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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Christian Elliott @christianelliott.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

New paper in @internatltheory.bsky.social! In 2020-23, nearly every major financial company worldwide was pledging to reach net zero. By 2024-25, many bailed as political backlash ramped up. Why were net-zero norms so weak? In the paper, I argue that companies were caught in a "hype cycle"

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

If you’re interested in green finance, accounting, or the politics of numbers, this one’s for you. Many thanks to @mattkranke.bsky.social & Malcolm Campbell-Verduyn for putting together the special issue! 7/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Our argument: Green accounting works less as a solution than as a political economy of delay; a temporary socio-ecological fix. 6/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

This doesn’t mean green accounting is irrelevant. Its effects are real: – producing urgency – mobilising expertise – creating new institutions – sustaining the sense that economies are in the process of fixing themselves. 5/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Despite these differences, they face a similar structural problem. Across all three, green accounting struggles to wrestle with the conventional accounting infrastructure (GDP, financial reporting, valuation logics). It circles the core infrastructure rather than transforming it. 4/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

We distinguish three major green accounting agendas: 1. Biophysical accounting since the 1980s 2. Natural capital accounting since the 1990s 3. Nature-related risk accounting since the 2010s Different actors, different logics, different arenas. 3/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

In the past few yeaes, green accounting is repeatedly sold as revolutionary. Yet novelty is often exaggerated. Green accounting has existed since the 1970s–80s, involving heterogeneous communities of actors with very different political projects and expectations. 2/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

New open-access paper out (with Valérie Boisvert) in @econsocjournal.bsky.social , as part of this great special issue! Read it here: shorturl.at/L2Ui8 Core question: If conventional accounting is a growth infrastructure, then what exactly are the different forms of green accounting? A short 🧵 1/7

tandfonline.com

Fixing the ecological crisis: The promises and pitfalls of green accounting infrastructures

Accounting was designed to facilitate economic growth and, as such, tends to reinforce dynamics that are harmful to the environment. Promoted today as a corrective, green accounting is often portra...

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

BISA - British International Studies Association @mybisa.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

'Failure-proof or failure-prone? The paradoxes of global biodiversity institutions' 🌳 Review of International Studies article & video abstract by Sylvain Maechler co-authored w/ Jacqueline Best 🎉 Read and watch here! 👉 ow.ly/2jmh50XBOSk Environment and Climate Politics Working Group

Peaceful garden walkway with trees leading to a historic building.

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

These strategies make institutions appear failure-proof, because they can always show progress: reports, conferences, new metrics, bigger networks. But they also make them failure-prone, because they distract from the deeper failures of biodiversity governance. 6/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Displacement happens when the work of creating biodiversity-related indicators and metrics becomes the main activity itself within these institutions. 5/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

To cope with this discomfort, they rely on two strategies: diversion and displacement. Diversion creates decoy activities that give the impression of progress — what we call governing by showing. 4/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Drawing on the sociology of expertise, we show how they confront two forms of uncomfortable knowledge in biodiversity governance: 1️⃣ that three decades of efforts to “make biodiversity pay for itself” have largely failed, and 2️⃣ that biodiversity governance continues to fall short of its goals. 3/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

We examine two recent institutions: 1️⃣ the European Business and Nature Platform, which brings businesses together around “valuing nature” 2️⃣ the Network for Greening the Financial System, a coalition of central banks and financial supervisors measuring the financial risks of biodiversity loss 2/7

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Why do global environmental institutions multiply and persist even when they seem unable to address biodiversity loss and environmental governance failures effectively? Our new OA article with @jacquelinebest.bsky.social in @risjnl.bsky.social tries to answer this question. 1/7 cup.org/4hZNlcX

cup.org

Failure-proof or failure-prone? The paradoxes of global biodiversity institutions | Review of International Studies | Cambridge Core

Failure-proof or failure-prone? The paradoxes of global biodiversity institutions

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Looking great! Really excited for the panel I’m organising on biodiversity finance, featuring great papers by Klaudia Prodani @kprodani.bsky.social , Maud Borie, Roelien van der Wel, and co-authors like Natascha van der Zwan @nataschavanderzwan.bsky.social

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

After 1.5 fantastic years in Ottawa @cepi-cips.bsky.social with @jacquelinebest.bsky.social, I’m excited to continue my postdoc in Switzerland at @gvagrad-ggc.bsky.social, pursuing my research on the int. political economy of green finance & teaching global environmental politics! shorturl.at/fMnIH

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Sylvain Maechler

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Monica DiLeo @monicadileo.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

New (open access!) paper out now with Eric Helleiner and Hongying Wang in New Political Economy: "A less reluctant (green) Atlas? Explaining the People’s Bank of China’s distinctive environmental shift" 1/ A brief thread 🧵 doi.org/10.1080/1356...

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Valentina Ausserladscheider @vapunkt.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

👇Same here👆

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Looking forward to participating and presenting our paper with @christianelliott.bsky.social on nature risk scenarios!

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Environmental Politics @environmentalpol.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

New article! This review surveys the state of knowledge regarding central bank activity on climate change, and argues that there is considerable indeterminacy in the trajectory of this activity & its potential to contribute to effective climate action. doi.org/10.1080/0964...

Authors: Jacqueline Best, Matthew Paterson, Ilias Alami, Daniel Bailey, Sarah Bracking, Jeremy Green, Eric Helleiner, James Jackson, Paul Langley, Sylvain Maechler, John Morris, Stine Quorning, Adrienne Roberts, Jens van’t Klooster, Robert Watt and Stanley Wilshire.
Abstract: In this article, we survey the literature on central bank action on climate change, focusing particularly on how the combined crises of COVID-19, inflation, and Ukraine have affected this action. We argue that the current situation is a critical juncture in which recent crises have created a highly indeterminate situation regarding what central banks might do regarding climate change. To date, some central banks have used these crises as opportunities for expanding their role while others have succumbed to pressure to withdraw from climate action. We explore three dynamics that generate this openness to various potential trajectories for climate action...

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

I’m thrilled to see this article published with a fantastic group of scholars!

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Thank you very much Klaudia, it's super interesting and useful!

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Ryan Katz-Rosene, PhD @ryankatzrosene.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Huzzah! My latest book is now published! It offers an introduction to the contemporary debate about the relationship between growth and environmental sustainability. I have a few free copies I can send students and ECRs - if you want to enter the draw, reply with 🙋🙋‍♀️🙋🏻‍♂️ elgaronline.com/view/book/97...

elgaronline.com

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Jens van 't Klooster 💸💸💸 @jvtk.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

A quick summary 🧵 ! 🌍🌍🌍 @kprodani.bsky.social and I make two new claims, provocatively stated: (i) Quantifying climate transition risk is easy, biodiversity is not (ii) The most recent regulatory strategies entirely escape the "risk-based approach" said to dominate prudential policy. /1

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

For early birds at the @isanet.bsky.social Chicago, come tomorrow morning for our presentation on Biodiversity Scenarios and Climate’s (Un)Learned Lessons with @christianelliott.bsky.social Other great papers including from @krdgnydn.bsky.social

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Kardelen Günaydin @krdgnydn.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

A week prior to Trump's inauguration the Federal Reserve quit the Network for Greening the Financial System, the NGFS. I wrote about what the NGFS is and what they promote within the green central banking debates for PPE Sydney.

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Many thanks to @jacquelinebest.bsky.social, @jcgraz.bsky.social, Anna Leander, and Lucile Maertens for the support!

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

I’m thrilled to share this news from the latest Research Bulletin that my @snsf-ch.bsky.social postdoc return grant has been accepted! I’ll be staying for a year from June 2025 at the @gvagrad.bsky.social Global Governance Centre to continue my work on central banks & global environmental governance

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Excited to share my latest research on the emergence of nature-related risks in finance and their impact on global biodiversity governance at the University of Ottawa in two weeks!

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Jacqueline Best @jacquelinebest.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

I’m very excited to have this open access article out in @ripejournal.bsky.social ! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

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Reposted by Sylvain Maechler

Christian Elliott @christianelliott.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Building a starter pack on climate change and finance. It's limited to who I know is on bluesky—help me fill in the gaps! go.bsky.app/8XqqNtg

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

I just added this article to our shared Drive a few days ago! Looking forward to discussing it.

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

And it has now secured a permanent home in Volume 30, Issue 4, December 2024 of @ejir.bsky.social !

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

With Biodiversity COP 16 far behind and Climate COP 29 now underway, here’s a good summary of the former: shorturl.at/I6iPu. Loved this reported quote: “In 2010, they killed the idea of biodiversity credits. Nobody thought they would come back like a zombie.”

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COP16: Key outcomes agreed at the UN biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia - Carbon Brief

The COP16 biodiversity summit came to an abrupt halt after countries failed to reach consensus...

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 02/02/2024

As we explain, “decisions and actions in times of ecological crisis must be taken, but given the situation of true uncertainty, they must be taken through the exercise of judgement, as well as with ‘prudence and humility’ (Knight, 1921: 375).” 9/9

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 02/02/2024

We suggest that this report combined with the work of the NGFS possibly marks a turning point in taking decisions and actions in times of crisis out of uncertainty, rather than measurable risk. 8/9

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 02/02/2024

3) Finally, new developments in green central banking, particularly the “Green Swan” report by BIS are illustrations of Knight’s exercise of judgment in acknowledging the true uncertainty of future states of the world. 7/9

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 02/02/2024

2) Recent financial sustainability reporting standards of the IFRS Foundation bring the ecological crisis into the realm of Knightian statistical probabilities. 6/9

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 02/02/2024

1) The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting of the UN which provides biophysical statistics for environmental dimensions of economic activities is close to what Knight calls “estimates of probability”. 5/9

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Sylvain Maechler @sylvainmaechler.bsky.social · 02/02/2024

We illustrate our argument with the global ecological crisis and its uncertainty. We present 3 contrasting methods used by international actors to convert the time of the ecological crisis into decisions and actions. 4/9

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