Investing in the Era of Climate Change
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- $24.99
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- $24.99
Publisher Description
A climate catastrophe can be avoided, but only with a rapid and sustained investment in companies and projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To the surprise of many, this has already begun. Investors are abandoning fossil-fuel companies and other polluting industries and financing businesses offering climate solutions. Rising risks, evolving social norms, government policies, and technological innovation are all accelerating this movement of capital.
Bruce Usher offers an indispensable guide to the risks and opportunities for investors as the world faces climate change. He explores the role that investment plays in reducing emissions to net zero by 2050, detailing how to finance the winners and avoid the losers in a transforming global economy. Usher argues that careful examination of climate solutions will offer investors a new and necessary lens on the future for their own financial benefit and for the greater good. Companies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions will create great wealth, and, more importantly, they will provide a lifeline for humanity.
Grounded in academic and industry research, Usher’s insights bring clarity to a complex and controversial topic while illuminating the people behind the numbers. This book sets out a practical and actionable plan for investors that will alter the course of climate change.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Usher (Renewable Energy), a Columbia Business School professor, breaks down the implications of the climate crisis for investors in this urgent call for action. Noting that scientists are pushing for the reduction of emissions from greenhouse gases to zero "ideally by 2050 and no later than 2070," Usher cites data suggesting the cost of doing so will be $125 trillion. Investing in climate change solutions will therefore be key, he writes. To help readers do so, he explores four trends "influencing the flow of capital," including physical risks (such as rising seas, drought, and other severe weather), technological innovations (primarily low-carbon ones), evolving social norms (young consumers are interested in sustainable businesses), and government action (namely, voters pushing for regulations). As well, Usher lays out how to "redeploy capital" through divestment, or "refusing to invest in fossil fuel companies"; describes "impact first" investing, or being "willing to accept a below-market financial return in exchange for greater impact"; and takes a look at the cost and history of renewable energy, electric vehicles, and carbon removal. Though his tone at times veers toward the academic, he's always hopeful: "the window has not yet closed for avoiding catastrophic climate change." Investors looking to do well by doing good will find this a valuable resource.
