Call for Papers
Special issue on ESG Investments in East and Southeast Asia
As the issues of climate changes, and its impact on the unusual and abnormal weather changes brought about increase in global temperature and heavy downpour of rain, debate in Cop26 and Cop27 have focused the minds of scientists and world leaders alike to formulate solution to achieve the target of Securing global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach, Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats, and mobilise at least $100bn in climate finance per year by 2020, adopted at Cop26.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 closed on 20 November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, had reached a breakthrough agreement to provide “loss and damage” funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters. Known as the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, highlights that a global transformation to a low-carbon economy is expected to require investments of at least USD 4-6 trillion a year. Delivering such funding will require a swift and comprehensive transformation of the financial system and its structures and processes, engaging governments, central banks, commercial banks, institutional investors, and other financial actors. So where are these money coming from
Traditionally, investors focused on the rate of return and project risk to make investment decisions. However, with the introduction of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the adoption of ESG goals, many institutional investors, especially in developed countries, now consider three factors for investment allocations: rate of return, risk, and ESG goals. The lack of a clear ESG definition and measurement indicators distorts investments. Variable growth of ESG sectors creates unbalanced growth and further problems.
In East and Southeast Asia and particularly in developing countries, the public sector cannot fill the vast ESG investment gap. The private sector’s limited ESG interest is due to their low return rate, especially for long-term projects. This means an active financial sector is needed to meet ESG goals. Policymakers must look for solutions to incentivize ESG projects and accelerate private investments.
This special issue aims to provide several empirical, theoretical, and case study approaches on ways to fill the ESG investment gap in East and Southeast Asia. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Opportunities for ESG investment
- Role of governments and fiscal policies in accelerating ESG investments
- Ways to assess and mitigate the risk of ESG investments
- Role of banks and non-banking financial institutions in ESG investments
- Financial management and ESG investments
- Green bonds, carbon taxation, and green rating and ESG investments
- Innovative and market-based instruments for ESG investments
- The issues of greenwashing and steps to prevent it in ESG investment
- ESG investment policy design and effectiveness evaluation
- Public support for investments in ESG projects during and post- pandemic
- Role of new technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain) to support ESG investments
- Abstract Submission Deadline: February 28, 2023. The deadline is not extendable.
- Acceptance: Accepted abstract authors will be notified by March 10, 2023. Accepted abstract authors will be invited to present their full papers at a conference to be jointly organized by Tokai University, the University of Kitakyushu, the University of Oxford, and World Scientific (publisher) at The University of Kitakyushu, in Kitakyushu, Japan.
- Date of the conference (hybrid): May 12, 2023. Accepted papers will be published by World Scientific in an edited book volume or will be invited for submission to a special issue of the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management.
Guest Editor:
Dr. Troy Sternberg
University of Oxford, UK
troy.sternberg@geog.ox.ac.uk