City Emissions, ESG Case Studies, Events, and Agriculture
Here are 5 things you might have missed this week:
Pledges for Emissions Reductions in the 100 Largest Cities Across the US-
A Brookings Institution analysis of U.S. cities' pledges to cut carbon emissions reveals mixed results.
"Given the increasing importance of “bottom-up” action on climate, this analysis inventories the various GHG reduction pledges and commitments of the 100 largest U.S. cities"
The report draws five major conclusions about an emissions-pledge system that is generating genuine but partial climate actions:
Slightly less than half of large U.S. cities have established GHG reduction targets.
Overall, roughly 40 million people (about 12% of the total U.S. population and 60% of the total population of the 100 largest U.S. cities) live in bigger cities with active and fully-formed climate action plans.
Collectively, the total annual reduction in emissions achieved by the 45 cities with both targets and completed inventories (in their respective target years) would equate to approximately 365 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
Despite genuine achievements in many cities, roughly two-thirds of cities are currently lagging their targeted emission levels.
Overall, the development and implementation of city GHG plans and pledges — while important and encouraging — leaves room for improvement in terms of reach, rigor, and ambition.
Investor Case Studies Integrating a Sustainability Approach-
Top 1000 Funds looked at case studies of investors who have integrated sustainability practices into their investment decision making and portfolio construction.
Their outlook for the next five to 10 years, and what they think ESG 2.0 will look like in their portfolios.
Cases cover experiences from New York State Common Retirement Fund, TCorp (Australia), among others.
Source: https://www.top1000funds.com/2020/09/investor-case-studies/
Agriculture’s Connected Future: How Technology Can Yield New Growth-
McKinsey estimates that the agricultural sector, fueled by advanced connectivity, will contribute USD$2Tr to USD$3Tr in additional value to global GDP over the next decade.
Demand for food is growing at the same time the supply side faces constraints in land and farming inputs.
"Agriculture is in the early days of yet another revolution, at the heart of which lie data and connectivity."
OECD Blended Finance Principles-
The OECD has published detailed guidance for policymakers to implement the OECD DAC Blended Finance Principles.
Principle 1: Anchor blended finance use to a development rationale
Principle 2: Design blended finance to increase the mobilisation of commercial finance
Principle 3: Tailor blended finance to local context
Principle 4: Focus on effective partnering for blended finance
Principle 5: Monitor blended finance for transparency and results
Source: https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/blended-finance-principles/
IMF & World Bank Annual Meetings-
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings have unfolded virtually over the last few weeks.
Devex has covered and summarized the main topics discussed in this year's meetings.
From emergency funding, debt relief, COVID-19 vaccine finance plans, and more.
One more thing: SOCAP 2020. The yearly gathering in San Francisco goes virtual. This year's theme was ‘Radical change’ to analyze impact investing in our new world.
Find a great summary of the event at https://impactalpha.com/whats-on-at-socap-2020/ & https://impactalpha.com/socap-takes-stock-of-impact-investing-in-a-changed-world
Do share your comments or the content you think our community should not miss!