Ex-financiers Yan Swiderski and Jasper Judd have called on individuals to commit 0.25% of their savings and investments every year to fund not-for-profit climate solutions.
The co-founders of the Global Returns Project are seeking to raise an annual total of $10 billion within the next decade through their new initiative.
The organisation, which was founded in 2019 in an effort to combat climate change, is also looking to show financial institutions the importance of offering their clients an easy opportunity to direct more of their savings and investments towards climate solutions.
Yan Swiderski, trustee, Global Returns Project, says: “Funding not-for-profit climate solutions yields returns just like any other investment, the returns are externalised and shared, but they are real, identifiable, and global. Financial institutions are ready and willing to tackle the Climate Crisis. Individuals can help them make this small change which will have a huge effect.”
Investors’ contributions will be donated across charities including Ashden, ClientEarth, Global Canopy, Rainforest Trust and Trillion Trees. The charities have been identified through a “bespoke selection methodology” as the most effective climate solutions globally addressing problems that have no market solutions, the Global Returns Project said.
Jasper Judd, trustee, Global Returns Project, added: “Urgent action is needed. We know people want to turn the tide on climate change, and the Global Returns Project gives individuals the chance to make a huge collective impact.
“We are blurring the line between investment and philanthropy by thinking more broadly about what returns we should be looking for and working with financial institutions to create a new normal. Our first step towards achieving our $10 billion annual target will be to secure 5,000+ individuals with savings and investments to ‘Reinvest in Earth’ in 2021.”
