Green Bonds & ESG
First Environment has been a leader in green financial assurance, including being the first verification body in North America to receive the Climate Bonds Standard Board’s approval as a Climate Bond verifier. We provide external reviews of green debt offerings to capital market guidelines (Green Bonds Principles) and new global standards. Our experts have conducted dozens of green bond external reviews, including assessments of over $33 billion in project assets spanning mass transit, wastewater treatments, biofuels production, recreational parks, and green infrastructure. In addition, our team participated in the development of current ISO standards on green bonds, green loans, global taxonomy, and third-party verification (ISO 14030 series). This knowledge base forms the foundation of our external reviews, which include both second-party opinions and third-party verifications.
In the area of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) consulting, First Environment provides ESG data visualization, climate action planning, and ESG strategy development. We have experience assessing ESG data and developing dashboards that summarize physical and financial climate-related risks as well as social and economic information. We help organizations navigate and develop strategies to address climate disclosure and environmental justice based on emerging state and federal guidance.
Areas of Expertise:
- Environmental impact assessment
- Green bond risk assessment and management
- Gap analysis and readiness assessments
- Climate Bond Standards conformance
- Litigation support
- International environmental program review
- Presentations and educational workshops
- Green bond framework development
- Climate Bond Standard verification (pre- and post-issuance)
- Climate action planning, including engineering cost/benefit analysis
- ESG data visualization