logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
27m 19s

How green is green finance?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

We’ve been told that big finance is crucial to the transition to net zero, and billions of dollars are invested in so-called sustainable finance every year. But the BBC’s Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt, together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, have been looking into a new green finance product and found that not all is quite as it seems.

Their investigation has found an example of sustainable finance backed by the multi-national bank HSBC being used to help extract a vast new reserve of fossil fuels in Brazil. And it's not the only one. Some question how this can happen, while others defend it. Presenters Justin Rowlatt and Graihagh Jackson are joined by: Tariq Fancy, former Global Chief Investment officer for Sustainable Investing at BlackRock Caroline Harrison, Head of Market Intelligence Research at Climate Bonds Initiative Ulf Erlandsson, Chief Executive at the Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute Julia Carneiro, journalist based in Brazil Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Producers: Sophie Eastaugh and Miho Tanaka Researcher: Natasha Fernandes Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editors: Bridget Harney and Richard Fenton-Smith Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Production coordinators: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross

Up next
Today
How can the world speed up climate action?
<p>How can the world speed up its efforts to fight climate change? </p><p>It’s been a dramatic fortnight at the COP climate summit in the Amazonian city of Belem, with torrential rains and floods, protests and even a fire. A deal has finally been done but it’s divisive and has le ... Show More
29m 17s
Nov 20
The oil lobbyist who tried to sink the first big climate deal
<p>The American lawyer, oil lobbyist and master strategist Don Pearlman is said to have chain-smoked his way through almost every UN climate gathering from the early 1990s until his death in 2005.</p><p>Some of those who saw Pearlman operate in Kyoto, where the first legally bind ... Show More
27m 36s
Nov 16
How does carbon dioxide shape our world?
<p>Carbon dioxide is a molecule so important it has shaped life on Earth for billions of years. Without it, there would be no plants, no oceans, no people. But now, after centuries of burning coal, oil and gas, it's in the atmosphere at levels that alarm scientists.</p><p>In this ... Show More
25m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
Is sustainable finance just greenwash?
ESG funds - which claim to promote environmental, social and corporate governance best practice - are all the rage. But are investors being taken for an expensive ride?Ed Butler speaks to one man with his doubts - Tariq Fancy, who used to be in charge of sustainability investing ... Show More
17m 27s
Jun 2021
Green Thinking: Hot Money
From Bitcoin mines to green investment bonds: how easy is it to change the way finance works to make it greener? Professor Yu Xiong and Professor Nick Robins share their research, knowledge and concerns of these high-tech financial systems with Professor Des Fitzgerald. Professor ... Show More
26m 36s
Nov 2023
Retreat or Engage? Green Investors’ Big Oil Dilemma
Oil and gas majors have long stated their intention to diversify away from fossil fuels and move toward clean energy production. However, in the last few years, many have wound back these plans, shooting for less ambitious targets or returning to their traditional business models ... Show More
31m 20s
Sep 2021
1 - Inside ESG: Is the $1.7tn wave of sustainable investing hope or hype?
<p>When Tariq Fancy joined BlackRock as its first chief investment officer for sustainable investing in 2018, he was convinced that with companies around the world, including the world’s biggest asset manager, embracing environmental, social and governance (ESG) causes, the stage ... Show More
23m 3s
Oct 2023
What’s the cost of invasive species?
Humans have introduced more than 37,000 alien species to places they do not naturally occur. A report launched this week by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services revealed the shocking extent of the damage. Gaia Vince speaks to one of the report’s c ... Show More
28m 10s
Feb 2024
Asset managers cool on climate group
<p>European Commision president Ursula von der Leyen says Europe’s military needs to step up and two of the world’s biggest asset managers are quitting an investor group set up to prod companies over global warming. Plus, big food companies are jumping into new farming practices ... Show More
11m 43s
Jan 2024
Epargne durable : comment placer ses économies sans nuire à la planète
Acheter bio et local, manger moins de viande, limiter nos déplacements en avion et en voiture… Voilà les premiers gestes auxquels on pense quand on essaie d’avoir un mode de vie en adéquation avec les défis du changement climatique.<br/><br/>Il est un domaine auquel on pense rare ... Show More
17m 2s
Nov 2021
Financing the fight against climate change
<p><strong>Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/44757917-71f4-4699-8bde-49ebd15feebe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ft.com/content/44757917-71f4-4699-8bde-49ebd15feebe</a></p><br><p>Banks have water ... Show More
11m 19s
Oct 2023
The halfway point for sustainable development
In 2015 the UN adopted 17 sustainable development goals aiming to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure people everywhere enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. Ahead of a summit next week in New York marking the half way point, presenter Gaia Vince speaks to Saleemul Huq, dire ... Show More
31m 2s