Articles by Alastair Marsh

Zurich Exits Insurance Climate Alliance, Days After Munich Re

Zurich Insurance Group AG is leaving a coalition of major insurers that have committed to reach net-zero emissions, the second high profile exit from the group in a matter of days. The Swiss insurer said in a statement that it’s …

Munich Re Exits Insurance Climate Group, Citing ‘Material’ Legal Risks

Munich Re is leaving an alliance of leading insurers that have committed to reduce emissions due to what it says are “material” legal risks, in a move that marks the latest blow to a coalition built by former Bank of …

Biodiversity Emerges as New Risk for Asset Managers After UN Summit

Fund managers who haven’t cared about biodiversity may soon find they have to. In the early hours of Monday in Montreal, a deal was struck that has the potential to shake up the regulatory landscape for the investment industry. After …

Companies Increasingly Keep Climate Pledges Secret as ‘Green Hushing’ Takes Off

Companies are increasingly trying to keep their climate pledges away from public scrutiny. The phenomenon, known as green hushing, has become pervasive even as businesses set more ambitious internal targets, according to a survey by South Pole, a climate consultancy …

Coalition of Insurers, Pension Funds Commit $7.1 Trillion to Support 1.5°C Climate Goal

A coalition of pension funds and insurance companies that includes Allianz SE, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and Zurich Insurance Group AG have committed to managing $7.1 trillion of assets in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting …

Insurer Aviva Urges UK Government to Detail How It Will Reach Net Zero Emissions

The British government should practice what it preaches on net-zero emissions, according to insurer Aviva Plc and conservation group WWF. Having said last year that UK-based companies must detail how they will deliver on their 2050 emission-reductions goals, the government …

Burn the Client or Burn the Carbon? Insurer AXA Grapples With Clean Energy Transition.

The glass tower in Paris where AXA SA, one of the world’s largest insurers, has its temporary headquarters looks as if a giant feral cat has ripped chunks out of it. In recent months that jagged feeling extends inside, too, …

Net-Zero Insurers’ Climate-Friendly Plans to Exit Coal Impeded by Antitrust Laws

A group of the world’s biggest insurers and reinsurers jointly pledging to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from their underwriting activities have run into an unexpected opponent of their planet-friendly mission: competition law. The Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, which counts AXA SA, …

Asset Managers, Including Allianz, to Cut Portfolio Emissions by at Least 25% by 2025

By 2025, 29 of the world’s biggest pension funds and investment firms, including Allianz SE and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, intend to have cut the emissions of their portfolio holdings by at least 25%. The targets, which cover …

Allianz’ Investment Arm Plans to Cut Holdings in Coal Businesses

Allianz Global Investors plans to curtail investments in certain coal businesses by the end of the year. The 598 billion-euro ($707 billion) investment manager said in a statement Thursday that starting in December it will no longer invest in companies …