About

Nick joined the Grantham Research Institute in February 2018 as Professor in Practice for Sustainable Finance. Nick leads the sustainable finance research theme. The focus of his work is on how to mobilise finance for climate action in ways that support a just transition, promoting the role of central banks and regulators in achieving sustainable development and investigating how the financial system can support the restoration of nature.

Nick is author of The Road to Net Zero Finance for the UK’s Climate Change Committee and co-founder of the Financing the Just Transition Alliance and is also a Commissioner on Scotland’s Just Transition Commission. He leads the finance platform for the Place-based Climate Action Network, and is co-chair of the International Network for  Sustainable Finance Policy Insights, Research and Exchange (INSPIRE).

Background

From 2014 to 2018, Nick was co-director of UN Environment’s Inquiry into a Sustainable Finance System. As part of this, Nick established the Sustainable Insurance Forum of regulators and the Financial Centres for Sustainability network, as well as leading country activities in Brazil, the EU, India, Italy and the UK.

Before joining UNEP, he was Head of the Climate Change Centre of Excellence at HSBC. Prior to HSBC, Nick was head of Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) funds at Henderson Global Investors. Nick has also worked at the International Institute for Environment and Development, the European Commission and the Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Nick is co-founder of Carbon Tracker and also co-founder of Planet Tracker. Nick has published widely and is the author of The Corporation that Changed the World: How the East India Company Shaped the Modern Multinational‘ (2005) and co-editor of Sustainable Investing: the Art of Long-Term Performance (2008). He is currently working on an ecological history of England and a book on finance, climate change and justice. He has a BA in History from Cambridge University and an MSc in International Relations from LSE.

Research

Research - 2022

Policy

Policy - 2024

Policy - 2023

Policy - 2022

This Final Report provides the conclusions of the NGFS-INSPIRE Study Group on Biodiversity and Financial Stability on the scale of the threats from 'biodiversity-related risk' to the global financial system, reviews the actions that central banks, supervisors and other financial actors are already taking in response, identifies policy options for evaluating and mitigating financial risks arising from biodiversity loss and makes recommendations for near-term action. Read more

Policy - 2021

This report is intended as a stocktake of the current context for central bank and financial supervisory action on biodiversity loss. It sets out the state of understanding on the linkages between biodiversity-related risks and financial stability, provides examples of emerging central bank and private finance activity, and identifies key themes, challenges and open questions. Read more

This report sets out a framework of just transition expectations that investors can use in conducting due diligence and assessments of companies, engaging with portfolio holdings and allocating capital. The framework is based on international standards and emerging practice and is applied to five companies in the European electric utilities sector. Read more

Policy - 2020

Banks need to show how they are aligning their balance sheets with the UK’s net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target, how they are enabling households and companies to become climate-resilient, and how the transition can be steered so that it is fair and inclusive. This report presents research findings and recommendations for how to achieve these aims. Read more

This is a response to the Bank of England's discussion paper, 'The 2021 biennial exploratory scenario on the financial risks from climate change'. The response has been prepared by authors from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE, the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London, and the University of Edinburgh Business School. Read more

In advance of the Budget, this policy report highlights areas of the UK economy where the public sector could leverage private investment and in so doing contribute to achieving the strategic priorities of regionally balanced growth and decarbonisation. Read more

Policy - 2019

This report sets out the role that investors can play in delivering a just transition in the UK as the country works towards net-zero emissions, illustrating the implications through a set of place-based examples from Yorkshire and the Humber and setting out recommendations for investor action. Read more

In the first report from the Investing in a Just Transition UK project, the authors explore the extent of the challenge to ensure that action on climate change supports an inclusive economy in the UK, efforts that are already underway, and what actions investors can take. It includes a regional case study of Yorkshire and the Humber. Read more

Policy - 2018

Books

Books - 2022

Events

Events - 2021

Events - 2020

Events - 2019

News

News - 2024

News - 2023

This episode of the Talking Responsibly Podcast with Adam Matthews and Kaisie Rayner features Nick Robins discussing the Just Transition what role investors should play, examples of best practice and who needs to be in the room when Just Transition dialogues are happening. Read more

News - 2022

In this TV panel discussion, for Asset.tv, Nick Robins discusses the importance of a Just Transition to net zero for investors. He is joined on the panel by Faith Ward (Chief Responsible Investment Officer Brunel Pension Partnership & Chair, IIGCC) and Annika Brouwer (Sustainability Specialist, Ninety One). Read more

News - 2021

News - 2020

As the financial system gears up for the COP26 UN climate summit in November, leaders of financial institutions will need to know the answer to two questions: what is your temperature score and how will you bring it down to 1.5°C as soon as possible? Nick Robins looks at the progress being made. Read more

News - 2019

Sustainable finance ended 2018 on a high. Never before has so much capital been committed to integrating environmental, social and governance factors. But financial markets also entered an unnerving cycle. If we are not careful, growing financial turbulence could divert attention away from the urgent need to scale up investment in climate action and sustainable development, writes Nick Robins. Read more

News - 2018

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