Invest for good 

1. Our generational challenge… Just over a week ago the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) launched its first report on the target of limiting global temperature rise to 5˚C. This is timely. Extreme weather around the world, when warming has reached at only 1°C, highlights the dangers.

Big Oil has repeatedly lied about the impact of burning fossil fuels on our environment. In a repeat of tactics that delayed tobacco regulation for decades, the major oil companies have hidden evidence and paid for junk science by climate deniers. As a result of inaction, millions of people have suffered from air pollution, toxic waste and climate change, particularly those who are vulnerable and living in impoverished communities.

Last week I was part of a panel at the Responsible Investment New Zealand Conference 2018 discussing investor responses to a changing climate. It was great to see this as a topic for discussion. I believe that investor-led action, and holding the companies we invest in to account, is critical to tackling climate change.

The financial sector, and institutional investors in particular, have an important role in the fight against climate change. Not only does it pose a major risk to economic growth; climate change threatens the homes and livelihoods of millions of people. The onus is on all of us – governments, business, communities and society – to work together to understand the impacts of climate change and take appropriate action.