Invest with Values

The Investor's Gateway to Positive Change

The Investor's Gateway to Positive Change

  • RESOURCE DIRECTORY
    • GETTING STARTED
    • FULL DIRECTORY
    • Top Resources
    • Share a Resource
  • NEWS CENTER
    • NEWS CENTER
    • By Category
      • Local Banking
      • Community Investing
      • Impact Investing
      • Sustainable-Responsible Investing
      • Featured Articles
      • Beyond Investing
      • IWV news
      • Top Resources
    • News Partners
      • 3BLmedia
      • AllianceMagazine
      • CorporateKnights
      • GreenMoney
      • Locavesting
      • MaxImpact
      • InvestWithValues Sponsors
      • InvestWithValues Partners
    • Newsletter Sign-up
    • Newsletter Archive
  • About
    • About Us
    • Brian Kaminer
    • Learn More
    • Testimonials
    • Investments Talk! Video
    • Launch Press Release
    • News Center Press Release
  • Sponsors & Partners
    • Sponsors
    • Partners
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Survey
    • IWV News
    • Share a Resource
  • Spoiler title
    Free GuideSubscribeClose
    Get a free 30 minute personalized guide to
    Invest With Values, after subscribing.
    * = required field

Sustainable Investing and the Restoration of Community

December 12, 2016 By GreenMoney

The big news story of 2016 was the rise of Donald Trump. A very nasty campaign culminated in the election of a completely unsuitable and unqualified person to serve as President of the United States, in my opinion. There were signs that this was coming: the Brexit vote in the U.K., the refugee crisis in Europe, a populist/nationalist backlash against free trade and globalization, gun violence and racial tension in the United States, the fraying of public discourse, and more generally, a loss of faith in the political class and in government itself. The 2016 election exposed raw divisions that have perhaps been building for decades but have now begun to undermine our shared sense of community and national purpose.

There are valid reasons, of course, for public disillusionment. In the U.S., political polarization has led to policy paralysis and the perception that government is no longer working. Globalization, technological progress and free trade have lifted up elites but have failed to deliver for average citizens whose incomes have been stagnant and whose share of economic growth has been falling for decades. Globalization entails what economist Joseph Schumpeter called creative destruction: The robot replaces the line worker; the coal industry disappears to make way for cleaner energy; some people are advanced while others are left behind. As a result, economic insecurity, rising inequality, political polarization, reactive nationalism, the de-legitimation of leadership – not only political leaders but other perceived elites (CEOs, bankers, law enforcement, the media, academics) – and an increasingly pessimistic mindset have become distinct features of our age. Ian Bremmer of Eurasia Group has labeled this a “geopolitical recession.”

Donald Trump’s election can be better understood against this backdrop. It is not surprising that certain segments of the populace became ripe for a reality TV demagogue claiming the system is rigged and promising to restore a glorious past. We have elected a man wholly unfitted to the presidency and to the task before us, but he found a way to tap into a simmering discontent that was ready to boil. And boil it did.

Given the new political landscape, what lies ahead for sustainable investing? How does our industry continue to move forward?

The new administration clearly will be unfriendly to the sustainability agenda, be it improving corporate disclosure and transparency, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainable energy, advancing women’s rights, or human rights in global supply chains. We will not be able to look to Washington for meaningful progress on most of the issues we care about. Instead, we will need to look to the private sector. The fact of the matter is that the private sector is way ahead of the public sector on many of these issues anyway. For example, there is broad agreement in the global business community that we need to confront climate change. Indeed, a large cross-section of global businesses advocated for, not against, the Paris climate accord. They don’t have time for knuckle-dragging politicians denying settled science. They have businesses to run, and wealth to create.

This is where the opportunity lies over the next four years: working with the progressive vanguard of the business community to advance the sustainability agenda over and against the recalcitrance of dim-witted political elites. And for those subsets of the business community who side with right wing politicians and the Chamber of Commerce to resist the sustainability agenda, we should re-double our shareholder engagement efforts to challenge their views. We can turn this moment of crisis into a moment of opportunity.

Find out how Joe answers the question – So, How Should We Proceed? – in rest of this blog at-  http://www.greenmoneyjournal.com/december-2016/sustainable-investing-and-the-restoration-of-community

Tweet me: Sustainable Investing and the Restoration of Community – http://bit.ly/2haebDl | #impinv #esg #csr #invest #personalfinance #politics

Contact Info:

Cliff Feigenbaum, founder and managing editor
GreenMoney Journal and GreenMoney.com
+1 (505) 577-1563
cliffgmj@gmail.com

KEYWORDS: Finance & Socially Responsible Investment, Business & Trade, sustainability, csr, Corporate Responsibility, Investing, Brexit, UK, Politics, working class, globalization, CEOs, Disclosure, Transparency, Accountability, shareholder engagement, esg, EPA, SEC, Donald Trump, Green Money Journal

 

SOURCE: GreenMoney Journal

DESCRIPTION:

by Joe Keefe, president and CEO of Pax World Funds and its investment adviser, Pax World Management, LLC

Share This:

This GreenMoney.com content was originally shared on 3BLmedia.com


home-compass-croppedVisit the Invest With Values - Resource Directory to access leading investor information, opportunities, organizations, events, groups and tools.

Filed Under: -Community Investing, -Sustainable-Responsible Investing Tagged With: GreenMoney Journal

About GreenMoney

GreenMoney encourages and promotes the awareness of sustainable business, investing and consumer resources.
Learn more about GreenMoney and their articles.

News Search

Sponsors

Talgra RSF RSF Social Finance logo Trillium MicroVest MicroVest LOCUS LOCUS Impact Investing CFC capital for change

Events

All News by Category

Take the Survey

Why do you care about money and investing?
  • Home
  • Directory
  • News Center
  • Sponsors & Partners
  • About
  • Connect
  • Google Plus
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Copyright © 2023 • Invest with Values • All Rights Reserved • 914-230-0741 · info(at)talgra.com
Created and Managed by Brian Kaminer of Talgra LLC

Disclaimer: The information shared through investwithvalues.com has been provided by Talgra, LLC (“Talgra”). No representation or warranty, expressed or implied is made by Talgra, the sponsors, partners or contributors as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein. The website is for educational and informational purposes only and is subject to change. This does not constitute an offer or a solicitation to purchase or sell any security, and nothing herein should be construed as such. The opinions represented in this directory are those of Talgra and should be considered in conjunction with advice from a professional advisor in the context of your particular investment situation. The specific investments included in this website are examples of investments that can be made in each of the different investment categories and are not recommendations to purchase any individual security or investment vehicle.