Half of leading investors ignoring climate change – study

LONDON, (Reuters) – Almost half of the world’s top 500 investors are doing nothing to address climate change through their investments, a study showed yesterday.

A report by the Asset Owners Disclosure Project (AODP), a not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving the management of climate change, found that just under a fifth of the top investors – or 97 managing a total of $9.4 trillion in assets – were taking tangible steps to mitigate global warming These include investing in low polluting assets or encouraging the companies they invest in to be greener.

A further 157 investors managing a total of $14.2 trillion were taking “first steps” towards addressing climate change, while 246 managing $14 trillion were doing nothing at all, the report said.