Climate Change. Greenhouse Gas. Deforestation. Loss of Biodiversity. These are just a few of the important causes impacting our environment that are so worthy of our attention and that urgently require our support to enact change.

We are over-consuming!

The industrial revolution in 1820 – 1840 was developed on the assumption of the Earth’s continued abundance of goods and services produced by nature. The reality however is that our current level of mass consumption and our economic and population growth rates are likely to be unsustainable after 2100, even with advanced technology.

Climate action is urgent!

We can no longer ignore the impact that climate change poses to our beautiful planet. Warming of our oceans and seas, mass deforestation, land erosion, loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas and carbon emissions as well as intensive agricultural practices are creating dire consequences on the sustainability of earth’s precious resources.

What do scientists say?

“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.”^[1]

Some of the reports main conclusions include:

• Humans are to blame - full stop!
• Temperatures will keep rising.
• The weather is getting extreme.
• Arctic summers could soon be free of ice.
• We are running out of time.

What Can We Do?

Individually, you may feel that you can’t do much to help tackle such huge problems, but the reality is that every one of us can help, in our own way, to create a better world. One such way that you can do this is to consider sustainable investing.

Sustainable investing, also known as ethical, impact investing or environmental social governance (ESG) investing is a decision to only invest in and support those businesses and organisations that are creating sustainable outcomes for the world; it’s environment, people and animals.

Sustainability really matters!

Sustainable investing means taking action towards a better future, on the basis that:

• Every $ counts
• You can make a real difference
• You can invest and feel good knowing that your money supports the environment and the planet.

ESG Principles in Action

ESG investing (aka sustainable investing) is a decision to no longer support practices that are detrimental to the environment or society. It is an investment approach that tackles environmental, social and governance change by evaluating whether a company or government is having a positive or negative impact.

The E in ESG specifically considers the relationship an organization has with the environment by assessing the energy it consumes, the resources it needs, the waste it discharges and the footprint and impact it has on the environment, plants, animals and humans as a result of its activities.

Companies can be screened in, or screened out of a portfolio depending on these factors. In essence it is a way of ensuring that money is only flowing to companies that are having a positive impact on the environment.

At Blossom App we take the environment and investing seriously. This article was written with insight and support from our ESG experts Fortlake Asset Management.

^[1] Quoted from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2021 https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/