Green Investing: Fighting Climate Change with Your Investments

May 31, 2007

If you invest, you should consider the impact that your investments have on climate change. Whether you keep your money in a simple savings account at a bank or local credit union, buy stocks, invest in mutual funds for your retirement, or manage your child's college fund, it matters where your money goes. There are resources for savers and investors that help ensure that money is being invested in companies, products, and projects that responsibly address climate change and other sustainability challenges. Moreover, considering sustainability issues when making investment decisions doesn't mean lower returns on your investments--indeed, there is evidence that it can actually enhance them.

Many of the largest investment organizations in the world have endorsed this view. Smart investors and financial institutions are now capitalizing on the opportunities in solar, biofuels, wind and other alternative energy technologies. Are you protecting your investments from the risks? Are you taking advantage of the opportunities?