ESG Digest

In this issue: the economic cost of extreme heat in Europe, China's new renewables plan and the priorities set out for the COP31 agenda, plus regional news — EBRD and Green Climate Fund water projects in Central Asia, the GEF Assembly in Uzbekistan, and SME financing in Kazakhstan

In this issue: how escalation in the Middle East shook energy markets, the EU's softened ESG reporting rules and new 90% target for 2040, plus regional news — $1 billion a year from the World Bank for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan's carbon trading launch, and Uzbekistan's renewables push

In this issue: the key sustainability trends of 2026, how AI and data centres are reshaping the energy transition, the ISSB's easing of emissions reporting rules, plus $6 billion raised through the AIFC and a record drop in battery storage prices

This issue is devoted entirely to COP30: the world is on track for +2.8 °C, the energy transition is becoming one of addition rather than substitution, critical minerals have entered the negotiating agenda for the first time — and what all of it means for Central Asia

The first issue covers the EU's regulatory fatigue and ISO 17298, the first global biodiversity standard, renewables overtaking coal for the first time, a record $3.9 trillion in sustainable funds, and from the region — Uzbekistan's carbon unit registry, Kazakhstan's carbon neutrality roadmap, and its first climate stress test of banks