The Explainer x Noteworthy: Are Irish pensions invested in fossil fuels?

FOSSIL FUEL DIVESTMENT “could form an important part” of cutting emissions by “targeting a portion of where greenhouse gases are coming from”.

This is what Dr Jane O’Hara of One Future, a climate activism organisation, said of a new requirement regarding fossil fuel investment by pension providers that was to be explored as part of the Climate Action Plan 2019.

In a new in-depth report by investigative platform Noteworthy, it was revealed that an ambition for tighter scrutiny regarding the investment of pension funds in fossil fuels was quietly rolled back only months after a goal on this was set.

In our FUELLING RETIREMENT investigation, reporter Lauren Boland finds that before a working group had met to examine the measure, it was deemed “not prudent”.

This week, in an episode of The Explainer brought to you by Noteworthy, Susan Daly chats with reporter Boland and Ciarán Hughes, financial advisor at Ethico, about these findings as well as the relationship between pensions and fossil fuels.

RELATED READ

• Unpublished pensions report shows roll back on Climate Action Plan measure

This episode was put together by Susan Daly, Maria Delaney, Lauren Boland and producer Laura Byrne.