Is there a time bomb lurking in your retirement account? Investors holding many index and mutual funds own a chunk of fossil fuel stocks. England’s Central Bank recently said that coal, oil and natural gas reserves that determine the future earnings of those companies, and therefore the stock prices, may be overvalued. If that fuel is burned average temperatures will rise to levels that will create havoc in food supplies and economies. In other words, oil and coal companies are propped up by hydrocarbons that will become unburnable at some point in the future. The prevailing view on Wall Street is that energy companies will diversify and their balance sheets won’t implode if world leaders get serious about limiting carbon pollution. But a growing number of financial firms are starting to say the idea of a carbon bubble should be taken seriously.

Speakers:

Kurt Billick, Chief Investment Officer, Bocage Capital

Anthony Hobley, CEO, Carbon Tracker Initiative

Anne Simpson, Director of Global Governance, CalPERS

Join a conversation about the risks of owning energy stocks in a hot and wobbly world.

 

Location: The Commonwealth Club, SF Club Office, 555 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Time: 6:00 p.m. check in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. networking reception

 

Note: The speakers and audience will be videotaped for future broadcast on the Climate One TV show on KRCB TV 22 on Comcast and DirecTV.

Buy tickets here.