Reports

 26 May 2026 – A report by CISL’s Banking Environment Initiative (BEI) outlines an approach to embed physical risk, insurance, and resilience into financial decision-making.  Download the Resilience-Adjusted Credit Risk report: About The report, developed by CISL’s Banking Environment Initiative (BEI), highlights how physical climate risk is accele…

14 April 2026 – The world faces a global nature crisis, which is impacting the real economy and its key actors including businesses, governments and financial institutions. The global economy must take account of nature, which underpins its resilience and long-term stability. This requires a transition to a nature positive economy and to new busine…

9 April 2026 - This paper examines why international private climate finance is not flowing at scale to green development opportunities in Africa that appear commercially viable, and what will be required to change that. Download the reportThis report from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) explores how Afric…

23 March 2026 -  This report sets out how the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) supports innovation with the potential to reshape markets, and the impact of this work over the past five years.Download the reportAboutAcross sectors, markets are being reshaped by structural pressures linked to climate change, natu…

18 March 2026 - ClimateWise has published a new briefing outlining how insurability is one of the earliest signals of whether assets, sectors, and entire economies can survive the accelerating impacts of physical climate risk.Download the full briefingInsurability represents a threshold where insurance is available and affordable. When this signal …

11 March 2026 - Environmental and social risks are compounding across economies and portfolios, yet most risk frameworks assess them in isolation. This report provides a practical, systems-based approach to help investors understand how these interconnected risks amplify financial exposure – particularly in high-impact sectors like agrifood – and o…

5 February 2026 – As citizens across G7 countries are losing belief in the future, leaders face increasing difficulty in taking bold action on climate change and nature loss. A new report, produced by CISL and Zero Ideas, explores how to rebuild public support by restoring human progress as a motivating vision, one that resonates with citizens, pro…

3 February 2026 - The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review for 2025 reveals momentum building on transition plans and a culture of continued improvement, despite a complex external environment.Download the ClimateWise Principles Independent ReviewAboutThe ClimateWise Principles have provided a framework for the insurance industry to disclose c…

Dr. Nina Seega – Director, Centre for Sustainable Finance, CISL, said: “In a year marked by a global recalibration of sustainability reporting, it is encouraging to see the insurance industry moving forward with quiet determination. Seeing such a strong baseline in our first-ever assessment of transition plans is particularly heartening. It shows t…

28 January 2026 - This report sets out examples of how CISL has worked over the past year with leaders and innovators across business, finance and government to shape the markets of the future.Download the report.About2025 was the year sustainability stopped sitting comfortably in the world of global goals, models of change, flagship projects, glos…

27 January 2026 – This paper reviews South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency and assesses how it advanced a Global South–led development agenda amid global geopolitical fragmentation and constrained cooperation. Download the paperThis report from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) examines South Africa’s performan…

11 December 2025 – In an age of turbulence, effective leadership uses the energy and opportunity of disruption to create more thriving economies, societies and futures. This report updates the Leadership Capabilities for the 21st Century framework, published in 2023. It both incorporates feedback on its application in practice since publishing and …

4 December 2025 - A new report by ClimateWise provides a framework for insurers to drive co-ordinated governance to address financial system vulnerabilitiesDownload the reportAboutClimateWise has published a new report outlining the critical role of insurers in advancing systemic risk governance.The research warns that whilst physical climate impac…

21 October 2025 – This paper explores how country-led investment platforms in Africa can align development, climate and finance priorities through transformational leadership. Download the paperThis paper from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) analyses the emergence of country-led investment platforms as mec…

6 October 2025 – A primer by CISL and A-Track partners examines what financial institutions can already do – today – to scale action on nature Download the reportAboutNature (positive) finance is often narrowly perceived only as nature conservation finance, or ‘financing green’ with low financial returns, making it unsuitable and unattractive for p…