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.

BBVA illuminated the main building at its company headquarters in Madrid—La Vela—to mark the fifth anniversary of the launching of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). BBVA opted for the color blue of the United Nations flag to commemorate the date on which 193 countries adopted the 2030 Agenda at UN headquarters in New York.

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.

Today, international banks BBVA, BNP Paribas, ING, Société Générale and Standard Chartered (also known as ‘the Katowice Banks’) published a report on the application of the PACTA methodology, designed to steer their credit portfolios towards the objective of the Paris Climate Agreement. This report aims at helping banking peers to quickly understand and apply this methodology and thus publish comparable results.

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.

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.

The consequences of climate change are already so obvious, it is hard to deny the extreme situation the planet is facing a climate emergency situation. The growing number of natural disasters, outbreaks of forest fires, and the extinction of hundreds of species are some of the most alarming indications of a phenomenon that threatens the survival of the planet and with it, the human species.

BBVA has named the winner of its newly created Open Talent Award for Sustainability as Australian last mile start-up AgUnity.

After last week’s climate summit in New York, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the feasibility of fulfilling either the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda goals or hitting the 2050 carbon neutrality target. In an article written by BBVA Research’s Arturo Fraile, the economist warns that “time is running out, and progress must be made” because positive results are still on the distant horizon. In his opinion, financial regulation and supervision will be key to this unavoidable transition.

The extinction of species, the rise in temperatures and major natural disasters are some of the consequences of climate change. Countries and industries are aware and work to combat the planet’s accelerating pollution. Are there any viable solutions? According to some researches, using big data and machine learning could help drive energy efficiency, transforms industries such as the agriculture and find new eco-friendly construction materials.

• U.S. is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), making its involvement in the fight against climate change a matter of critical importance.
• Efforts outside the federal government could enable the U.S. to fulfill two-thirds of its commitment to reduce GHG emissions.

The United Nations warns about one of the most significant global issues facing humanity, as reflected in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: climate change and its impacts. “Without action, the world’s average surface temperature is likely to surpass 3ºC this century. The poorest and most vulnerable people are being affected the most.” BBVA’s approach to business is accompanied by a firm commitment to mitigating the effects caused by climate change and integrating them into its risk management model.