Carleton University Signs Climate Change Charter
Carleton University is proud to announce it is now a signatory of Investing to Address Climate Change: A Charter for Canadian Universities, which provides principles and practices to guide responsible investment decisions. This action builds upon the university’s pledge to promote sustainability through its Responsible Investing Policies and a commitment to not hold any direct fossil fuel investments in endowment and non-endowed operating funds. Carleton continues to work towards reducing its impact on the environment and becoming a carbon neutral campus by 2050.
“Carleton is committed to meeting the challenges of climate change through our research and teaching, operations, and responsible investments,” says Carleton President and Vice-Chancellor, Benoit-Antoine Bacon. “As a signatory of the Charter, we are taking additional steps towards a more sustainable economy today and in the future.”
It has been 10 years since Carleton first adopted its responsible investing principles and they were formalized by Carleton’s Board of Governors as part of the Statement of Investment Policies and Procedures (SIPP) for the Carleton University Retirement Plan. Since then, the university has taken significant steps towards ensuring every financial decision takes climate change into account.
The university addresses climate change in governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics. Carleton believes that the transition to a net-zero economy must be done thoughtfully and with consideration for all generations. This belief is reaffirmed through Carleton’s signing of the United Nations supported Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI), one of the key tenets of the Climate Charter.
“Signing this Charter aligns well with our strategic initiatives and only strengthens our commitment to sustainability, which includes the goal to be a Carbon Neutral campus by 2050 and recently achieving Gold AASHE STARS ranking,” said Carleton’s Vice-President (Finance and Administration) Lorraine Dyke. “Our approach to sustainability continues to be a holistic one and we are continuously identifying ways to collaborate with our internal stakeholders, as well as our colleagues beyond the campus.” As a founding member of the University Network for Investor Engagement (UNIE) Carleton shows its desire to collaborate with like-minded investors globally.
Carleton University and the other signatories of the Climate Change Charter pledge to adhere to a set of common principles and practices:
- Adopt a responsible investing framework to guide investment decision-making, in line with recognized standards such as the UN-supported Principles of Responsible Investment (UN-PRI). Such a framework should:
- Incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into investment management practices.
- Encourage active engagement with companies to foster disclosure of ESG (including climate) related risks, and adoption of operational practices that reduce carbon emissions and foster ESG-positive behaviour more broadly.
- Regularly measure the carbon intensity of our investment portfolios and set meaningful targets for their reduction over time.
- Evaluate progress toward these objectives on a regular basis and share the results of such assessments publicly.
- Ensure that the performance evaluation of our investment managers considers their success in achieving such objectives, alongside the other criteria for assessing their performance.
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