The urgent need to shift capital flows to climate solutions: a case study of ten fund management companies
This study presents the results from a climate survey and a portfolio analysis of Sweden’s ten largest fund management companies... It investigates what actions are taken to [...] fulfil the goals of the Paris Agreement...
Principal findings show that:
Many investors have increased their climate efforts... However, given the urgent need for concrete climate transition results, the ambitions and actions [...] are not sufficient.
The investors [...] have not set any targets for reallocation of capital from investments in fossil production to investments in green finance and climate solutions for mitigation and adaptation.
- A majority of the fund management companies state that they are actively engaging with companies, policy-makers and large financial actors... However, only a handful report concrete targets, timeframes or results from these efforts...
The fund management companies explain that the reasons for not reallocating substantial capital are that they are protecting the value of their clients’ investments, and that climate risks are not considered in today’s short-term financial markets. Further, they refer to a current lack of green projects and climate solutions to invest in... [T]he challenge is that companies are not measuring and reporting on this.
However, in order to contribute effectively to a swift climate transition by 2020, it is not an option for investors to wait for improved company reporting and substantially increased client demand for green, climate focused fund products. Also, investors are key agents in the Paris Agreement and should take lead in identifying new investment opportunities in green finance and climate-solution focused savings products.