Make Me Smart From "How We Survive": ESG, Reincarnated
Sep 3, 2025
Explore how personal investments can powerfully combat climate change, especially through climate-conscious retirement options. Discover the surprising carbon impact of workplace retirement plans and the rise of innovative funds that exclude fossil fuels. Delve into the trend of 'green hushing,' where companies downplay their eco-initiatives amid external pressures. Unpack the tension between financial institutions and climate commitments, signaling a need for renewed focus on climate risk in investment strategies.
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Retirement Investments Move The Needle
- Moving your retirement savings to a climate-friendly option is the most impactful thing the average American can do for climate change.
- Alex Wright Gladstein says this action outweighs combined lifestyle changes like going vegan or never flying.
Host Checks Her Own Retirement Plan
- Amy Scott used Sphere's tools to find Marketplace's parent company employees had $19 million invested in fossil fuel companies via their retirement plan.
- She also found many of her index funds received poor grades for fossil fuel exposure.
Founder Built An Alternative Index Fund
- Alex Wright Gladstein created the Sphere 500 Climate Fund after finding offered ESG options still held fossil fuel companies.
- The fund excludes fossil fuels and other sectors like tobacco and private prisons.