms.

  • Emerging market green bond issuance jumps a fifth in 2019

    07 May 2020

    Green bond issuance across emerging markets jumped a fifth in 2019, a report by Amundi Asset Management and the International Finance Corporation revealed.

  • Leading academics outline climate-friendly Covid-19 recovery proposals

    06 May 2020

    The international economic recovery following the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic could deliver better economic and environmental results through climate-friendly policies, research by a group of economists argues.

  • Total makes net-zero pledge after investor pressure

    05 May 2020

    French oil major Total has become the latest oil and gas major to announce its ambition to be net-zero emissions by 2050, after pressure from investor groups.

  • Westpac abandons thermal coal funding in tighter climate policy

    04 May 2020

    Westpac has committed to exit its funding of thermal coal firms by 2030 and to align its financing business to the Paris Agreement, as it launched its updated climate change position statement.

  • 'Alarming' omission of oil and gas from EU financial disclosure rules draft

    04 May 2020

    EU financial regulators have been criticised for appearing to omit oil and gas from its definition of fossil fuel sectors in its draft environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure requirements.

  • HSBC closes coal project funding loophole as pressure mounts

    01 May 2020

    HSBC has closed a controversial loophole which allowed the bank to continue to fund coal projects in three countries, but campaigners continued to push for coal funding to be withdrawn altogether.

  • BlackRock launches $430m unconstrained ESG bond fund

    01 May 2020

    BlackRock has launched its first environmental, social and governance (ESG)-focused global unconstrained total return bond fund, opening with over $400 million in assets under management (AUM).

  • M&G and EOS support Barclays fossil fuel funding resolution

    01 May 2020

    M&G Investments and EOS have confirmed they will support a shareholder resolution calling on Barclays to phase out its funding for fossil fuel firms, but Norway's sovereign wealth fund will not be supporting it.