Friends of the Earth (HK) Green Finance Team
As the unprecedented year of 2021 draws to a close, the impact of COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the globe, during which climate change and social inequality are viewed by many as some of the biggest worries according to the latest survey conducted by Ipsos across 28 countries.1
Global warming has been identified as a key contributor to extreme weather events, which have caused an estimated USD170 billion of economic damages this year.2
In the wake of all the devastating weather events this year, many countries are determined to reduce their carbon footprint, and pledges are made to achieve net zero target by mid-century. Whilst climate change continues to be one of the focal points, social and governance matters have also been the subject of discussions by business and investor communities.
Looking ahead in 2022, it is likely COVID-19 will continue to be the top priority for the global communities, where coordinated efforts will be made in attempts to irradiate the diseases, but increased focus will also be placed to address some of the other concerns including social inequality and carbon neutrality.
Governments will likely establish rules and regulations in order to track carbon emissions and to develop green economies. ESG education and engagement will be considered as the critical components to drive the development of green finance with the intention to address the relevant concerns.
In order to keep up with the latest compliance requirements globally, demands for ESG talent has risen substantially and a noticeable shortage of ESG trained professionals can be observed on the market place.3 In order to bridge the gap, The European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS) has partnered with Friends of the Earth (HK) to promote the industry recognized ESG professional credential, the Certified Environmental, Social and Governance Analyst (CESGA®) programme aimed at addressing such shortcoming. The number of CESGA® graduates from Hong Kong currently ranked amongst top 5 in 53 regions worldwide and ranked first in the Asia Pacific region.
Friends of the Earth (HK) will continue to promote ESG professional education in 2022 with the objective to incubate more professional talents and help mobilize the industry to take action in creating a greener and sustainable future.
To learn more, please register and join our Asia Pacific ESG Talent Incubation Roundtable 2022!
References:
1 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/what-worries-the-world-ipsos-survey/
2 https://www.christianaid.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-12/Counting%20the%20cost%202021%20-%20A%20year%20of%20climate%20breakdown.pdf
3 https://home.kpmg/cn/en/home/insights/2020/08/nurturing-esg-talent-in-hong-kong.html
