BUSINESS
Responsible How the investment
a risk of efforts to address climate
community can help advance
change becoming a lesser priority as
the environmental gains that
governments focus on dealing with the
have come out of COVID-19
economic implications of the crisis.
The consequences of the coronavirus
has an important role to play in
wide-ranging and long-lasting.
maintaining the momentum that has
So, it’s no surprise that any sources
Lawrence Down Financial Planner | Lester Brunt Wealth Management Senior Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management Dickens House, 15 West Borough, Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 1LT t: 01202 695801 m: 07967 000275 l.down@sjpp.co.uk www.lesterbrunt.co.uk
This is why the investment industry
pandemic will clearly be profound,
of optimism to be found as the crisis
gathered in recent weeks and months. The biggest crisis now is clearly
unfolds are quickly seized upon.
COVID-19, but the biggest crisis of
Perhaps the most significant so far has
the 2020s is still climate change, and
come in the form of the immediate
we need to ensure that once we’re
effects on the environment.
on the other side of the coronavirus
Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen, while data from NASA suggests that air quality has improved
pandemic that governments keep focusing on that. But the environmental gains from
dramatically as countries around the
the pandemic have clearly been made
world have taken steps to restrict
alongside painful social, economic and
activity and travel.
health consequences. In other words,
Indeed, this could be an opportunity for organisations to rethink how they do business – and
the current rate of improvement is unsustainable. If we’re taking climate change
question whether they need to return
seriously, we would rather see a
to a form of normality in which, for
smooth transition at a rate less
example, employees are flown to
dramatic than we’re seeing at the
meetings that could otherwise be held
moment. We don’t want to be in a
using video conferencing facilities.
position of having to bring a halt to everything, as we are now, in order to
A more realistic rate of change
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have that environmental impact. Responsible investing isn’t just
Unfortunately, however, the
about the environment, of course.
environmental positives are likely to
The crisis has also shone the
be temporary. Indeed, there is now
spotlight on corporate behaviours
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