Sometimes the best tactic when encountering stormy headwinds is simply to put your head down and battle through. For today’s business leaders, faced with trade wars, nervous bond markets, volatile electorates and unpredictable politicians, the weather is especially choppy right now.
“Head down and carry on” is very much the sentiment of our contributors this quarter: from Climate Week in New York, through energy-hungry data centres and carbon tariff barriers, via at risk infrastructure and protests over job losses, their message is consistent – focus on the business fundamentals and the way forward becomes evident and perhaps even encouraging. Our lead article reports from the frontline in New York, where there was little sign of roll-back,
plenty of evidence of sound deals being done to hedge energy costs and tackle uninsurable risks, albeit with more caution on language and a reluctance to make bold claims. Less talk, more action – not a bad motto at any time.
Looking forward, next up as I write is COP30 in Brazil, another test of sentiment and action, with governments in the lead but business at the table. This coincides with latest reports showing that seven of the nine critical planetary boundaries are being crossed. The forward outlook is indeed challenging, the need for action clear.
Looking back, at the start of the year many sustainability professionals were blindsided by the unravelling of the international consensus on corporate reporting. In Washington, Brussels, London and Singapore, we’ve since seen slowing down or outright reversal. The European Parliament is now inching towards an agreement on scaled-back plans in response to the Commission’s original Omnibus proposals. In most jurisdictions, expectations on corporate accountability and transparency remain strong. The evolution of corporate reporting – and the challenges and opportunities this present – is something we’ll return to in future issues.
Meanwhile I can’t promise the weather will abate, but we can offer you practical advice and support to help navigate the storms. That’s what our Advisory Digest aims to do, so read on. Encourage your colleagues to sign up, and reach out to our experts or your usual SLR contact to follow up on these insights.
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