Energy investors must look to energy-efficient countries

Investors looking to invest in sustainable energy should look to those countries that are serious about developing sustainable energy for the nation, according to Sir Crispin Tickell, board member of the Copenhagen Climate Council.

In an interview on climate change and investment, Tickell said investors should consider investing in those economies that had made major advances in developing renewable energies such as solar energy and wind power. Countries such as China, Germany and Denmark were good examples, he said.

“If you choose a difficult [carbon reduction] target, and you’ve got the kind of economy that can meet it… then you’ll get to acquire an enormous commercial advantage.”

The countries that were most vulnerable to climate change, such as China, were the best economies to invest in, especially in terms of energy investments, Tickell said.

China was putting enormous funds into developing a more energy-efficient economy, and in some cases were “leapfrogging” the other economies in terms of energy efficiency, he said.

Fiona Matthews, chief executive of Earth Champions Foundation, said the seriousness with which the Chinese government viewed climate change made China’s controlled economy even better for energy investment.

“They are a controlled economy. One week they halved the cost of public transport, and everyone abandoned their cars. That’s how they cleaned up their air,” she said.

Investors should also look to invest in England’s economy, which is developing alternative sources of energy, such as nuclear energy, Tickell added.