Please see the below article from Royal London received over the weekend:
The majority of our assets just over 90% – are invested with Royal London Asset Management (RLAM), and their responsible investment team is doing great work to help drive the move to a low carbon economy and leading the way on the Just Transition.
What is the Just Transition?
Just Transition ensures that social issues are taken into account in moving to a low carbon economy. Rapid climate action that limits global warming to below 1.5ºC prevents the worst human and economic costs of climate change. A Just Transition ensures this climate action also supports an inclusive economy and avoids exacerbating existing injustices or creating new ones.
We care about Just Transition in the industry, because without adequate considerations of the social impacts of accelerating the path to Net Zero, there is a risk that people will not be willing to make the hard choices we need in order to limit the impacts of climate change. This can lead to policy delays and uncertainty. Companies that acknowledge this challenge and plan for a Just Transition, will be more likely to deliver on their commitment to low-carbon growth. We believe energy utility companies should develop formal Just Transition strategies to manage social risk and ensure they continue to deliver good value for society and their investors.
A just transition for Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE)
SSE is an energy utility company that helps produce and distribute gas and electricity to our homes. It is one of the largest producers of wind power in the UK and has committed to become ‘net zero by 2050’ – which means that by 2050 the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by SSE will be equal to the amount it removes from the atmosphere.
RLAM’s responsible investment team has been champions of SSE’s strategy to move to wind power and reduce its reliance on coal and gas, which will have a big benefit for our climate. However, they’ve also been talking to SSE about the Just Transition – what the company is doing to ensure that its transition to lower carbon energy also considers any negative social consequences like significant job losses or making energy bills unaffordable. Solving the climate crisis is not straightforward, and the responsible investment team is asking companies to take a more holistic view and look at both the social and environmental consequences of taking action.
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Andrew Lloyd DipPFS
07/06/2021