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Should all investments be sustainable?

Despite the growing scientific evidence of the environmental and social challenges the world is facing, climate change is not being taken seriously enough by governments, businesses and the population at large.

The climate crisis has been talked about for more than 50 years, global temperatures have been rising steadily and, even if all CO2 emissions were to stop today, temperatures would continue to rise due to the lag in the warming impact.

The population of the planet currently stands at around 8 billion and is forecast to rise to 10 billion by 2050, putting an enormous strain on the environment. Major areas under stress will include marine fish capture, ocean acidification, water consumption, energy use and tropical forest loss.

It might seem that the investment world has just woken up to these issues, but Ethical investing has been around for some time.

As someone who has been managing Ethical portfolios for more than 20 years, it is great to see the investment world embrace change. The pace with which it has accelerated towards the mainstream has surprised many.

I can, also categorically say that Ethical investing does not necessarily mean lower returns either. Indeed, it seems that the growth areas of the future will be in businesses with products and services bringing change, and the investment opportunities for clients will continue to be significant.