In 2010, Duke Energy adopted its first carbon dioxide emissions reduction target – it planned to reduce emissions 17% below the 2005 levels by 2020. The Clean Power Plan (CPP) was finalised in 2015 by the US Environmental Protection Agency, targeting power generation emissions reductions of 32% by 2030 relative to 2005. The Supreme Court stayed the CPP’s requirements in early 2016 and it was never implemented.

Reflecting our engagement requests, Centrica has set ambitious targets for the reduction of the emissions of its customers, which comprise over 90% of the emissions associated with its business, together with a commitment to set a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Since the introduction of Japan’s Stewardship Code in 2014 and the Corporate Governance Code in 2015, dialogue between investors and Japanese companies has become more common and the governance of many companies has improved. However, many challenges remain and progress in some areas has been slow.

Millennials are changing the investment market.

How does gender bias manifest itself in the business environment?

The award-winning study ‘ESG shareholder engagement and downside risk’, which uses engagement data from Hermes EOS, reveals that companies that are successfully engaged by EOS exhibit a lower risk profile, particularly when environmental issues are tackled.