Picturing what it will take to solve climate change is both incredibly complex but also quite simple. In the next 30 years, we need to dramatically decrease investments in fossil fuels and dramatically increase investments in climate solutions and the technologies that will replace them.
If we fail to do so, it won’t matter how many trees we plant or tons of atmospheric carbon get vacuumed into direct air capture machines; we’ll be in a cycle of escalating climate change.
We hope that if you’ve gotten this far, this is the main lesson you walk away with: that we can solve climate change. That we already have a lot of what we need to do so. And that investing in these solutions is not only necessary for avoiding catastrophic global warming but may also very well be a wiser long-term strategy.
We hope you feel better equipped to navigate the often over-complicated world of sustainable investing options.
And we hope that you feel inspired to take that next step and change how you invest your retirement savings.
Whether it’s with Carbon Collective or somewhere else, we need you. Because when it comes to climate change, we can only do this together.
It’s Time to Start Talking About Sustainable Investing Differently
Setting up an investment strategy is one of our favorite types of climate action because you really only have to do it once. Now, it’s often not an easy decision, but once made, that’s it. You don’t really have to think about it again.
If you get that far, amazing. There’s one more step we’d encourage you to take: talk about it.
Dr. Katherine Hayhoe, the world-renowned climate scientist focused on solving climate change, has a unique approach. To her, the number one missing climate action is simple: talking about climate change. We don’t tell climate stories enough, especially our own.
This is especially true when it comes to investing. And the lack of intelligent “here’s why I’m doing this for the climate, and here’s why I’m probably going to end up with more money” stories have given room for others to write the narrative about sustainable investing.
Today, many climate-savvy people like yourself often associate sustainable investing with lower returns. That while it may be the right thing to do, it is a personal sacrifice. Like biking to work in the rain instead of driving is a sacrifice.
And this is even more true the further we zoom out. Investment professionals still hold to the long-term importance of holding fossil fuel stocks. Even though fossil fuels have proven extremely volatile, such folks point to renewable energy companies as a risky proposition.
This narrative only changes when enough people decide to push back against it.
Start Investing Sustainably. Talk About It.
It’s Time to Stop Settling For Anything Less
If you’ve asked for more sustainable investing options in your 401(k), your financial advisor, or your pension, you’ve probably heard something along the lines of “it’s too complicated.” Or that some new ESG funds are coming soon. Or we’re too swamped now, maybe try again in the new year.
Sustainable investing is and should be simple. If it’s not aligned with reaching a world that runs without fossil fuels by 2050, it’s not sustainable.
The world only changes when enough people are fed up enough to change it. Don’t be an asshole, but also don’t stop. If it’s bad enough (and you don’t like your job much anyways), threaten to quit. Tell your financial advisor you’re finding someone else. File a motion with your union to pressure your pension. It’s your money after all, right?
So take heart. You are not alone. It’s time for all of us to:
Start Investing Sustainably. Talk About It. And Not to Settle for Anything Less.
