Sunday Brunch
Our thoughts on the key issues faced by practitioners trying to advance sustainable investing.
Sunday Brunch: how to talk to asset managers ...
Business 101 - first understand how the people you want to influence actually think. This also applies to those who want to influence companies and asset managers. Start with how they think and tailor your message to focus on what they see as important.
Sunday Brunch: the world is not linear ....
Yes, we need to prepare for the future, but in a resilient way. One that doesn't lock us into 'the future will look like the past'. And that includes mining for critical minerals.
Sunday Brunch: Doing nothing can also create risk
Doing nothing in the face of upcoming risks can be massively value destroying for companies, leading to both shareholders and lenders losing out.
Sunday Brunch: Things will be different, accept it & move on.
We need to change our business ecosystems if we are going to deliver the new, more sustainable ways of working. Assuming that we can do the same things as before, just greener, will not work.
Sunday Brunch: Financial markets are weighing machines
We all know that stock markets (in fact all financial markets) are partly driven by sentiment. But this only tells part of the story. Accounting fundamentals also matter.
Sunday Brunch: Are some industries really that 'hard to decarbonise'?
The decarbonisation challenge has two parts, technology and cost. In many cases we have a technological solution, we now need to focus on making it more cost competitive.
Sunday Brunch: Yes vs No questions
If we want companies to change, then we should start with simple 'yes' questions and work up to the 'Big Yes', our end objective. Don't start by demanding changes they will find it easy to say no to.
Sunday Brunch: inside the mind of a Nimby
Change is about people, and humans are not rational beings. If we want our sustainability investments to happen, and to deliver a fair financial return, we need to understand why they face opposition.
Sunday Brunch: data is normally never enough
It's often very attractive to think that data gives us the answer. Sadly, just thinking about what we can measure rather than what's important can lead us to disaster.
Sunday Brunch: not every sustainability decision is an either/or
As a society we seem to what to make every choice binary. You either select A or B. And the A people often hate the B people, and think that they are idiots, or something worse.
Sunday Brunch: Can the new politicians derail the transition?
Recent elections in Europe have led to a shift to the right, but will this really halt the green transitions, or are we just talking about a temporary slowing ?
Sunday Brunch: Can we totally rely on regulation ?
Regulation is seen as an important element of the process of building a more sustainable economy. But sometimes it fails - we need to remain vigilant.