On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, the European Bank for Reconstructionand Development (EBRD) recently held a conference on climate change. Ebru Dildar Edin, Executive Vice President of Garanti BBVA explained how the BBVA Turkish Unit’s climate related strategic decision have helped itstrengthen its position against eventual crises.

BBVA has published an update of its report on the risks and opportunities of climate change in accordance with the Task Force Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) standard, with data as of December 2020. This report reflects BBVA's progress in sustainability. Since its first publication in October 2020, it has already incorporated climate risk into the management of all the bank's businesses and its commitment to accompany customers towards a more sustainable future.

The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, released a letter today, calling on the G7 and other world leaders to support a just transition. BBVA Chairman Carlos Torres Vila, the sole representative of a Spanish bank, has signed, together with 78 other CEOs or heads of large global companies, a declaration whose objective is to promote the contribution of the private sector in the fight against climate change.

The BBVA Chairman believes that 2020 has been a turning point in the drive for sustainability. He explained that climate change and decarbonisation represent not only a risk but also an enormous opportunity for both the economy and for banks. Firstly, because of the investments involved, and secondly, because of the importance of advising customers on their ecological transition. "Banks are moving fast to tackle this change head on, involving the whole organisation, because sustainability and climate change affect all businesses".

BBVA Chairman Carlos Torres Vila stressed today that the energy transition poses a great opportunity because many existing activities will see enormous growth as new activities will emerge. “Spain has a competitive advantage in the energy transition,” he said. “We have the natural resource - the new oil, which is the sun and the wind,” he added during his presentation on the second day of Wake up Spain, the energy transition symposium organized by El Español, Invertia and D+I.

ESG criteria refer to environmental, social and corporate governance factors that are taken into account when investing in a company. Although their origin dates back several decades, they have become a reference for socially responsible investing in recent years.

BBVA has updated its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy with several new additions following the recommendations of Spain’s financial market regulator, the CNMV, and the bank’s growing commitment to its role in sustainable banking.  Furthermore, BBVA’s Board of Directors also approved the General Policy on Sustainability, which defines and establishes the general principles, main objectives and guidelines for the management and control of the Group in terms of sustainable development, with the aim of striking a balance among economic development, social development and environmental protection.

BBVA commits to reporting ESG metrics, as part of the Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism initiative, adopted by 61 member companies of the Davos World Economic Forum and a group of top executives who are part of its International Business Council (IBC).

BBVA, which recently launched its line of business ‘Quantitative Investment Strategies’ (QIS) for institutional investors, has augmented its first QIS index family specialized in sustainability, with the incorporation of two pioneering climate indexes of its own creation: ‘Solactive BBVA Climate Action PAB Europe’ and  ‘Solactive BBVA Climate Action CTB Europe’.

The BBVA Foundation distinguishes Neil Adger, Ian Burton and Karen O’Brien with a with a Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category for the contributions of their studies on social adaptation to climate change. This social perspective transforms a paradigm of research and action that was previously limited to the curbing of greenhouse gas emissions

December 4 is the International Day of Banks. This year we must also celebrate that there are already 200 banks, including BBVA —which is among the founders— that have signed the Principles of Responsible Banking declaration. Together, they form the largest international coalition of financial institutions working together to integrate sustainability at the heart of their businesses and to align this with their commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals.

BBVA has announced its progress in its climate change strategy with the publication of its sustainability policy and its first report on the risks and opportunities associated with climate change according to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) standard. This report entails the incorporation of climate risks in the management of all of BBVA’s businesses and the entity's commitment to accompany its clients in the journey toward a more sustainable future.

The Glasgow Climate Change Conference, which was planned for November, will have to wait until 2021 due to the pandemic. The global problems that existed prior to the arrival of COVID-19, which are still affecting the planet and will have an impact in the future, have not disappeared. The climate crisis cannot wait and remains a central topic on the agenda of all main actors - from governments and non-profits to the private sector. The upcoming preparatory meetings in London and Paris are proof that the organization is continuing its roadmap to remind us of just how much the planet has at risk.

Over the course of the last decade, a number of global financial banks – including BBVA- have aligned with the recommendations on non-financial reporting and disclosures issued by different international organizations. Including, the Financial Stability Board and its recommendations through the Climate-Related Financial Disclosures Working Group (TCFD), the UN Environment Programme - Financie Initiative (UNEP FI), or the different national legislations . These suggestions are intended to help companies raise awareness about their environmental commitment by including and disclosing information on climate related risks and opportunities.

On September 25, 2015, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, representatives from 193 countries approved the Agenda 2030. Pivotal to the agenda, the UN defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets – which were announced during the signing ceremony – that address a broad range of issues, from extreme poverty to climate change, and promote both education quality and gender equality, peace or responsible consumption. To commemorate the occasion, BBVA lit up in blue (in homage to the United Nations) its flagship La Vela building in its corporate headquarters in Madrid.

CDP, the world's leading environmental information platform, celebrates a decade in Turkey. Garanti BBVA is one of the platform’s key partners in the country. The organization recently held the 'Turkish CDP Climate Leadership' award conference to recognize the environmental efforts of the country’s businesses.

Ebru Dildar Edin, Vice President of Garanti BBVA, participated in a talk organized by Turkey’s Business Council for Sustainable Development (SKD Türkiye) to discuss the social challenges following the coronavirus pandemic.

After the simultaneous paralysis of society and numerous economies around the globe resulting from efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, opinions on the relationship between the virus and climate change — how the pandemic is causing a global drop of pollution levels  — have been manifold. In the longer term backdrop there is an additional school of thought that is associating global warming with the emergence of new viruses that could represent future threats akin to that of SARS-CoV-2. How is climate change affecting the virulence, emergence, and re-emergence of viral threats?

Climate emergency is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Besides transport, the agro-livestock or heavy industry sectors are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Our digital activity, linked to our traceable digital footprint, also contributes to our carbon footprint.

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP),  the world’s main platform for environmental information, has included BBVA in its “category A-”, consisting of leading companies in the fight against climate change. The bank has improved its rating in the past three years and is now in the top category: Leadership (A).

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, warns that his asset management company (the world's largest) will take action against investee companies that do not consider sustainability. "We will be increasingly disposed to vote against management and board directors when companies are not making sufficient progress," he warns in his annual letter to the CEOs of the world's leading companies.

The BBVA Foundation has honored "the fundamental contributions" of American researcher Kerry Emanuel to understanding the essential physics of hurricanes with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category. The twelfth edition of the awards has recognized the pioneer work of this professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for being the first to link this phenomenon with the warming of sea surface waters driven by climate change.

Held in Madrid and with Chile presiding, COP25, has come to an end following nearly two weeks of intense debate, the presentation of reports on the threats of climate change and proposals to tackle the different challenges.

Year 2050: 300 (270–340) million people today live on land indicated as vulnerable to an annual flood event. According to a report by Nature Communications, at the current rate of global warming and Antarctic ice sheet instability, estimates of vulnerability to sea-level rise and coastal flooding triple for Asia, to a greater extent, but also European Mediterranean countries.

The rise in the global temperature has negative effects on the planet - effects that are difficult to revert in some cases. Increasing frequent heat waves, devasating fires - like the recent fires in California - and natural disasters like tropical cyclones, floods and droughts, have had an enormous impact on the environment and socioeconomic development.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç stated that: “Today, more than ever, banks play an important role in addressing the sustainability challenge.” In his opinion, “Only banks can play a central role in  distributing the resources, which is a key part of the climate change challenge.” The executive made these remarks at the 15th IESE Banking Industry.

BBVA participated at a conference in Luxembourg organized by United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). During the forum, which coincided with the start of the Climate Summit in Madrid, BBVA laid out its strategy to help its customers transition toward a low-carbon economy and integrate climate risks into their decision-making.

Economists’ warnings about global warming are nothing new; their voices join those of scientists, ecologists, and international organizations. There are many Nobel Prize winners among those raising the alarm.

"Impact investing has made traction and is now fundamental to addressing the significant objectives related to sustainability. At a time like now, when all of us are experiencing the impact of the climate emergency, this type of asset is all the more relevant. It is undeniable: sustainability requires impact investing.” Lidia del Pozo, BBVA's Director of Community Investment Programs, said these words at the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA)’s 15th annual conference in The Hague.