Certificate of Sustainable Finance for Professionals

Synopsis:

Given an increase in investors’ appetite in responsible investments, sustainable finance has seen
exponential growth in popularity in the past decade. Organisations are facing the challenge of having to maintain short-term profitability while simultaneously building a more sustainable future.

This module provides participants with an overview of sustainable finance. Participants will learn how to integrate ESG into their investments, the spectrum of sustainable finance products, and investment
frameworks.

Learning objectives:
At the end of the module, participants will:

• Understand the current situation of resource consumption and grasp the concepts of planetary boundaries and Doughnut Economics
• Gain a thorough understanding of global biodiversity resources and their impact on agriculture
• Be able to explain the knock-on effects that climate change, biodiversity loss, and humanity have on natural resources
• Be able to describe current resourcing challenges and its socio-economic impacts
• Explore potential solutions to resourcing issues, such as climate-smart agriculture and natural resource management
• Have the ability to conduct environmental impact assessments

Synopsis:

This course will provide a systematic understanding of China’s environmental and climate policies. It
will first examine China’s major environmental and climate issues, including indoor and outdoor air
pollution, water shortage and pollution, soil pollution, waste management, desertification & deforestation, climate change, energy transition and carbon neutrality. The organization of China’s environmental and climate governance will then be explored.

Environmental/climate goals, policymaking and implementation will be investigated to understand their roles, challenges and solutions in China’s specific context. Major policy instruments will also be introduced to tackle those environmental and climate issues in reality.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of the module, participants will:

• Comprehensively understand China’s major environmental and climate issues, their past trajectories, current statuses and potential future scenarios;
• Recognize China’s organization of environmental and climate governance, the relationship between the central and local governments, and the functions of environmental authorities;
• Discern the roles of goals and policies in China, policy making and implementation, their challenges and solutions;
• Systematically investigate major environmental and climate policy instruments in domestic practice and international treaties, their effectiveness and efficiency.

Synopsis:

In recent years, to deal with pressure from investors, regulators and other stakeholders on the ESG issues. there has been a movement towards the “standardization” of ESG reporting standards for enhanced transparency. In this course, participants will learn about the basics of ESG reporting, including the key ESG metrics and reporting frameworks, as well as the regulatory landscape surrounding ESG reporting.

Meanwhile, there is also a global trend of ESG investing that has led to the demand for ESG ratings. Investors rely on these rating providers for scores that can help them assess and compare company performance. This module will also cover the basics of ESG rating, the importance of ESG in today’s business landscape, and how ESG can be used to inform investment decisions.

Learning objectives:
At the end of the module, participants will:

• Obtain knowledge of supply chain carbon footprints in key industries
• Learn to assess and manage sustainability-related risks in supply chains
• Understand the importance of supply chain transparency
• Develop an understanding of how to operate a sustainable supply chain through supplier management
• Gain an understanding of what a circular economy is and its importance
• Understand the relevant frameworks for a circular economy
• Learn how to integrate supply chain sustainability and circular economy concepts into business strategies