Is your pension fund or insurance company a leader or laggard when it comes to avoiding risky bets on the future impacts of climate change?
A new survey released today finds that many major institutional investors, like retirement funds and insurance companies, are putting their investments (read: your money) at risk by not addressing the negative financial impacts posed by climate change and atmospheric disruption.
The survey, called the Global Climate Investment Risk, is based on data acquired from 460 funds who were invited to provide data, either from members of those funds or using publicly available information. Each fund is rated from AAA to X based on investment mix and recognition of the financial risks that climate change will have now and into the future.
Conducted by the Asset Owners Disclosure Project (AODP), the survey concludes that, of the 460 funds, only 5 received a AAA rating, while 173 funds are rated "X."
"While we can see some leaders emerging, many haven't acknowledged their dangerous and foolhardy addiction to investments riddled with climate risk, let alone checked themselves into rehab," says Julian Poulter, Executive Director of AODP. "It's pretty clear through the Index that the big laggard funds continue to be too scared to take on big fossil fuel companies, even though they know there are enormous risks through continuing investing in them."
"A majority of the world's investment industry are clearly acting contrary to the interests of those whose money they represent - this is an outrageous situation. It must be remembered that much of the money being held by these organizations is the product of workers' lifelong savings," Sharan Burrow, AODP board member and General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation said.
Here are the 10 best funds that are actively addressing the financial risks of climate change on behalf of their members:
1. Environment Agency Active Pension Fund (UK)
2. Local Government Super (Australian pension fund)
3. CalPERS (US pension fund)
4. Stichting Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn (PFZW/PGGM) (Dutch pension fund)
5. VicSuper (Australian pension fund)
6. AustralianSuper (pension fund)
7. Government Employees Pension Fund (South Africa)
8. Florida Retirement System Pension Plan
9. BT Super for Life (Australia pension fund)
10. Aviva (UK insurance company)
There are too many "X-rated" companies to list here, but you can find a complete list on the AODP website.
So where is your money in this mix?
Image courtesy of US Coast Guard on Flickr.