Authors

Climate change is not only having a devastating impact on the environment, it is also a human rights issue.

We and long-term investors have focused our efforts on the suppliers of fossil fuels and the largest greenhouse gas emitters. However, for the energy transition to be as smooth as possible, investors also need to address the demand for energy.

Mitigating the effects of the climate crisis and switching to a low-carbon economy will mean radical shifts for some industries and their employees. What can investors do to help ensure a just transition for affected workers and local communities?

ConocoPhillips has improved its climate policies, practices and disclosures to help assure investors of its preparation towards the low-carbon economy. EOS has engaged with the company to achieve best practice and communicate this publicly.

Wells Fargo & Company announced regulatory and legal settlements in 2016 relating to its retail banking sales practices, which harmed customers.

Some companies often fail to engage meaningfully with indigenous peoples, or worse still, make insufficient effort to establish a mutually beneficial agreement through Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). This failure can be detrimental to their cultures and livelihoods. Tim Goodman, Director of Engagement at Hermes Investment Management, explores where companies can fall short and the steps that should be taken to ensure a respectful engagement between all parties using a number of case studies.

So said Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, the Chair of the United Nations indigenous body UNPFII, as the UN General Assembly marked the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in September 2017. Indeed, indigenous peoples are facing even greater struggles and rights violations than they did 10 years ago. And the implications of such human rights abuses will be far-reaching not just for companies, but investors too. In the last decade, the time taken to bring oil projects online has doubled, with 73% of delays due to non-technical problems – including resistance from indigenous stakeholders. According to the UN, there has been an increase in the number of indigenous people denouncing the lack of compliance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), particularly with companies not obtaining their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) before enacting projects on their land. Such tumult has prompted investors to engage with companies about FPIC.

Leading our oil and gas work, I have met many oil and gas majors and related service companies in office settings and in the field, particularly in North America. The industry loves to say that health, safety and the environment are its priorities. However, it is sometimes what companies do or not do rather than what they say that is revealing. To that extent, I have developed my handrail and seat belt test. This is based on interactions with companies that can give far greater qualitative insights than desk-based research companies and asset managers are capable of providing.