Press Release – Washington, D.C., March 28, 2017 – Lisa Woll, CEO of US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment released the following statement today in response to the Trump Administration’s executive order to roll back the Clean Power Plan:
“On behalf of our 300 plus members, US SIF believes the Administration should be working aggressively to reduce carbon in the atmosphere and that this executive order accomplishes the opposite.
“Already, the United States is paying a high economic price from the ravages of severe drought, wildfires and storms associated with increased atmospheric levels of carbon. This is not the time to retreat from the call to protect current and succeeding generations from the catastrophic implications of further, unrestrained climate change.
“The electrical power sector is the source of one-third of US greenhouse gas emissions and is a key part of any plan to curb emissions and address climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan will advance public health and benefit US consumers by helping to unleash investment in clean energy sources. It is also key to America’s international commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
“The US SIF Foundation’s 2016 survey of sustainable and impact investment assets in the United States found that money managers with $1.42 trillion in assets under management and institutional asset owners with $2.15 trillion in assets consider climate change risk in their investment analysis, more than three times the assets so affected in 2014.
“Today’s decision sends the wrong signal to the investment community, to the American people and to America’s international partners in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of retreating, this Administration should be leading the charge to unleash investment in clean energy sources, drive innovation and bolster international efforts to curb climate change. It is critical that the Environmental Protection Agency can move forward on the Clean Power Plan and maintain the necessary staffing and expertise to protect our air, water and land for future generations.”
About US SIF
US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment is the leading voice advancing sustainable, responsible and impact investing across all asset classes. Our mission is to rapidly shift investment practices towards sustainability, focusing on long-term investment and the generation of positive social and environmental impacts. US SIF members include investment management and advisory firms, mutual fund companies, research firms, financial planners and advisors, broker-dealers, community investing organizations, nonprofit associations, and pension funds, foundations and other asset owners. US SIF produces a highly regarded conference each year. A New Climate for Investing in Impact will be held in Chicago from May 11-12. Learn more at www.ussif.org.
