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Most pension funds barely scratch the surface on sustainable investment
- January 1, 2020: Vol. 13, Number 1

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Most pension funds barely scratch the surface on sustainable investment

by Janet Rabovsky

The recent federal election highlighted interest in climate change, as well as the potential impacts on communities and the population, with the issue No. 1 or 2 in priority for most voters.

Climate change is one of a broader set of environmental, social and governance issues percolating through the investment world right now. ESG, or sustainable investing, is the more evolved version of socially responsible investing, which was prevalent in the 1990s.

SRI was about exclusion and traced its roots in Quaker and Methodist religious theory. John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, in his sermon “The Use of Money” outlined his basic tenets of social investing; namely, don’t harm a neighbor through business practices. This meant avoiding industries such as tanning and chemical production, both prevalent at the time, which could harm the health of workers.

Over the years, this morphed into avoiding “sinful” companies that sell products related to guns,

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