Our global power industry was built around large, centralised power stations, usually fired by coal or natural gas. The success of these installations was based on production at a large scale over a long time, and the process of conversion, transmission and distribution was incredibly inefficient. While this system still dominates today,
Electric Vehicles: The road to disruption
At the intersection of technological innovation, demographic change and the transition to a zero-carbon economy, electric vehicles (EVs) will benefit from one of the strongest megatrends of the 21st Century. This article looks at the history of EVs and examines ways in which EV technology may impact the cities of the future.
Stewardship Highlights: AGL’s Proposed Demerger
BetaShares has been engaging with the Board of AGL Energy, and Mike Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures, about the proposed AGL demerger. BetaShares Director – Responsible Investment, Greg Liddell, answers some questions about the upcoming shareholder vote.
Plastic gold: Behind the recycling boom
Reading time: 3 minutes
When we think about addressing climate change, we typically focus on direct sources of emissions, and opportunities in alternative and renewable energy. However, over the past six months, it is companies operating in less high-profile impact investment market segments such as water and waste improvement,
COP26 – the investment implications
Reading time: 3 minutes
Billed as a critical event for climate change action, the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties (COP26) concluded to mixed reviews from experts. Although many felt the conference fell short of achieving the bold commitments required to limit global warming to 1.5°, others agree that if governments,
BetaShares Sustainability Forum 2021
“There is a big role that we can play, and it depends on who you are. You may be a consumer, you may be an investor, and you may be a fund manager. But you’re also a citizen, you have investing and political power, and you can do things in your own life as well.”
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Greenwashing – what it is, and how to avoid it
Reading time: 4 minutes
Ethical investing is no longer a niche area. In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in interest in the space as investors look to drive change with their investment dollars. Total assets under management in sustainable investment funds have doubled over the past four years to around USD 3.6tn1.
What the ‘greening’ of China means for Australian investors
Reading time: 3 minutes
In 2020, China announced to the world that it would join the race to lower carbon emissions. It pledged to reach peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. This falls roughly in line with the other two global heavyweights pledging carbon neutrality,
ESG investing – the gloves are off
If any confirmation was needed that ESG considerations are likely to have an ongoing and increasing effect on the investment landscape, such confirmation came in mid-August. It was reported that, in an email to the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) written in mid-April, AQR Capital Management (AQR), a major US-based investment manager,
Start your…batteries: the impact of electric vehicles on ESG
Reading time: 3 minutes
There’s little doubt that ESG is playing an increasingly important part in the investing landscape. In the U.S., ESG investments saw record flows from investors in 2020, just as they did the year before, and the year before that1.