By: Peter Kinder | Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Eighteen months ago, cheers from environmentalists and their allies greeted Sir Nicholas Stern’s report on the economics of global warming. George Monbiot has taken another look at the Stern Report and not liked what he found. Monbiot is the author of Heat, a fine book on global warming and what to do about it. He writes regularly for the Guardian and is well worth following.
-Peter D. Kinder
ZNet Commentary
An Exchange of Souls
February 19, 2008
By George Monbiot
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By: Liz Umlas | Thursday, February 21st, 2008
There have been at least three interesting developments over the past month in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting by companies based in developing countries, or so-called “emerging markets”.
In late January, the Social Investment Research Analyst Network (SIRAN) and KLD launched a report on the state of CSR reporting in these countries, entitled “Sustainability Reporting In Emerging Markets”.
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By: Libby Edgerly | Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
Mainstream investors are reportedly only interested in environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues that will have a “material” impact on the company (higher or lower profits) — more specifically a near-term impact. On the other hand, traditional ESG investors do not want to invest in companies that have a negative impact on society or the environment — that are a risk to the community and ecological balance, not just to that company.
Social investors often assert that companies that manage their social and environmental responsibilities will ultimately do better financially. Sometimes it turns out, however, that the negative ESG risks are not material risks to a company in the short term.
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By: Peter Kinder | Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
“You need to really scrub your investment portfolios, because I guarantee you — as my longtime good redneck friends in Tennessee say, I guarandamntee you — that if you really take a fine-tooth comb and go through your portfolios, many of you are going to find them chock-full of subprime carbon assets….
Similarly, the assumption that you can safely invest in assets that come from business models that assume carbon is free is an assumption that is about to go splat. You have lots of assets, many of you do, in your portfolios right now that truly do deserve that epithet ’subprime.’”
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By: Peter Kinder | Friday, February 15th, 2008
On February 12, the Unitarian Universalist Association, Walden Asset Management and KLD sponsored a talk by Laura Berry, Executive Director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR).
I had the privilege of introducing her. These were my remarks.
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By: Peter Kinder | Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
By: Peter Kinder | Monday, February 11th, 2008
Recently, I received two queries from a reporter on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and CSR reporting. These were my responses.
Query 1
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By: Libby Edgerly | Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
“Finally, I hope that the great thinkers here will dedicate some time to finding ways for businesses, governments, NGOs, and the media to create measures of what companies are doing to use their power and intelligence to serve a wider circle of people.” — Bill Gates at Davos, Switzerland, “Creative Capitalism,” January 24, 2008
Mr. Gates appears now to be joining the social investing movement. What a welcome development! He wants measures because he wants recognition for these activities, because recognition brings rewards to companies: inspired employees and public approbation. And I would add: social investors investing for the long-term. His speech calls on companies to do what social investors have been asking companies to pay attention to and what KLD has been measuring for many years — the social and environmental impact of corporations, especially on low-income groups.
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