FRIDAY 1 JUL 2022 4:25 PM

COVERAGE OF CLIMATE FINANCE AND ESG SURGES BY 50% ANNUALLY, ACCORDING TO COGNITO REPORT

A Cognito report shows that media reportage on ESG and sustainable finance has soared over past year, with Bloomberg and South China Morning Post leading the trend.

A report released by communication agency Cognito shows that media coverage of climate transition, sustainable finance and ESG is soaring.

The findings are indicative of the current pressures on companies to better communicate tangible corporate action behind climate transition and the drive to net zero.

It shows that mentions of ESG and sustainable finance grew over 50% in major media outlets in 2021. Mentions of the term ‘climate transition’ rose by 135% over the same period, with large increases in relation to the banking, insurance, and energy sectors.

In 2021, press coverage of the main solutions behind the net zero transition, such as carbon allowances and offsets to hydrogen, were found to have risen by more than 50%.  

“We see an opening for companies and institutions to tell increasingly granular and authentic roles about their role in the transition,” says Charlie Morrow, Director at Cognito and Sustainability Practice Leader.

Publications with the greatest increase in climate transition solutions coverage include Bloomberg, rising by 228%; South China Morning Post, rising by 330%; and the Financial Times, rising by 40%. Coverage by the Wall Street Journal remained flat.

Solutions receiving the most coverage include carbon allowances and offset, rising by 378%; natural capital, rising by 113%; and hydrogen, rising by 68%.

Director at Cognito’s London office, Jon Schubin, says: “This report is designed as a guide for creating the dialogue that leads to meaningful change in the financial industry and beyond.”