How do you know where someone really stands? Look to see where they work and put their money. What we do each day with our time and how we spend and invest our money collectively determines the direction of our world. We see a major shift occurring.
Pension funds and institutional investors manage about 50% of invested assets globally and, therefore, carry a megaphone when they speak together. The 44 members of the Investor Network on Climate Risk have called on the Congress and the Obama administration to focus the economic stimulus bill on clean tech and renewables. The New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. stated, “an energy economic stimulus package would not only be good for the environment, saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also good for the economy, leading to the creation of jobs.” Cleaner environment, economic growth and job creation – that’s positive in so many ways.
You’ll see that these investors are calling for funding of renewable energy, clean transportation and efficient technology. This bodes well for the GENI-KLD Global Climate 100 Index http://www.kld.com/indexes/gc100/index.html which targets the 100 leading public companies who are decarbonizing in these three primary themes. The GC100 is now investable in 5 nations, but still needs an ETF* in the United States. To mitigate climate change, it’s critical that we shift investments away from fossil fuels into cleaner energy solutions.
"Clean energy opportunities have the potential to generate significant economic returns. Experts warn against complacency in combating climate change, urging the link of the economy and climate agendas in 2009." -- World Economic Forum Report: $515 Billion Per Year Needed In Clean Energy Investments
The fund managers also want to “modernize and improve the nation’s electric grid” . . . as “such improvements would also make it easier to link wind and solar power sources, often located in remoter rural areas, to population centers.” That’s the GENI Initiative in a nutshell. We’re a long way from sustainability, but there are positive forces at work. What can you do? Ask the same of your own state and local officials.
In partnership for the planet,
