On the 4th December 2008, five leading financial institutions signed up to the Climate Principles, new guidelines developed to deal with the risks and opportunities posed by climate change.
The initial take-up was not as wide as hoped, possibly due to the financial crisis. However, Banks Crédit Agricole, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and reinsurers Swiss Re and Munich Re in signing up to what the Climate Group describes as “the first comprehensive industry framework” to address climate change.
The Climate Principles address the management of operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. More importantly, they provide strategic direction on managing climate change across the full range of financial products and services, including: research activities; asset management; retail banking; insurance & re-insurance; corporate banking; investment banking & markets; project finance.
