Investing

Massive investment is required for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Here is a summary of needed investments and their impact on growth from the IPCC's recently released Synthesis Report. Concern about the impact on growth is one of the primary reasons why some resist mitigation efforts. However, the Synthesis report says that the impact of climate investment on global economic growth would be negligible. Such investment would not impede growth which is expected to be between1.6 per cent to 3 percent per year until the dawn of the next century. If we were to enact ambitious mitigation efforts it would...

Click here for fact check, sources and citation index. Source: DC Divest Related Why You Should Divest from Fossil Fuels and Invest in Clean Energy Video - Why You Should Divest from Fossil Fuels Video - Growing Momentum for Fossil Fuel Divestment Divesting from Fossil Fuels will Soon be a Fiduciary Duty Rockefeller Brothers Fund to Divest from Fossil Fuels The Global Divest-Invest Coalition and Campaign Divestment from Coal Foreshadows the Fate of All Fossil Fuels Climate Change is a Heath Problem and Divestment is the Cure Charitable Organizations and Philanthropists are Being Encouraged to Divest from Fossil Fuels Bill...

Declines in the Nasdaq are capturing headlines and cleantech composite indexes appear to be following suit. Despite being a top performer over the past two years, cleantech is being dragged down with the rest of the market. In 2013 the cleantech index was up 58 percent but there were plenty of stocks that doubled and even tripled. Technology stocks have taken a big hit over the course of the last few weeks and this is directly impacted cleantech stock performance. Technology is one of the biggest drivers of sustainability. While cutting-edge green technologies have the potential to improve quality of...

A bit of history on SunPower (SPWRA) stock price. The company was founded in 1985, and it went public in 2006 with stock prices values at around $25.00 per share, by the end of 2007 SPWRA was valued at almost $150.00. Then it declined over the next five years to bottom out at a value of around $5.00 in 2012. In 2013 it began to climb to its current price of $31.67 (March 16, 2014). In February 2010 Sunpower acquired SunRay Renewable Energy, a leading European solar power plant developer with offices in Europe and the Middle East, including a...

One of the most promising investment areas for 2013 may come from the area of energy efficiency. Unlike some other investments, this compelling investment opportunity is being driven by companies seeking immediate cost savings. For the investor this can translate to a shorter payback period. According to most estimates, global power needs are expected to rise more than 50 percent in the next few decades. This growing investment arena will increase the market demand for energy efficient lighting, engines and buildings. Energy efficiency companies tracked by the Roen Financial Report have done extremely well in the past three months. Almost...

Wide spectrum public investment is the key to growing the green economy. This augers three important questions: How can we attract adequate amounts of private investment to unleash the full potential of the green economy? What do we invest in? How do we scale-up finance from developing economies? Investment in clean energy has increased, with global spending on renewable energy rising six-fold since 2004. Despite ongoing economic weakness around the world, much more needs to be done. As much as $100 trillion is required by 2030 to finance global infrastructure needs if we are to avoid an unsustainable increase in global temperatures. A...

Good investing strategies are dependent on proper risk assessment. Climate change constitutes a significant economic risk.Alternative energy stocks are part of wider market trends. The Dow hitting an all time high of 15,000 in May bodes well for alternative energy stocks in the second half of 2013. The strong stock performance at the beginning of the year is also a good predictor of stock performance for the rest of the year (historically, the performance of the stock market in January is a good predictor of the market for the year). Although there are some contradictory reports, overall an increasing number...

One of the best green-ethical investing information sites is Investing for the Soul. Since 2003, the Investing for the Soul site has been a world leader in global green/ethical investing news, commentary, and articles. It also offers probably the largest compilation of ethical investing books, links and related services. Investors desiring a better world, concerned about ethics and the environment, must incorporate related values in their investing decisions. The reason for this is that when we invest in a company, (or many companies such as in a mutual fund, unit trust, ETF, etc.), we share in the responsibility for the activities...

A number of factors are coalescing to drive responsible investing. They include new investment standards, government regulation, and scientific observations. Unprecedented environmental and social pressures driven by food, water and energy security, access to natural resources, climate change, human rights, supply chain, labor standards and ageing populations have become material issues for businesses. Many states have adopted binding Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). This legislation mandates renewable energy targets for utilities and in some states the RPS will be as high as 40 percent. As explained by PRI, there is "a growing recognition in the financial community that effective research, analysis...

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are now included in mainstream corporate stock and bond analysis in numerous investment firms, funds and managers. The reason ESG factors are now being recognized by investors is because they provide analysts with better insight into companies and the possibility of producing higher investment returns with less risk. ESG issues are now becoming a significant factor in all asset classes. Investments that pay heed to environmental and social factors can be very lucrative. Responsible investing offers an unparalleled opportunity as the world increasingly comes to grips with the harsh realities of the destructive nature...