دانلود کتاب راهنمای پالگریو ESG و حاکمیت شرکتی

Sustainability is quickly becoming the Holy Grail for governments, businesses, and society. It represents a fundamental shift in human development arguably more significant than the industrial revolution. But unlike many other revolutions, this time, no one can be left behind. Therefore, this time we require collaboration and cooperation (not competition) among and between developed, developing, and under-developed countries if we are to succeed. Unlike previous revolutions where the impetus came from mankind natural desire to enhance their quality of life through innovation, the challenge is now qualitatively different. It is about the very survival of mankind—in other words, we are facing a collective threat and we must therefore change together. It is a rather unique circumstance that self-interest and common good are aligned in such a global scale. While all types of organizations have an important role to play, governments and companies have special relevance in enabling a successful response to this unprecedented challenge. Governments are required to create an effective legal and regulatory framework that encourages—and even mandates—investment and innovation aligned with the sustainability imperative, and the phasing out of investments that are harmful to the pursuit of the sustainability agenda. Moreover, states are to set the example and to adopt Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) principles as cornerstones of public policy guidelines. But the quest for sustainability has thus far been grossly incomplete. The recent COP26 was labeled by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, as disappointing and a reflection of “the interests, the contradictions, and the state of political will in the world today”. The last-minute change to the Glasgow pact by China and India to soften language on coal power, was met with deep disappointment and it is a sad icon of how much is still to be done at political global level. States must also deploy consistent efforts to achieve uniform international solutions, namely in urgent issues such as climate change. In the EU, some progress has been made but not without intense controversy. As an example, the preparation of the EU Taxonomy Regulation and its respective delegated regulations—a fundamental instrument for European transition to a green economy—has been subject to intense discussion and lobbying by EU-member states and the end result of this legislative package will likely not meet unanimity from climate experts and industries. Similarly, the 2020 Consultation document presented by the European Commission in respect to sustainable corporate governance faced fierce criticism in terms of the methodology underlying the initiative, which anticipates further division in subsequent steps of the legislative process. These tensions and pressures at the political and regulatory levels contrast with the narrative that is today present around the responsible investment movement, especially ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance). While at the highest level of international policy development is patchy, the ESG movement is quickly expanding and claims significantly more progress. This is despite the focus being placed very much on ESG disclosure than on significant corporate reforms, and there remaining significant issues on materiality assessment and comparability across ESG reports and rating providers. On the other hand, environmental issues remain at the front of corporate attention and, in spite of some advances on a proposed Directive on corporate due diligence and corporate accountability, relevant aspects such as human rights or a social taxonomy clearly lag behind the ESG methodologies and debate.