Australia's 'green finance' market continues to grow steadily in response to global environmental challenges and to support sustainable development. Innovative financial products continue to be developed to direct capital towards green projects and to promote sustainability causes or ESG-related per ...

Shareholders are becoming increasingly aware of climate change risks. Since early 2017, both Australian and foreign companies have faced a wave of climate change-related shareholder activism. Ceres maintains a Climate and Sustainability Shareholder Resolutions Database, which at February 2020 showe ...

The 'just transition' is frequently used to refer to a framework for a transition to a low-carbon economy that takes into account the associated economic and social costs and opportunities. ...

Even in a COVID-19 affected world, climate change remains a material consideration for most businesses. The challenge of reaching net zero by 2050, in particular, will increasingly demand the attention of in house legal and compliance teams. ...

Australian law requires certain standards of conduct of company directors, including that directors act in the best interests of the company and exercise care and diligence in performing their role. ...

State and territory governments are increasingly willing to take action separate to the Federal Government to address climate change through state schemes, policies and, in some cases, legislation. This represents a change in approach at the state and territory level over the past decade, as climate ...

There is a growing trend for legal action against corporates, particularly energy companies and financial firms. Many commentators, including former Chief Justice French, have predicted a continued rise in climate change litigation in Australia. ...

The term 'soft law' refers to rules, principles or guidelines that are not themselves legally binding, but nonetheless play an important role in promoting compliance with certain standards of behaviour. Rules of 'soft law' can often act as a precursor to the emergence of 'hard law'. ...

It is a financial imperative to actively navigate the risks and opportunities that the carbon transition presents. It follows, therefore, that corporate strategy in relation to climate risks and opportunities is no longer appropriately housed solely in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) or s ...

This latest guide looks at developments at the end of last year and the beginning of 2020. It covers: Brexit and the transition, final-form recommendations for audit and auditor reform, new stewardship obligations for investors, tougher new anti-money laundering rules, FRC guidance for this year's annual reports and Section 172 statements, the extension of the FCA's Senior Manager regime, market abuse, ESG and climate, private equity reporting, transparency of ownership of UK real estate and late payment. ...