What’s in a Target? Investors Expect Significant Carbon Reductions from Real Estate Sector
Last week, PGGM Investments, a EUR190 billion Dutch pension fund, announced that over the next 5 years, it is seeking a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from its investments in real estate – both listed property companies and private equity real estate funds. This is the world upside down: typically corporates make announcements for energy […]
The Healthy Building Movement: Impact on People, Planet, and Profit
Rising temperatures not only increase energy use, but also result in accelerated rates of heat-related illness and death. These concerns are especially relevant in urban areas, which often struggle to mitigate the impacts of heat island effect— a phenomenon where more urbanized areas are hotter than surrounding rural areas.
Real Estate Lending and ESG: Observations from the 2015 GRESB Debt Survey
Over the past three months, I’ve been speaking with real estate debt fund managers about the new GRESB Debt Survey, an assessment designed to evaluate and benchmark, but also, to guide, the sustainability engagement and performance of real estate lenders. Recognized as “at least a decade behind the equity side of real estate,” sustainability integration […]