On January 14th, Caledonia was proud to be part of a watershed moment in New York at the United Nations headquarters, where institutional investment leaders were present to construct a unified approach to the importance of a low carbon economy within the industry. Investor groups representing $13 trillion called on US Congress and other global decision makers to “take rapid action” on carbon emission limits, energy efficiency, renewable energy, financing mechanisms and other policies that will accelerate clean energy investment and job creation.
Watch the video below for a summary of the summit.
Download the Investor Statement on Catalyzing Investment in a Low-Carbon Economy.
The message delivered from leading investment houses was clear. Pursuing investments that play a greater role in reducing the economic effects of climate risk will be a significant part of the economic landscape in coming years. Even for the skeptics who still doubt the hard evidence provided by the scientific community will be forced to follow this path, if for nothing more than to take out some insurance against the very real changes happening to the Earth’s climate. What was also apparent is that few financial institutions are not waiting for barriers to be crossed, or policy implemented, before beginning programs and bolstering research and development. In fact, there was a very real sense from groups like HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, CALPERS, CalSTRS and many others that have been significantly underway in their planning for a greater focus on areas of climate change and other environmental risks.
To watch the complete webcast from the event go to the UN site for coverage.