Experts warn of trustees' climate change litigation riskBY RACHEL ALEMBAKIS | FRIDAY, 12 JUN 2015 5:17PMLegal and investment experts have been advising superannuation fund trustees that they have an obligation to include evaluation of climate change risk in their overall governance and investment processes. But there may be new urgency to the calls, influenced by the possibility of a global agreement to cap global warming and cut global emissions at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December, and also because activists are threatening legal challenges to those trustees that are perceived as having not performed their fiduciary duties regarding climate change. Related News |
Editor's Choice
Green moves: Frontier Advisors, OMERS
Frontier Advisors has appointed former Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) specialist Aneesha Singh as responsible investments consultant, strengthening its advice to asset owners on climate, sustainability and responsible investment.
Australian Ethical drops KPMG as auditor
Australian Ethical will drop its decade-long auditor KPMG and will soon begin the competitive tender process for a new external auditor from FY28.
Philanthropies join forces on Australia's catalytic capital
Four Australian philanthropic foundations have united to establish the Catalytic Capital Consortium Australia (C3 Australia), a partnership designed to increase the flow of catalytic capital in Australia.
Instos call for global nature disclosure standard
Fifteen financial institutions have called on global sustainability standard-setters to develop a dedicated nature-related disclosure standard, warning that a fragmented approach could undermine investor comparisons and efforts to address biodiversity loss.
Videos
Brought to you by ![]()
Further Reading
Whitepapers
Modern slavery in the geopolitical crossfire
When investors frame the conversation about the risks of modern slavery, we tend to cite a common set of facts and a common set of arguments as to why ...
What ACCR v Santos means for your climate disclosures
The Federal Court has dismissed greenwashing claims brought by the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) against Santos.
Materiality is not a single judgment: It is a governance system
Much has been written about sustainability materiality in recent years. The more fundamental problem is that materiality is still treated as a single ...
Roundtable reflections: Is ESG dead?
"Is ESG dead?" we asked at our recent Responsible Investors (RI) roundtable in May this year. Short answer: no.
Expert Feed
Navigating the climate and biodiversity frontier
Climate change and biodiversity loss were once seen as niche sustainability concerns. Today they sit at the centre of financial analysis - understanding ...
Embracing complexity for sustainable returns
Ausbil says investors who embrace the complexity of dynamic company ESG, and sustainability profiles may be better placed to assess long-term risks and ...
Australia's social media age ban: A digital turning point for society and investment markets
In a global first and a warning shot for platforms, at the end of 2025 Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from social media, with penalties ...
How economics and energy security are driving the next phase of the energy transition
Looking ahead, the next phase of the energy transition will be defined by practical system build-out rather than headline climate commitments.
ACCESS MORE CONTENT
Financial Standard
Australia's most-read trade publication for wealth management professionals.
