Den Europæiske Centralbank (ECB) ændrer deres pengepolitik og vil fra oktober støtte mere klimavenlige erhvervsobligationer. Men ifølge en undersøgelse fra Harvard Law School vil målene være svære at implementere, blandt andet fordi investorerne mangler solide klimadata.
Undersøgelsen sætter fokus på fire områder, hvor investorer har brug for bedre data, ekspertviden og nuancerede tilgange med henblik på at foretage klimavenlige investeringer.
- CO2-data
Undersøgelsen påpeger: “Only companies’ scope 1 and scope 2 emissions are widely reported and accounted for today, but scope 3 emissions represent the primary environmental impact for many industries. Because scope 3 emissions have so far not been widely reported, investors frequently rely on estimated data by third-party providers. But inevitably their estimated numbers have limitations that may be significant.”
Undersøgelsen foreslår, at ECB kan blive nødt til at støtte virksomheder som frivilligt rapporterer på scope 3 emissioner, indtil EU-regulering forlanger at alle virksomheder rapporterer på scope 3.
- Virksomheders langsigtet forpligtelse til bæredygtighed
“It’s vital to identify companies that have credible climate commitments for the long run. Drawing on independent sources of expertise and transparent climate pledges such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) can help differentiate between companies with demonstrable long-term commitments and those who are not yet willing to walk the walk.”
Det er dog stadig uklart, hvordan ECB vil vurdere langsigtede forpligtelser.
- Innovative klimaløsninger
Undersøgelsen påpeger: “Some industries that currently have high emissions will play a pivotal role in providing future climate solutions. For instance, the automotive industry is developing technologies and products to transition away from high-emitting internal combustion engine technology”.
Derfor fremhæver undersøgelsen, at der skal være mere fokus på virksomheders langsigtede strategier som kan skabe klimainnovation.
- Fremme klimamodstandsdygtighed
Undersøgelsen pointerer: “Even if humanity successfully limits global warming to 1.5 Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement, we will still need to upgrade our infrastructure and societies to adapt to climate change’s irreversible effects. That’s because extreme weather is very likely to continue to increase, stressing our buildings, transport and healthcare systems. For example, the energy-intensive construction industry must play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable technologies, structures and materials, such as through more effective building insulations.”
Læs hele undersøgelsen her.
