There is no planet B

Insights

There is no planet B

Chris Wagstaff, Head of Pensions and Investment Education, provides insight into how asset owners and asset managers should be responding to climate change.

Climate change is the greatest ever systemic risk to confront humanity. From a purely asset manager and institutional asset owner perspective, a failure by all stakeholders to act more decisively in stemming the myriad sources of GHG emissions, the financing of carbon emitting technologies and in seeking to change industry, company and individual behaviours could result in a deeply impaired economic and financial system. This would, in turn, severely inhibit the ability of asset managers to generate and asset owners to derive sustainable investment returns and expose asset owners to unacceptably high and largely unmanageable risks.

While the enormity of the challenge ahead cannot be underestimated, asset managers and institutional asset owners have a significant, potentially game changing, influence in transitioning the world to a low carbon future, by collectively engaging with policymakers and regulators and in exercising responsible stewardship over companies. In fact, to say that asset managers and asset owners are not only very well positioned to be the catalyst for major transformative change, but that they have the potential to lead the world in addressing humanity’s greatest systemic challenge to date, is no exaggeration. Therefore, this paper looks at how asset owners and asset managers, whether independently of or in line with policymaker or regulatory initiatives, should be and have been responding to, and indeed pre-empting, the potentially gargantuan, game changing systemic risks posed by climate change.

20 July 2020
Chris Wagstaff
Chris Wagstaff
Head of Pensions Investment & Education
Share article
Key topics
Related topics
Listen on Stitcher badge
Share article
Key topics
Related topics

PDF

There is no planet B

Important Information

The research and analysis included on this website has been produced by Columbia Threadneedle Investments for its own investment management activities, may have been acted upon prior to publication and is made available here incidentally. Any opinions expressed are made as at the date of publication but are subject to change without notice and should not be seen as investment advice. Information obtained from external sources is believed to be reliable but its accuracy or completeness cannot be guaranteed.

Related Insights

23 August 2024

Jamie Jenkins

Managing Director, Head of Global ESG Equities

Nick Henderson

Director, Portfolio Manager

Harry Waight

Portfolio Manager

CT Responsible Global Equity Strategy 2023 Responsible Profile

Learn how we engage to understand and encourage improvement in companies’ management practices of ESG issues
Read time - 3 min
14 August 2024

Kate Moreton

Emerging Market Sovereign Analyst

Seizing value in emerging market debt

Strong growth outlooks are counterbalanced by fiscal headwinds and above-target inflation, requiring a nuanced approach to capture value in emerging market debt.
Read time - 3 min
31 July 2024

Christopher Mahon

Head of Dynamic Real Return, Multi-asset

The expectations game

With a new government explicitly focusing on growth, expect many a gloomy prognosis of the UK economy to change. So which assets stand to benefit?
Read time - 3 mins
18 September 2024

Steven Bell

Chief Economist, EMEA

Recession, inflation, and interest rates cuts: what does it all mean for markets?

Exploring the factors that mean we’re arguing the case for a goldilocks scenario of growth, easing inflation and lower rates.
Read time - 7 min
18 September 2024

Joanna Tano

Head of Research, Europe, Real Estate (EMEA)

UK Real Estate – Overview Q2 2024

The UK economy recorded strong growth in the second quarter, with GDP growing by 0.6% in the 3 months to June, primarily led by growth in the services sector.
Read time - 3 min
17 September 2024

Fixed Income Desk

In Credit - Weekly Snapshot

In Credit Weekly Snapshot – September 2024

Our fixed income team provide their weekly snapshot of market events.
Read time - 5 min
true
true

Important Information

The research and analysis included on this website has been produced by Columbia Threadneedle Investments for its own investment management activities, may have been acted upon prior to publication and is made available here incidentally. Any opinions expressed are made as at the date of publication but are subject to change without notice and should not be seen as investment advice. Information obtained from external sources is believed to be reliable but its accuracy or completeness cannot be guaranteed.

You may also like

Investment approach

Teamwork defines us and is fundamental to our investment approach, which is structured to facilitate the generation, assessment and implementation of good, strong investment ideas for our portfolios.

Funds and Prices

Columbia Threadneedle Investments has a comprehensive range of investment funds catering for a broad range of objectives.

Our Capabilities

We offer a broad range of actively managed investment strategies and solutions covering global, regional and domestic markets and asset classes.

Thank you. You can now visit your preference centre to choose which insights you would like to receive by email.

To view and control which insights you receive from us by email, please visit your preference centre.

Play Video

CT Property Trust- Fund Manager Update

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium