Commentary: To combat climate change, investors should keep their shares in fossil fuels

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Shaming those who carry shares in fossil fuel companies would be passing up an opportunity for shareholder activism, say observers.

READING, England: As we begin to engage with the climate emergency and the impact of carbon dioxide emissions, calls have grown to stop investing in companies engaged in fossil fuel production – a practice known as divestment.

Divesting from fossil fuel companies is likely to make investors feel morally cleansed, having washed their hands of dirty investments that make profits from environmental damage. If more people want to sell shares than buy them, this will affect the share price – but most oil companies are well beyond the situation where it would cause them significant issues.

It is highly likely in either case that the new purchaser will be less concerned about minimising the company’s environmental impact than those divesting. And any such commitments could easily be dropped in favour of a more concentrated focus on profits. The divestor also gives up the opportunity for shareholder activism – something USS does with the fossil fuel companies in which it holds investments. This is where shareholders can put pressure on companies they partly own to introduce more sustainable ways of doing business.

 

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