Deep Dive into Divestment

Do you ever wonder what your money is financing/supporting?

What’s that? You don’t have any money to invest? What about where you bank, your superannuation?

Very excited to be co-speaking at this fabulous event this Friday – see Deep Dive into Divestment

Lewis Gurr-Stephen (Market Forces) and I will be speaking and answering audience questions on topics below:

Main Themes:

1) the money that banks and companies use is our money and it is our right/responsibility to demand it is used for the future we want, and

2) evangelism is easy because there’s ‘something for everybody’ – you can divest if you want, or stay invested and work to change the existing policies.

Content:

Background: Why reduce fossil fuel projects, climate change is bad?

How can we change where we invest or influence companies we invest in?

Direct Impact: Shifting capital (billions of $ so far), policies (eg, Australian big 4 banks all have thermal coal policies). Discuss the multiplying impact of activist shareholders/customers.

Indirect Impact: Flow-on effect of changing views on financing new projects. Discuss cost of capital for different projects.

What are the relative merits of investing in something positive, i.e. What investments we might support/facilitate, vs remaining where you are and trying to influence the existing large institutions.

See you there!