By Ralph Benson

What links climate change, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Facebook whistleblowing controversy? They’re all impossible to ignore when it comes to investing your money ethically.

As global leaders and climate activists gather in Glasgow this week for COP26, in the face of the threat of climate catastrophe, the term ‘ethical’ will be bandied about in relation to all topics, from government finances to corporate responsibility.

We, as potential pension investors, can play our part in this by ensuring that the money we save is channelled into ethical investments. This subject has been stirring up changes in the financial world this year in particular, since the publication of the latest IPCC Report on Climate Change. In the UK, Film Director Richard Curtis has become an unlikely champion of ethical investments with the creation of the Make My Money Matter campaign.

Some good news

So how can regular people make their money matter and work for the betterment of the planet? And does investing responsibly mean making financial sacrifices? Well, the opposite is true.

Investing in an ethical way can protect you from risk and increase your returns. For example, when the oil price crashed last year, many ethical funds were insulated from the worst of it because they are fossil fuel-free.

What’s more, investing your money ethically is one of the best ways you can make an impact on some of the world’s most pressing problems. From investing in energy efficiency and promoting economic empowerment to forcing change in how companies are run, ethical investment choices can make a difference.

But when it comes to pensions, the real reason ethical investing matters in Ireland is that it actually interests people. This is a way to move on from the snooze fest of pensions and talk about putting your money into things that matter to you.

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