The protection of our shared environment is among government’s most fundamental responsibilities. In England, the Magna Carta included a powerful articulation of the principle that the commons of water, fisheries and woodland were not commodities to be bartered away, but the rightful property of all citizens. Read More

Water is a systemic risk to investors, as in many parts of the United States and other areas of the world this precious resource is in danger. Investors and market players should be deepening their research and investment process to tackle water risks, often hidden in holdings across all asset classes. As investment advisors, how do we first protect our clients from these risks, and how do we position these same clients to benefit from the growth opportunities in companies that are providing innovative systems, products and services to solve water quantity, quality and resilience issues? Read More

Consider these recent developments - California emerged from drought in 2017; fewer companies reported impacts associated with water scarcity; and the average freshwater intensity of companies in the MSCI ACWI Index dropped by 15 percent. While these are positive short term signals for investors concerned with water scarcity, 2017 was also the most costly in U.S. history for natural disasters. This underscored the thinking behind a key trend that MSCI ESG Research identified last year - institutional investors are shifting their portfolio analysis from the measurement of regulatory risks to physical risks. Read More

In 2014, I predicted that "Desert Greening is the Next Big Thing", and it would be led by sustainable green investors. Surprisingly I am still waiting for the shift from humanity’s single minded focus on traditional agricultural crops (glycophytes) that rely on the planet’s three percent of fresh water. Why such a slow transition to more sustainable, nutrient-richer, salt loving (halophyte) plant foods, such as quinoa? Because vested interests in the vast incumbent global agro-chemical industrial complex are as powerful and persistent as those in the worldwide fossilized sectors. Read More