Thematic investing myth 2: Shorting stranded assets is unethical

Climate change is not only an existential risk, but also one of the greatest commercial opportunities of our time¹. From an investment perspective, the opportunity is not just about finding the winners. There will be fundamental losers in the energy transition as companies with strong environmental credentials are more likely to outperform those that have unsustainable business models and are vulnerable to transition risk.  

These so-called ‘stranded assets’ can be capitalised upon by using alternative investment strategies, such as shorting stocks. This is not unethical, even in the context of a sustainable fund. After all, a fund manager can recycle the profits from such short positions into funding businesses that are creating sustainable solutions.

1 Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-09/carney-calls-net-zero-ambition-greatest-commercial-opportunity


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