Knowledge and Insight

The last 12 months delivered many shocks to the markets, but positive news emerged towards the end of the year with COP27 and COP15 summits reiterating the urgent need to halt the climate crisis and to protect and enhance natural habitats for a more sustainable future.

After a few days of reflection following a historic agreement being reached at COP15 to reverse nature loss this decade, our stewardship and engagement lead, Sophie Lawrence shares her five key takeaways from the global biodiversity conference.

With more positive news on inflation, markets enjoyed some gains in November, but China’s economy continues to suffer from the effects of Covid. While there were some promising climate-related outcomes from COP27, the progress made on cutting emissions was viewed as disappointing.

Nicola Day reflects on the key takeaways from COP27.

Rathbone Greenbank were delighted to sponsor the 2022 Natural Capital Finance and Investment Conference in Edinburgh. 

Rathbone Greenbank and Rathbones were delighted to support the 2022 Durrell Lecture.

October saw rising inflation, high interest rates and continued volatility of the pound, culminating in the appointment of both a new Prime Minister and a new Chancellor. We wait to see how they intend to manage the economy in the planned Autumn statement later in November.

Greenbank’s stewardship and engagement lead Sophie Lawrence hosted a live lunchtime webinar which looked in detail at the topical issue of how diverse income streams can be generated from nature restoration and rewilding projects.

Professor Corinna Hawkes, Director of the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London considers what it would take to achieve healthy diets for all and explains why everyone has a role to play in bringing about the necessary systemic changes.

Judith Batchelar OBE, Director of Food Matters International shows that what the world is producing is not necessarily what the world should be eating. She highlights how the food that is produced is not just a greenhouse gas emission challenge, but also a nutrition and health challenge, and considers what is needed for the necessary changes to occur at pace and scale.

Sophie Lawrence, stewardship and engagement lead for Rathbone Greenbank Investments, looks at the impact of the food system on public health and nutrition, and why investors should consider not just the risks and opportunities within the food system, but also the moral imperative of acting to mitigate and manage these social and environmental impacts.

Henry Dimbleby, author of the National Food Strategy (an independent review for the UK government) talks to Sophie Lawrence about why he believes that the food system is the single biggest cause of environmental destruction and biodiversity loss, and one of the two biggest contributors to climate change - and what government, companies and shareholders can do to bring about change.