The UN Foundation’s
work with Institutional Investors on Climate Risk
The financial implications of climate
change raise serious questions for businesses
and investors concerning the safety and soundness
of their investments. For three years, the UN
Foundation has been working with Ceres, a coalition
of investment funds, environmental organizations,
and public interest groups, to change the way
that businesses and investment managers assess
and address the financial implications of climate
change.
On November 21, 2003, UNF and Ceres organized
the first ever Investor Summit on Climate Risk.
The event gathered major investor and financial
leaders – state treasurers, fiduciaries
and financial executives responsible for over
$1 trillion in assets – at the United Nations
in New York to consider the investment risks to
portfolios posed by climate change. The information
they shared raised profound concerns about investor
exposure to climate risk, the future security
of investment assets, and the fiduciary duty to
take prudent steps to address climate risk on
behalf of shareholders and beneficiaries. Continue
reading
Building a Clean
Energy Future – The Role of Students and
University Endowments
Collectively, college and university
endowments in the United States represent more
than $300 billion in invested wealth, with the
largest 25 endowments accounting for roughly half
of this total. However, few school endowments
have exercised their shareholder power, including
votes on shareholder resolutions, regarding investor
risks on climate change. Now, with a rapidly growing
shareholder campaign on global warming, there
is great potential for students to urge colleges
and universities to join with other institutional
investors in taking action on this issue. Universities
can also play an important role in promoting renewable
energy such as wind and solar.
Leadership from students and campus organizers
is crucial to fostering change at colleges and
universities. That’s why the United Nations
Foundation, Ceres and the Sustainable Endowments
Institute invited student, non-profit and foundation
leaders to a conference titled “Building
a Clean Energy Future – The Role of Students
and University Endowments” in March 2006
to discuss ways promote clean energy and improve
university endowment practices related to climate
change.
