In what may prove to be a fundamental shift in sustainable resources, a new international coalition is poised to direct trillions of dollars into markets linked to climate change, clean technology and sustainable use of natural resources.
"The Working Capital Report," to be published for the first time in March 2006 by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), is the culmination of a series of studies conducted during 2004 and 2005.
What was once considered a financial niche area is poised to become mainstream as institutions with trillions of dollars under management embed environmental, social and governance (ESG) thinking into their investment approach, UNEP said in a statement released simultaneously today in London, Melbourne, Nairobi, New York, Paris and Tokyo.
...Early this year, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan took an initiative when he convened a group of 20 of the world's largest institutional investors, representing US$1.7 trillion in assets owned, to negotiate a set of Principles for Responsible Investment.
The investors formulated a set of voluntary Principles. They were finalized in London in October 2005 and are currently under embargo. A spring 2006 launch date is planned, say UNEP FI and the UN Global Compact, who cooperated to facilitate the PRI process."
FULL STORY: Carbon, Clean-Tech and Sustainable Markets Set to Attract Trillion

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