News & Views

Businesses purchasing voluntary carbon are more likely to report lower gross emissions year-on-year, and invest more in emissions reductions, than companies not engaged in carbon markets. Read the Article from Ecosystem Marketplace HERE 

In an article by James Murray from BusinessGreen, he notes that in the last year, the number of companies publicly disclosing environmental data has increased by 24 percent, with over 23,000 listed companies worldwide publicly reporting on their environmental performance. The reporting entity, CDP, notes that it is becoming more essential for business to measure and manage their impacts, and public disclosure about performance is key to this being successful. Read the article HERE

At the UN Climate Ambition Summit held last month, a collaborative model for investment to assist with climate change adaptation was announced between Australia and Tuvalu. As part of the Secretary-General’s Adaptation Pipeline Accelerator program, this exemplifies the “first movers and doers” that the Secretary-General has called for in delivering climate justice. See the press release HERE

The 2023 Status report from TCFD (The Taskforce for Climate Related Financial Disclosures) shows that the percentage of public companies disclosing TCFD-aligned information continues to grow, but more progress is needed. For fiscal year 2022 reporting, 58% of companies disclosed in line with at least five of the 11 recommended disclosures — up from 18% in 2020; however, only 4% disclosed in line with all 11. See the report HERE

New regulations from the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and anticipated rules from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are suggesting that companies who produce their own ESG reports may have to have them "assured" or reviewed in a similar fashion to financial reports. 

Expected to start to take effect from 2025, this may take some companies off-guard. Nico McCrossan from GreenFin Weekly tells us what we can do to get prepared and what to expect HERE.

As reported by HR Leader, a recent study from Getapp indicates that remote workers, or those working from home are more likely to be affected by a phone or email scam, due most likely to a lack of security measures in remote working environments. Employers have a responsibility to assist in developing security measures to mitigate this, including such firewalls as enforced password changing, two-factor authentication and providing anti-virus software. 

See an article from Jack Campbell from HR Leader which spells this out HERE.

We all know how pervasive Social Media is, and what a powerful tool for action it can be. In a recent multi-party study conducted with CapGemini, however, it became apparent that despite the global conversation about Climate change, we are all still sitting on our hands.

The study, conducted with Dassault Systèmes, Capgemini and French technology startup BLOOM, used AI to try and analyse the problem and their report is HERE. Another gap between words and action.

In the United in Science report, the World Meteorological Organisation says that only 15% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track,which requires a systematic examination of the impact of climate change and extreme weather on the goals. This illustrates how weather, climate and water-related sciences can advance aims such as food and water security, clean energy, better health, sustainable oceans and resilient cities.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres notes that, halfway to the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "the world is woefully off-track".

Read a great analysis of the effects of climate change on each of the SDGs HERE.

In an article from HR Leader, they report that in the Diversity Council of Australia’s (DCA) 2023 Inclusion@Work report, there are perceptions that flexible work is for women, which is causing negative attitudes to stir around men who are utilising these opportunities. This is causing issues for 57 per cent of men, with 37 per cent claiming they’ve been subjected to discrimination and harassment for using these benefits. Businesses need to ensure that flexible working opportunities exist for all employees and turn these negative perceptions around by encouraging employees to take advantage of the benefits offered. See the article from HR Leader HERE.

In a recent HR Leader podcast with Megan Dalla-Camina, founder and CEO of Women Rising, she noted that while the participation rate of men in the workforce is 71.3%, they don't say enough when it comes to gender equality. While legislation and the spreading of awareness is helping, progress could be made easier if men spoke up on issues and there is an opportunity for workplaces to encourage participation in the discussion of issues, whether through initiatives or training. Read the HR Leader article, with a link to the podcast HERE.