ESG remains an important issue in the mining and natural resources sector. Click here to listen to a podcast by Herbert Smith Freehills' Ernst Muller and Justine Sweet, both sustainable development and ESG law experts for the firm. Moderated by Sheila Khama, former CEO of De Beers Botswana, the discussion emphasises the importance of ESG, specific to the regulatory requirements.

Questions covered:

  1. Do you see ESG as primarily a legal, governance or an ethical matter?
  2. Is there an increase in laws that regulate climate change related matters?
  3. ESG reporting standards have been quite difficult to standardize so far. What is the solution?
  4. Where do we draw the line between carbon markets-related entrepreneurship and environmental preservation?
  5. What do we mean by greenwashing and why is it a problem for ESG?
  6. Does the absence of laws mean that the world's legal frameworks are behind when it comes to mitigating impacts of climate change?
  7. The growth of the carbon market and the absence of a single standard is problematic especially for countries trying to benefit from financial growth of these markets. What do we know about Africa's capacity to regulate such initiatives?

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