Optimistic messages that emphasize the long-term benefits of shifting investments away from fossil fuels could increase the amount of wealth under sustainable management by the equivalent of US$3.6 trillion, a new study suggests.
The findings offer an alternative to the doom-laden messaging about climate change that dominates media narratives but so far has not succeeded in promoting substantial divestment from fossil fuels: currently, only 36% of assets under management globally are invested responsibly.
“[The climate] crisis is unlikely to abate while the world continues to collectively fund the extraction and burning of fossil fuels,” researchers write in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports. “A radical change in investment choices is necessary.”
In the new study, the researchers asked 335 people attending an online conference for Australian investment…
