Articles by Alastair Marsh

UK Closer to Mandatory CO2 Disclosures With New Guidelines

The UK just moved a step closer to requiring companies to provide detailed statements on future carbon emissions reductions that will include both their operations and supply chains. The Transition Plan Taskforce, an initiative started by the UK Treasury and …

European Insurers Underwrite 30% of US Coal: Study

Some of Europe’s biggest insurers are underwriting close to a third of the coal production that takes place in the US, even after pledging to target net zero emissions, according to a report by climate campaign group Insure Our Future. …

Allianz Unveils €20 Billion Spending Target in Net-Zero Transition Plan

Allianz SE is planning to invest €20 billion ($21.4 billion) in renewable energy and low-carbon technology by 2030, as it unveils its first ever net zero transition plan. The German insurance and asset management giant also plans to increase revenues …

Financial Services Firms ‘Largely Blind’ to Exposures From Nature-Related Risks: Report

Most financial firms aren’t assessing their portfolio exposure to nature-related risks with the same urgency they use to measure climate impacts, a shortcoming that could lead to higher costs, litigation and a hit to reputations, according to a new report. …

Update: List of Insurers Exiting Climate Group Grows, Including Lloyd’s, Tokio Marine

The list of firms walking out of the Net Zero Insurance Alliance continued to grow this week, adding to an exodus as the industry struggles to navigate anti-ESG attacks led by the Republican Party. The latest round of defections includes …

UPDATE: ESG-Bashing Triggers More Defections From Insurer Climate Group

The world’s biggest climate alliance for insurers has started hemorrhaging members, after Republican attorneys general accused the group of antitrust violations. On Thursday, French insurers AXA SA and SCOR SE, as well as Allianz SE of Germany, became the latest …

Anti-ESG Rhetoric in U.S. Prompts Urgent Talks as Insurers Quit Climate Coalition

The world’s biggest climate coalition for insurers is set to hold emergency talks after a wave of defections revealed the extent to which anti-ESG rhetoric in the US is unsettling members. Signatories of the Net Zero Insurance Alliance are due …

Swiss Re Becomes Fourth Insurer to Leave Net Zero Group

Swiss Re is quitting the world’s main climate alliance for insurers, joining a growing exodus from the coalition of some of the industry’s biggest companies. The world’s second-largest reinsurer is now the fourth major company to walk away from the …

More Insurers Weigh Joint Strategy to Climate Change as They Assess Antitrust Risk

Insurers are being forced to rethink their approach to climate change as they assess the risk of being sued for antitrust violations. Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurer, recently backed out of the Net Zero Insurance Alliance citing what it …

ESG Backlash Overshadows Power to Drive Better Returns: UK’s Biggest Fund Manager

The politicization of the acronym ESG risks overshadowing its power to drive returns for shareholders, according to the head of investment stewardship at the UK’s biggest asset manager, Legal & General Investment Management. Taking environmental, social and corporate governance issues …