GARP Ch 2 - Sustainability
Sustainable, green, climate finance - correct answer ✔Sustainable - anything
with sustainability; Green - environmental and climate specific; Climate -
climate only
Sustainability - correct answer ✔Humankind meeting its economic needs
without overburdening the environment or weakening societies. Includes
environment, social (human rights, health, safety), justice, and economic
(prosperity) concerns. Applies to governments, corporations, Fis and
individuals
Sustainable development - correct answer ✔Country-level economic
development done in a way that does not overexploit natural resources or
overburden society. Used mainly by governments.
ESG (example metrics) - correct answer ✔Measuring env, social governance
performance of firms, used mainly by FIs/investors. Sets standards and
metrics: env (CO2, water usage, deforestation, waste), social (employee
treatment, supplier / customer engagement, DE&I), governance (board
composition, executive compensation, risk management, internal procedures)
Corporate social responsibility - correct answer ✔Idea that corporations have
a broader obligation to society. Branding, moral considerations, and financial
materiality influences corporate sustainability practices. Gained popularity in
1990s, when "triple bottom-line" was developed. Royal Dutch Shell = one of
the first to issue annual sustainability report.
Brundtland Commission - correct answer ✔Sus convo started 1970s-80s; but
Brundtland Commission in 1987 defined sus development as "development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs"
, Major UN meetings leading up to COP15 - correct answer ✔Earth Summit
(Rio, 1992), IPCC created, UNFCCC established, Kyoto Protool (1997), Paris
Agreement (2015)
Millennium Development Goals - correct answer ✔Goals between 2000-
2015. Main aims: to eradicate extreme poverty, achieve universal primary
education, reduce child mortality, env sustainability. Very government / civil
society focused, and most goals failed to be achieved.
SDGs (part of 2030 Agenda for Sus Dev) - correct answer ✔Launched in
2015 to "build on Millennium Development Goals and complete what they did
not achieve". 17 SDGs: env, social and economic goals. Targets development
in poorer countries but found strong agreement among public sector, private
sector, and civil society. Each SDG goal also has "sub-targets" to further
define specific metrics / policies.
Ecosystem Services - correct answer ✔Supporting (nutrient cycling, habitats,
soil formation) - fundamental conditions that enable existence of other
services; Provisioning (freshwater, wood/fiber, food) - generate resources;
Regulating (water purification, climate & flood regulation) - moderates natural
phenomena; Cultural (spiritual, educational, recreational) - non-material
human enjoyment
Natural capital - correct answer ✔Stock and value of natural assets (abiotic /
non-living and biotic / living). Wider view of resources than ecosystem
services, which is more the "flow of benefits" from natural capital (e.g. forest
vs. timber).
Shareholder engagement - correct answer ✔Using divestment or other
lending and decision-making levers to pressure companies' ESG actions.
