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Massive DISCLAIMER – see masthead – I am not a financial planner. I want to post a wee bit in the coming days on the topic of ethical investing. But these posts should in no way be construed as advice or recommendations. Do your own homework, or contact a licensed financial advisor/planner. These posts are simply my thoughts as a citizen who is hoping to invest ethically and make money at it.
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In an earlier post, I mused about general expectations I have for ethical investments. In short, I’m not looking for perfect purity. I’m looking for things which are better than the current status quo. And things I can influence as a shareholder.
Over the next couple years, I’ll be scanning for green energy businesses. It’s a bit iffy, I know, and does not conform to my usual investment principle of looking for companies that have been money makers for several years already. But I’m pretty convinced that Green Energy remains the Next Big Thing.
Here’s why.
My hunch is that indeed we’ve reached peak oil – ie., we’ve maxed out how much can be produced, and from now on production is going to decline.
BP’s Review of World Energy states: The amount of proven oil reserves awaiting to be exploited fell last year for the first time in a decade. The amount of crude left in the ground was 1.258trn barrels – 3bn less than last year. Speaking of Canada specifically (the 2nd largest producer in the world), according to the National Energy Board (NEB), gas production in Canada peaked at 17.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in 2001, and has been decreasing since then.
While this may be contested, the uncertainty is of grave concern to business – how can you do business when you don’t know what price you’ll be paying any given year for your energy? Even the US Military, the biggest consumer of energy in the world, has clearly indicated they want out of traditional energy sources and want green alternatives. Not only is it a price concern, it is also a death concern – fuel convoys are popular targets and account for half the American deaths.
So if there’s business incentive to move off of traditional energy, and military interest as well, I’m guessing I will live to see a fundamental shift in energy sources.
Please God, let it be towards energy sources that mitigate climate change! (as opposed to euphemistically named ‘unconventional gas‘ – or, as I like to call it ‘I know! Let’s do the same old, same old, but worse!’)
So.
I’ll be exploring:
Which companies build wind turbines?
Which companies build solar cells?
Who builds geo thermal heat pumps?
Readers: any companies you recommend I investigate?