Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Climate change: How investors can weather a stormy future

We're thinking of changing the blog description, currently "Money Matters". Weighty stuff, I know.
A couple that have been proposed:
"All which a man without authority can give--His unbiased opinion, his honest advice, and his best reasons."
-Edmund Burke (1791)
Or

Climateer Investing. It's not just a blog, it's a lifestyle.

We'll post others as they occur to us. As you can see, we're open to suggestion. Maybe a contest for the readers?

Here's the story from the Guardian:

Global warming is big business. And, as Tony Levene reports, it has become a theme for the future
...Fund managers are rushing to set up "climate change" funds. Allianz, F&C, HSBC, Jupiter and Schroders are leading the field with new or planned funds and HSBC calls climate change "one of the biggest investment themes for the foreseeable future".

So far, these have attracted tiny amounts - under £100m - but there are hopes of increasing interest which will lead other fund managers to join in if the cash inflow becomes a reality.

The trick managers hope to pull off is spotting firms well placed to respond to a changing climate and its effects on the wider economy. "Global warming will have a huge impact on everything, including transport, property, agriculture and insurance," says Simon Webber, joint manager of Schroders Global Climate Change fund. "We look for companies that either mitigate climate change or help others adapt to it. We have identified 600 worldwide but our fund only invests in around 75."...MORE