The Climate Change Security Fund seeks long-term growth by investing in companies involved in peacekeeping and resource security related to climate change impacts. The fund assumes climate change will increase threats to global stability and access to resources. It aims to provide higher returns than the S&P 500 by investing in defense, renewable energy, water, and food companies facilitating climate change adaptation. The portfolio manager evaluates companies' climate innovation and emissions reductions efforts. The fund targets institutional investors and aims to mature investments by 2020 to engage in financially-focused security solutions for climate challenges.
Climate Change Security Fund Seeks Long-Term Growth
1. SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
February 25th, 2014
CLIMATE CHANGE SECURITY FUND
Investment Objective
The Climate Change Security Fund seeks long
term growth of capital through investments in
public equity securities of companies active in
peacekeeping and “resource defense activities” in
a future where climate change impacts may have
a serious effect on regional and global stability.
Absent among SRIs is the focus on peace, order and
civil society; global security is a critical aspect of
sustainability.
Climate change impacts have had serious,
financially material effects on civil society and will
only continue to do so more in the future. With
sea levels rising, an estimated 200 million people
may be displaced by extreme disasters and climate
change by 20501
. Only two degrees of warming will
force 1.3 billion people into undernourishment in
2080 due to climate change impacts on aerable
lands.2
More recently, massive ice break up in the
polar regions has sparked official Arctic Defense
Strategies to mitigate potential geopolitical
tensions concerning the newly accessible region.3
A recent article quantifying impacts of climate on
human conflict showed that warmer temperatures
or more extreme rainfall increases the frequency
of interpersonal violence by 4% and intergroup
conflict by 14%.4
A progressively unstable global
ecosystem ensures a more volatile future for civil
society and the global economy.
It is clear we must plan for a transformative
scenario to ensure long-term financial and physcial
survival. This Fund addresses this concern by
providing a platform to support a constructive
symbiosis between seemingly different industries
that are inextricably linked when dealing with issues
related to the climate change crisis�security, energy
independence, water, and food.
Investment Strategy
The Portfolio Manager considers “resource defense
activities” as those that relate to guaranteeing a
positive quality of life and availability of resources
essential to life and include but are not necessarily
limited to the following: defense, water, energy
independence and food sectors.
To be eligible for inclusion in the Climate
Change Security Fund, companies would have
to demonstrate above-average ability in climate
management, innovation, mitigation, adaptation
and emissions reduction (as indicated by their
Maplecroft Climate Innovation Index (CII) score)
have promising economic growth potential, and
have RepRisk ESG Reputation Risk Scores better
than the average for their business sector.
The Fund invests in securities of all market
capitalizations and normally invests 20% of total
assets in non US securities.
The diversity of the fund allows high-performers
to provide stable returns at different periods of
the financial cycle. For example, high-yielding
security companies may provide solid returns while
renewable technology firms gather traction prior to
future growth. Inversely, the renewable technology
firms may provide high financial returns during
times when the security industry is not as highly-
valued.
Performance
The Fund is projected to provide an annual return
of 28%. The following bar chart and table show the
Fund’s annual returns and its long-term projected
performance, which gives some indication of the
benefits and risks of investing in the Fund. The
table compares the Fund’s performance over time
with that of a benchmark.
Fund Descriptors
Target Geography Global
Size of Addressable Market $300 M
Scalability 50 firms; 2-5% growth
Asset Class Public Equities
Management Fees 0.5%
Fund Size (Initial) $9 M
2. The Climate Change Security Fund seeks an
attractive long-term rate of return. Based on
financial modeling, returns for one, three, five and
10 years outperform the S&P 500 index anywhere
from 9% to 75%.
Target Investors and Time Horizon
The Fund targets North American and European
institutional investors such as endowments, union
pension funds and sovereign wealth funds that have
an interest in climate change issues.
Firms included in the fund are projected to reach
maturity by 2020. This is based on financial
forecasts that assume investors will continue and
expand their climate change security concerns.
Metrics for Social and Environmental Impact
The fund is designed to engage the sustainability
community in a financially-focused security solution
to better manage the looming challenges brought
about by climate change. The Climate Innovation
Index (CII) tracks companies’ achievement in
climate-related innovation which has positive,
material impacts on society.
Assumptions
This Fund assumes that the effects of climate
change will result in increased recognition of the
need to apply both security and sustainability
measures to the changing needs and scenarios
of global society. Secondly, the Fund assumes
that sustainability is going to have an impact on
the economy and affect companies negatively or
positively. Additionally, at no point will the Fund
have more than 5% of the portfolio in cash. The
Fund assumes that 95% of funds are invested in
stocks.
Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Climate
Change Security Fund, which could adversely affect
its net asset value, yield and total return, are risks
most generally associated with investment funds
like market risk and equities securities risk. This
Fund also entails non-U.S. currency risk and the
industry-related risks associated with particular
events or factors relating to the defense, renewable
energy, water, and food sectors, which may increase
risk and volatility.
1
Thomas, A. & Rendon, R. (2010). Confronting Climate Displacement. Retrieved from: http://
refugeesinternational.org/sites/default/files?ConfrontingClimateDisplacement.pdf
2
Shindell, D., et al. (2012) Simultaneously Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change and Improving Human
Health and Food Security. Science, 335(6065), 183-189.
3
Department of Defense. (2013). Artic Strategy. Retrieved from: http://www.defense.gov/pubs/2013_
Arctic_Strategy.pdf
4
Hsiang, S. M., Burke, M. & Miguel, E. (2013). Quantifying the Influence of Climate on Human
Conflict. Science, 341(6151).