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With 7 climate resolutions put forward by the members across 7 Danish pension funds, the climate was again in focus at this year's general meetings at pension funds in Denmark. Among the filed resolutions, 4 resolutions on climate were adopted with the support of the Board of Directors. Another resolution was voted through without having the support of the board. Thus, two of the climate resolutions that were filed were not adopted, but the hope is that these resolutions will nevertheless be fully or partially implemented in...

Danish pension companies own shares in a large part of the world's most CO2-polluting companies, and the investments are often justified by the fact that the pension companies can make the companies greener through active engagement. But the companies' green transition is far too slow, and some companies even directly oppose the green transition. Until now, Danish pension companies have overwhelmingly supported the annual election of candidates for positions on the companies' boards, even when the same board members are responsible...

Danish pension funds are generally more supportive of climate votes than the average global investor, but there is still a large variation between the Danish pension funds, with some pension funds clearly failing to align their shareholder voting practices with their climate commitments. These are the conclusions from AnsvarligFremtid entitled: THEIR VOTES, OUR FUTURE. HOW DANISH PENSION FUNDS VOTED ON CLIMATE IN 2022.   Danish pension funds manage investments of approx. 600 billion USD, they have made strong statements on...

A new survey from ResponsibleFuture (AnsvarligFremtid) shows that Danish companies are hesitant to prioritize the climate when choosing a pension scheme for their employees. The survey thus shows that companies prefer to leave it up to the individual employee to opt for more climate-friendly investments instead of the company demanding climate-responsible investments for all employees. Thus, there are no companies that set specific documentation requirements for the offered pension products to support the Paris climate agreement....

AnsvarligFremtid (Responsible Future) current proposal for a definition of Paris compatibility for investments and transparency The following 8 criteria summarize AnsvarligFremtid´s proposal for defining Paris-compatible pension fund products as of April 2022. The criteria will undergo continuous adaptation as new knowledge emerges about the scientific basis for climate change, as well as new technical information on investments and company specific data become available. 1) The carbon footprint of the pension product can serve as...

With as many as 21 climate resolutions - filed by members - at 10 general meetings, the climate was once again in focus at this year's general meetings of Danish pension funds. Among these member filed resolutions: ● 8 resolutions were adopted with the support of the pension fund board ● 4 resolutions were voted through without the board's backing. ● 9 resolutions were not adopted, but 2 of these are expected to be partially implemented. Among the most important adopted member filed resolutions in 2022 are the following adoptions:...

The lobby organization for the Danish insurance and pensions industry “Insurance and Pension Denmark” has recently voiced their support for the Danish government’s proposal for an ambitious carbon-tax reform. This is very positive, since most Institutional Investors tend to shy away from supporting critically important climate political initiatives, but now the Insurance and Pension Denmark takes the lead in the support of an increased carbon taxation. ”We have a common task in Denmark to ensure that a Danish carbon tax leads to...

Bloomberg has recently released a news story, suggesting that Climate Voting by NZAOA members is far from sufficient if we are to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The story is based on a report released by Critical Climate Votes, analyzing the climate related proxy votes of members of the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance (NZAOA) revealing a lack of transparency that casts doubt on the effectiveness of the alliance itself. The report is authored by researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, University of Edinburgh and...

Danish pension funds are failing to support independent climate resolutions at fossil fuel companies, according to a new report by AnsvarligFremtid entitled: THEIR VOTES, OUR FUTURE. HOW DANISH PENSION FUNDS VOTED ON CLIMATE IN 2021. Conducting a survey into how 16 Danish funds voted at annual general meetings this year, we found mixed results: a growing number are divesting, while those who still hold their shares aren’t voting in line with the Paris Agreement. AnsvarligFremtid conducted a survey, asking 16 Danish Pension funds how...

With as many as 19 climate proposals discussed at 10 general meetings, the climate was again in focus at this year's general meetings of Danish pension funds. Among these proposals, 9 proposals on climate were adopted with the support of the Board. One proposal was voted through without the support of the board, and a total of 9 climate proposals were not adopted. In addition, 2 proposals were submitted, but subsequently withdrawn because the proposals had already been implemented before the...

April 30, 2021 Candidates with green credentials now constitute a large part of the board in the Danish pension fund P+. This is clear after the members have cast their vote at the board election. The P+ pension fund invests 140 mia. DKK. (~20 bill. Euro) on behalf of 101.000 Engineers, Lawyers and Economists. Two of the candidates with green credentials even achieved the most votes, signaling that the members support the P+ pension fund in its effort to Paris-align the investment portfolio. The newly elected board will represent...

Fossil gas is not a “transition fuel” in a 1.5°C world, even though the gas industry claims differently. Today, activists across Europe are calling for recognition of the dangers of fossil gas. Gas Free Pensions, a network of European environmental organizations including Danish AnsvarligFremtid, Fossil Free Sweden, Fossil Free Berlin, and Italian Re:Common, calls on pension funds to recognise the dangers of continuing investment in fossil gas companies. Today, citizen activists under the collective Gastivists in more than 12+...