Finance

Oil Majors Face Investor Backlash at Annual General Meetings

Board room with the words 'do good things' on a wall

What’s Going on Here?  This year, ‘Big Oil’ companies are facing investor backlash as demand increases for them to  align with the goals laid down by the Paris Agreement, and limit global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions to 1.5 degrees Celsius.   What Does this Mean?  Every year, public companies hold their Annual General Meeting (AGM). This is when a company’s board of directors…

The Fight About ESG Investing in the United States – and Where the Republicans Get it Wrong

Green piggy bank with calculator

Responsible Investing – or investing with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations – is well past its trendy phase and is settling in as a financial norm. According to a 2021 study by Ernst & Young, the vast majority (90%) of global institutional investors consider ESG issues in their investment process. Yet despite global integration, ESG investing has become a political battlefield…

Ecotourism in Nigeria: Driving Economic, Social, and Environmental Benefits

This is an image of a cultural heritage in the Federal Capital Territory Of Nigeria

Ecotourism is a type of sustainable tourism that aims to promote the conservation and protection of the environment while providing opportunities for tourists to appreciate the natural and cultural heritage of a destination. Nigeria, with its diverse cultures and rich natural resources, has great potential for ecotourism development. This article discusses how ecotourism can help preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage while promoting sustainable…

What would happen if the world stopped shopping?

A shopping mall

Let’s take a curious dive into J.B. MacKinnon’s thought-provoking thought experiment to find out!  Before we start, you might have some questions… Firstly, what is a thought experiment? A thought experiment is an exploration of a hypothetical situation, in this case: a world without shopping. What do we mean by shopping in this context? MacKinnon clarifies that by ‘shopping’ he is referring…

Carbon neutral claims based on ‘useless’ offsets, reveals Bloomberg

wind farm

What’s going on here? Many large companies, including airlines and energy companies – notoriously big emitters – claim to be carbon neutral. They do so by purchasing carbon offsets: paying to reduce carbon somewhere else to compensate for their own emissions. But a new report by Bloomberg Green uncovers that these offsets are mostly low quality, and potentially useless. What does this…

Dunking GDP for the Doughnut

As we’re hearing a lot at the moment from politicians on both sides of the political spectrum, ‘growing the economy’ is a key underpinning of their economic manifestos. The recent party conferences were abuzz with promises of growth, with the Conservatives promising to ‘grow, grow, grow’ our economy and Labour arguing for their own ideas to boost economic growth. Indeed, ‘growth’ has…

Patagonia boss: a billionaire no-more!

What’s going on here? Yvon Chouinard is an 83-year-old mountain climber who founded Patagonia: the outdoor clothing brand which eventually took him to billionaire status. Last week, Chouinard donated the company to fight the climate crisis. What does this mean? Patagonia remains in control by the Chouinard family via The Patagonia Purpose Trust, but it only holds 2% of the total stock.…

Opposite sides of the world heading in opposite directions?

What’s going on here? In recent weeks three developed nations, the UK, the US and Australia, have all made announcements which majorly affect their approach to climate change. What does this mean? Last week, in her first few days as the new Prime Minister of the UK, Liz Truss announced a raft of measures ostensibly aimed at protecting consumers from rising energy…

B Corps explainer – Business as a force for good!

B Corps – they’re popping up everywhere… Increasing numbers of businesses across the world are undergoing certification, but do you really know what a B Corp certified business is? This week, we’re deep-diving into the B Corp certification process and its benefits to people, the planet and profit in order to help you understand exactly what this little logo means! So, what…