BusinessGreen debuts Net Zero Investment Hub

BusinessGreen is today launching a new Net Zero Investment Hub in the run up to the inaugural Net Zero Festival this autumn.

The content hub, which is hosted in partnership with investment giant Schroders, will bring together a range of pieces from BusinessGreen, Schroders, and industry experts that explore how the investment community is shaping and accelerating the net zero transition.

Running in conjunction with BusinessGreen's recently launched Net Zero Leadership Hub, the all-new investment hub will provide cutting edge insight and in-depth analysis on the latest green investment trends , as well as preview the investment-related debates that will feature during next month's Net Zero Festival.

"The investment community has a uniquely powerful role to play in determining the pace, shape, and direction of the net zero transition, providing both the capital required for new green infrastructure and business models and the risk management expertise required to tackle unsustainable corporate practices," said BusinessGreen editor-in-chief James Murray. "As such, we're delighted to be able to give the fast-evolving net zero investment trend more coverage and analysis through this vital new hub."

The hub kicks off today with an op ed from Schroders' Isabella Hervey-Bathurst, who argues that the covid-19 recovery and the climate crisis need a "unified response" from both governments and policymakers and predicts the EU's new multi-billion Euro green stimulus plan promises to help leverage a wave of climate-related investments.

"As climate change investors we are excited about the growth opportunities this [package] could bring," she writes. "Particularly across offshore wind, the electricity grid, the EV supply chain, rail, energy efficient building materials, energy efficient heating equipment, and the hydrogen value chain."

In the coming months, the Net Zero Investment Hub will deliver a range of interviews, features, news reports, and op eds, all exploring how the net zero investment trend can be optimised and enhanced in support of the world's climate goals.

"Sustainable investing has been under the spotlight throughout the Covid-19 crisis, but for Schroders sustainability is fundamental," said Hannah Simons, head of sustainability strategy at Schroders. "We integrate our sustainability research into the way we invest across asset classes and geographies. Whilst the crisis has elevated social considerations, the focus on reducing carbon emissions will not be lost. COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, may have been postponed but the crisis can still be used to reset the climate agenda."

She added that the financial sector "must be at the heart of tackling climate change" and as such a "forward-looking, active investment approach is needed".

"As we seek to deliver not only returns for investors, but better outcomes for society as a whole, measurement and tracking of progress remain critical," Simons said. "Our tools and analysis put a financial value on all of the impacts that companies have on society, which are increasingly being identified as financial costs. Today about a quarter of carbon emissions are subject to carbon tax, for example."

The Net Zero Investment Hub will explore these issues and more, while also featuring coverage of the inaugural Net Zero Festival, which will take place for three days from September 30th and will bring together over 100 speakers from across the green business community, including CEOs, MPs, academics, campaigners, and entrepreneurs.

You can check out the full agenda and reserve your place at the world's first Net Zero Festival through the website.

The Net Zero Investment Hub is brought to you in partnership with Schroders, as part of its support for the world's first Net Zero Festival this autumn. All the content on the Hub is fully editorially independent unless otherwise stated.

You can find out more about the Net Zero Festival and reserve your place here.