Resources

Biodiversity as a material financial risk: What board directors need to know

March 6, 2023 50Views

In the context of recent global developments, boards need to understand all of the indirect, but very real, implications of biodiversity loss for their business. This update draws out key points of the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative (CCLI) report: Biodiversity Risk: Legal Implications for Companies and their Directors to outline why biodiversity loss should…

Biodiversity Risk: Legal Implications for Companies and their Directors

December 14, 2022 2577Views

Our brand new report authored by Jennifer Ramos and Zaneta Sedilekova ‘Biodiversity Risk: Legal Implications for Companies and their Directors’ explains that in order to discharge their duties and disclosure obligations, directors can ensure that risk management processes assess foreseeable biodiversity dependencies and impacts of the company for materiality and measure those that are material,…

Momentum is gathering for the international biodiversity negotiations

December 6, 2022 365Views

On 7 December 2022, world leaders will meet in Montreal, Canada for the second round of the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to agree on the final text of Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), an agreement with an ambitious goal to reverse global biodiversity loss. As the world enters…

Climate change and ESG-related risks in value chains: What board directors need to know

December 1, 2022 302Views

The Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative (CCLI) has partnered with the Climate Governance Initiative (CGI) to prepare this Quarterly Update for the CGI network. This is the third update of a series of quarterly learning materials on climate change as it relates to boards’ duties and governance. KEY POINTS ON VALUE CHAIN DUE DILIGENCE…

Directors’ Duties, Responsibilities and Disclosure Obligations under Philippine Law on Climate Change Risks

November 28, 2022 560Views

Under Philippine Corporation Law, the risks arising from climate change are - as with other foreseeable financial risks - within the scope of directors' duties to act in the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders, according to a new legal opinion dated 18 October 2022. Additionally, directors owe their duties to stakeholders…

Round-up of biodiversity day at COP27 (16 November 2022)

November 21, 2022 149Views

On 16 November 2022, the focus at COP27 shifted to issues relating to biodiversity, paving the way for the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) which is due to take place between 7 and 19 December 2022 in Canada. Key developments of the day included the launch of the Enhancing Nature-based Solutions for Climate Transformation initiative which…

Climate Change Disclosures: What board directors need to know

September 30, 2022 363Views

Climate-related disclosures are becoming increasingly more common. Several jurisdictions have begun to mandate them, while many others require them on a 'comply or explain' basis and have plans to start mandating them in the coming years. This briefing gives an overview of the importance and relevance of climate-related disclosures to board directors, including a detailed…

Review of second round of public comments to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding proposed climate change disclosures

September 5, 2022 422Views

The Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative (CCLI) has conducted a review of the over 1,000 comments to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) submitted by commentators other than individuals, in order to gauge support for the proposed rules and the issues raised by commentators. You can read a summary of the CCLI's…

IPBES ‘Methodological Assessment of the Diverse Values and Valuation of Nature’

August 19, 2022 310Views

The independent intergovernmental biodiversity advisory body called Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has published its Assessment Report on Diverse Values and Valuation of Nature. Jennifer Ramos, our corporate/finance and biodiversity lawyer, and Zaneta Sedilekova, our biodiversity consultant, summarise points from the report which are relevant for commercial and environmental lawyers in…

Primer on Climate Change: Directors’ Duties and Disclosure Obligations -2nd Edition

July 29, 2022 1145Views

The Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative (CCLI) has worked with the Climate Governance Initiative (CGI) to produce the second edition to the Primer on Climate Change: Directors’ Duties and Disclosure Obligations. The Primer provides an overview of contemporary evidence that climate change presents foreseeable, and in many cases material, financial and systemic risks that…