Simon Wong

Independent consultant | Governance | Sustainable Finance | Live to eat. Still curious.

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

My fellow Americans, it’s okay to talk about #climatechange with each other. Here’s why.

https://t.co/LXguN5KgDO

#Sustainability

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

I left the investment world a decade ago so surprised to see boards and investors still struggling over many of the same issues: Box-ticking, poor understanding of strategy by investors, clashes between fund managers and stewardship folks, etc.
https://t.co/nq11ynCo4l

#CorpGov

[Stay European #RejoinEU 🇪🇺 #FBPE @StayEuropean]

Every spending cut, every tax rise is a choice.

We could rejoin the EU and none of it would be needed. Every economist, except a tiny fringe, agrees that leaving was a huge hit to the economy.

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

Quite a conundrum: If boards and institutional investors are both expected to be "stewards," who is responsible for what?

Interesting @TulchanComm report on deteriorating board-shareholder relations at UK companies.

https://t.co/nq11ynUxit

#CorpGov #stewardship

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

The crux of the UK’s sad decline:

“In the past 30 years, the British economy chose finance over industry, Britain’s government chose austerity over investment, and British voters chose a closed and poorer economy over an open and richer one.”

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

Confused about #sustainable #finance taxonomies and differences among them? Here's a fabulous primer from ASFI.

https://t.co/Fw6i67T992

#SusFin #taxonomy

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

I learned a lot from this @SPGlobalRatings podcast on the SEC’s proposed #ESG fund rules, including 1) the differences among ESG integration, focus and impact funds and 2) why decarbonising portfolios could actually harm our planet. #sustainablefinance

https://t.co/W9IWhEoR7G

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

Hopeful @TEDTalks message: @harari_yuval estimates that investments of “only” ~2% of global GDP can help avert the worst impacts of #ClimateChange. Of course, these investments must be properly targeted.

https://t.co/mzp9RWL2n8

#Sustainability

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

Helpful analysis on today’s US Supreme Court decision constraining the EPA’s authority to restrict GHG emissions. #ClimateChange

[Jesse D. Jenkins @JesseJenkins]

SCOTUS decision on WV v EPA is out. Im actually breathing a sigh of relief. In what may be best of plausible outcomes, a radical SCOTUS that has been tearing up precedent all term left EPA’s authority to regulate climate-warming gases intact, though more narrowly constrained.

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

Just published: An excellent layman’s guide to The Science of #ClimateChange.

Comprehensive and comprehendible for non-technical audiences.

https://t.co/keXcAv6ss0

#Sustainability @FRCnews

[Linda Yueh @lindayueh]

Swiss Re has 14k employees; if any of them want to fly, they will need to have a good reason.
Internal carbon price means employees booking flight from London to NYC will have about $200 charged to biz unit’s cost centre if they fly economy or $600 for biz
https://t.co/S8ApxvQliL

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

This is @HSBC AM Responsbile Investing head Stuart Kirk’s speech. Basically, he feels predictions that “we are doomed” are overblown. He also doesn’t seem to care about the physical devastation to the planet b/c he thinks humans can adapt. Unbelievable.

https://t.co/UBXVG14Hcl

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

The UK Advertising Standards Authority looks prescient in accusing #HSBC of #greenwashing.

HSBC global head of responsible investing: “Who cares if Miami is six metres under water in 100 years? Let's get back to making money out of the transition.”

https://t.co/qRw1SRxzFW #ESG

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

LOL

[The Washington Post @washingtonpost]

It was the “decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq,” former president George W. Bush said, before quickly correcting himself, saying he meant to describe Putin’s war on Ukraine.

“Iraq, too, anyway,” he added.

https://t.co/Bq6nDIy328

[António Guterres @antonioguterres]

We cannot afford slow movers, fake movers, or any form of greenwashing, in our race against the climate crisis.

The transition to net-zero must be swift, credible, just and inclusive.

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

@Maureen_SY_Tai @writementor @StuartWhiteWM @LydiaRSilver @LitAgentClare @1adoyle Congrats, Maureen! 🎉🎉🎉

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

IIRC, this started after the Fukushima disaster. Offices and homes were asked to reduce A/C and other electricity use, neon signs were turned off, workers started coming to work in Aloha shirts. In the end, they exceeded the energy reduction target.

https://t.co/MuHnhB1XMq

[Akshat Rathi @AkshatRathi]

It's weird that the only rich country actively working on reducing demand for energy is Japan.

"Officials are urging residents to watch an hour less TV a day, switch off 'keep warm' on rice cookers, and refrain from using heater on toilet seats."
https://t.co/b2JaPuBh6G

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

People should understand that #ESG investing is mostly about financial returns, rather than saving the world. #Sustainability

[Javier Blas @JavierBlas]

The ESG-climate shareholder activist tide is receding:

BlackRock says that "many of the climate-related shareholder proposals coming to a vote in 2022 are more prescriptive or constraining on companies and may not promote long-term shareholder value."

https://t.co/KdirAvkq5Z

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

Many argue that divesting from Big Oil is essential to combat #ClimateChange but one of my #SustainableFinance students has taken a contrarian approach and bought shares in O&G companies. Here’s why:

https://t.co/NnD99bWNih

#Sustainability @followthis2015

[Simon Wong @SimonCYWong]

Same - congrats all the way from England!

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

I’m a Hawai’i kid, so I’ve got to congratulate the Rainbow Warriors for their back-to-back national volleyball championships! @HawaiiMensVB, you've made all of Hawai'i proud.