Investors study climate change risks

Institutional investors and consultancy Mercer
are joining forces to study the impact of climate change on
strategic asset allocation.

The report, which will be published in the
final quarter of 2010, aims to encourage financial intermediaries
to develop relevant tools, products and services that address
changes in the investment environemnt.

It aims to model the returns on asset classes
in different regions across the world over the period until 2030
and 2050. Volatility and correlations among asset classes, regions
and sectors under each scenario will be considered.

There are 14 partners including asset managers
AP1, Asset Performance Group and British Columbia Investment
Management and a range of organisations that invest on behalf of
governments.

Vivid Economics and Grantham Research
Institute on Climate Change will perform parts of the research.

“Although we acknowledge that global warming
will have wide-ranging impacts on economies and financial markets,
long-term investors like bcIMC are uncertain what this will mean
for our global investment strategy and how we can best prepare for
this challenge, both from a risk and a return perspective,” said
Doug Pearce, CEO of BC Investment Management Corporation
(bcIMC).

“Our goal with this research project is to
develop a better understanding of how to manage these
uncertainties.”

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