Showing posts with label Green Investments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Investments. Show all posts

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Northern Trust offers environmental analytics for clients to measure the carbon footprint of their investments

Northern Trust offers environmental analytics for clients to measure the carbon footprint of their investments
 
LONDON, 10 December 2009 – Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) announced today that it will offer environmental emission analytics, enabling institutional investors and high net worth individuals across the globe to effectively measure the carbon footprint of their investments. These new capabilities form part of Northern Trust’s existing suite of investment risk and performance analytics solutions.

This latest enhancement comes at a time of heightened awareness of the effects of carbon emissions on the environment, particularly as governments worldwide implement taxes and regulation on emissions. The development of environmental emission analytics is in line with Northern Trust’s commitment to supporting responsible investment policies through asset management and asset servicing solutions.

"Increasingly, we are seeing investors turn their attention towards measures that attempt to accurately attribute environmental impact as an extension to established performance and risk analytics," said Peter Holman, head of client servicing for institutional investors in EMEA, at Northern Trust. "But the ability to accurately assess the carbon footprint of a portfolio is largely constrained by the lack of consistent or comprehensive environmental data disclosed by companies."


Northern Trust provides clients with environmental analytics based on data from Trucost Plc, through the Style Research Portfolio Analyzer (SRPA). Trucost which was established to help organisations, investors and governments understand the environmental impact of business activities in financial terms, claims to hold the world’s most comprehensive database on corporate greenhouse gas emissions.


"By combining the analytics received through Trucost’s methodology with Northern Trust’s existing performance and analytics capabilities, we provide consolidated information to clients, enabling them to compare the carbon footprints of their managers alongside more traditional risk metrics and style analyses," said Ian Castledine, global head of investment risk product for asset servicing at Northern Trust. "Using our integrated environmental analytics solution, trustees can make comparisons between funds and individual managers, and improve communications on environmental performance with stakeholders and regulatory bodies. This may ultimately result in a reduced environmental impact of their investments, without sacrificing financial performance."


The new capability is an innovation of Northern Trust’s Investment Risk and Analytical Services, which has provided risk and performance services to clients for more than 30 years. Recent developments include enhanced data for comprehensive Environmental, Social and Governance monitoring of client portfolios with its Compliance Analyst product. A recent member of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) and member of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), Northern Trust also has more than US$9 billion in socially screened assets under management, including index options such as the Northern Global Sustainability Index Fund.


Northern Trust does not review/approve the contents/conclusions provided by Trucost and offers this on an information only basis for use as the client deems appropriate.

About Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of investment management, asset and fund administration, banking solutions and fiduciary services for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. Northern Trust, a financial holding company based in Chicago, has offices in 18 U.S. states and 16 international locations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of September 30, 2009, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$3.6 trillion, and assets under investment management of US$611 billion. For 120 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader in combining exceptional service and expertise with innovative products and technology. For more information, visit www.northerntrust.com.
Northern Trust operates in Australia as a foreign authorised deposit-taking institution (foreign ADI) and is regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.
Northern Trust in Hong Kong is a securities company regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission.
Northern Trust in Singapore is a foreign wholesale bank regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Northern Trust operates in China as a Representative Office and is regulated by the China Banking Regulatory Commission.
Northern Trust (Guernsey) Limited, Northern Trust Fiduciary Services (Guernsey) Limited, Northern Trust Fiduciary Company (Guernsey) Limited and Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited are licensed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission
Northern Trust International Fund Administrators (Jersey) Limited and Northern Trust Fiduciary Services (Jersey) Limited are regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission
Northern Trust Global Services is authorised and regulated in the Netherlands by De Nederlandsche Bank
Northern Trust Global Services Limited Luxembourg Branch is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and in Luxembourg by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) and Northern Trust Luxembourg Management Company S.A. is regulated by the CSSF
Northern Trust Global Services Limited – Abu Dhabi. Representative Office, Licence number 13/238/2008
Where Northern Trust’s UK entities undertake regulated business, they are authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority
Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Ireland) Limited and Northern Trust Fiduciary Services (Ireland) Limited are regulated by the Financial Regulator.
The Northern Trust Company operates in Canada as The Northern Trust Company, Canada Branch which is an authorized foreign bank branch under the Bank Act (Canada). Trustee related services in Canada are provided by the wholly owned subsidiary The Northern Trust Company, Canada, an authorized trust company under the Trust & Loans Companies Act (Canada). Deposits with The Northern Trust Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries are not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Northern Trust Global Services Ltd (UK) Sweden Filial is a BCD Passported branch of Northern Trust Global Services Ltd a firm authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority (‘FSA’).News & Stories Published at Clean Energy Stocks Blog.
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Thursday, January 29, 2009

World Economic Forum Report: US $ 515 Billion needed in Green Investments

World Economic Forum Report: US $ 515 Billion needed in Green Investments

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 29 January 2009 − The World Economic Forum today released the Green Investing: Towards a Clean Energy Infrastructure report. The report outlines the scale of the investments needed to develop a clean energy infrastructure and move to towards a low-carbon economy.

New Energy Finance, which collaborated with the World Economic Forum on the report, warns that unless at least US$ 515 billion per annum is invested in clean energy between now and 2030, carbon emissions will reach a level deemed unsustainable by scientists, causing temperatures to rise by two degrees globally.

The report identifies eight emerging, large-scale clean energy sectors that are expected to significantly contribute in the move to a clean energy infrastructure of the future: onshore wind, offshore wind, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal electricity generation, municipal solar waste-to-energy, sugar-based ethanol, cellulosic and next generation biofuels, and geothermal power.

The report’s authors, Max von Bismarck and Anuradha Gurung from the World Economic Forum, and Chris Greenwood and Michael Liebreich from New Energy Finance, argue that “enormous investment in energy infrastructure is required to address the twin threats of energy insecurity and climate change. In light of the global financial crisis, it is crucial that every dollar is made to ‘multi-task’ to create a sustainable low-carbon economy.”

Clean energy opportunities have the potential to generate significant economic returns. The report shows that even after a tumultuous 2008, an index of the world’s 90 leading clean energy companies had a five-year compounded annualized return of almost 10%, unmatched by the world’s major stock indices.

Other highlights from the report include:• Clean energy investments increased from around US$ 30 billion in 2004 to over US$ 140 billion by 2008. Investments in 2008 exceeded expectations at US$ 155 billion (the report is based on projections for 2008 – which suggests that US$ 142 billion would be invested by year-end).• Investment in clean energy has not only increased, but has also diversified geographically. Developing countries attracted 23% (US$ 26 billion) of asset financing in 2007, compared to 13% (US$ 1.8 billion) in 2004.• In addition, four key enablers for a shift to clean energy will be energy efficiency, smart grids, energy storage, and carbon capture and storage.• Well-developed conditions for innovation, markets for clean energy through public procurement, energy efficiency standards and stable and simple policies are essential to meet the climate change challenge.

Earlier today, speaking at a press conference at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009, Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Connie Hedegaard, Minister of Climate and Energy for Denmark, and Lord Nicholas Stern, among many others – including senior business and NGO representatives and Members of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Climate Change – issued a statement urging the link of the economy and climate agendas in 2009. They warn against complacency in the UN climate talks, due to conclude in December in Copenhagen to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Their statement suggests using some of the money available from fiscal stimulus packages to invest in activities that can provide jobs as well as create low emission options. They say that linking the economy and climate discussions in this way can create a “diplomatic opportunity” in 2009.

They urge business, governments, experts and civil society groups to come together to design “win-win” projects and collaborations – projects that are good for the economy in the short term and that help to tackle climate change in the longer term. The group calls for this “unprecedented collaboration” to be launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, and to use 2009 to build this set of projects. They say that this could also help the UN climate talks. The full statement is available here.




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