The climate opportunity: Getting ahead of Latin America’s net-zero transition

<div>
<div>

The energy crisis and corporate decarbonization: Progress and perseverance

Years of declining investment in oil and natural gas, along with a post-pandemic economic rebound, meant that even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy prices had been on the rise. Those trends were exacerbated by a conflict-initiated supply shock, triggering a global energy crisis. [1]

中国企业的ESG实践

本报告阐述了中国企业发展和实施ESG的现状。报告基于对262名中国上市公司高管的调查,旨在了解他们如何看待ESG优先事项,以及针对这些优先事项而采取的行动。

调查发现,中国企业正处于转型期,从中国独有的高速工业化时期产生的主要由国内驱动的优先事项,转向更符合国际ESG实践的一系列目标。过去,公司更倾向于遵守政府的规定,而目前,这种变化的驱动因素主要来自于投资者和客户的要求。

调查的主要结果如下:

ESG priorities in China: How companies in China are approaching ESG

The survey finds that Chinese companies are in a state of transition from largely domestically driven priorities emanating from China’s unique period of  breakneck industrialisation to a set of goals more aligned with international ESG practice. Whereas companies were more likely to follow government regulation in the past, the current drivers of this change are primarily demands from investors and customers.

The main findings of the survey as follows: 

Ending hunger: the role of agri-food financing

Hunger is on the rise, with 150m more people affected by hunger in 2021 than in 2019 [1]. Manifold threats—including the covid-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine and escalating climate crisis—underpin this trend, which risks reversing decades of progress in the fight against world hunger. In fact, current projections estimate that nearly 670m people will face hunger in 2030 [2].

Sustainable reboot - supply-chain strategies in the technology sector

Supply chains worldwide have been under intense pressure since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 Economist Impact explored the vital importance of building resilience and flexibility within global supply chains, with a focus on retail, lifestyle and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries. Fast-forward to 2022, the war in Ukraine, rising commodities prices and the after-effects of the pandemic have created more uncertainty and added further pressure to global supply chains.

Great expectations: Arab youth’s sustainability priorities

The acute cost-of-living crisis remains at the forefront of Arab youth’s concerns. The Economist Intelligence Unit estimates that inflation in the MENA region hit 19.6% in 2022, compared with 9.8% globally. It is unsurprising then that almost half (44%) of young Arabs we surveyed cite inflation as the most pressing issue facing their generation. Young Arab sustainability leaders we spoke to claim that such economic instability can make it harder for the population to think about longer-term issues such as climate change.

Ending hunger by 2030: are we investing enough?

“End hunger” [1]. The second UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2) leaves no room for doubt about the scale of its ambition. In 2015—the year the SDGs were agreed—this was not wholly unrealistic. Between 1991 and 2014, 72 countries succeeded in halving the size of their populations suffering from undernourishment [2]. Although it was unlikely that progress would continue at this rate, in recent years efforts to end hunger have been hindered in ways that few could have predicted.

Decarbonising Asia: Asset owners reach for net zero

Decarbonising Asia: Asset owners reach for net zero is an Economist Impact report, sponsored by Amundi. Denis McCauley is the author and Siddharth Poddar is the editor. It is based on in-depth interviews conducted with five executives at asset-owner and asset-management firms and other financial institutions, and secondary research, done between December 2021 and March 2022.
 
Our thanks are due to the following individuals for their time and insights:
  • Kerry Adams-Strump, director of group ESG, Prudential

In transit: Pathways to circular tourism in the Middle East

After an unprecedented halt in tourism at the height of the covid-19 pandemic, a slow recovery in global tourism is under way.">[1] According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), global international tourist arrivals increased by 130% in January 2022 compared with 2021.">[2] The industry is a valuable contributor to livelihoods—both directl

Enjoy in-depth insights and expert analysis - subscribe to our Perspectives newsletter, delivered every week