Socially Responsible Investment Law Regulating the Unseen Polluters

Environmental harm is commonly associated with companies that extract, consume, and pollute our shared natural resources. Rarely are the 'unseen polluters,' the financiers that sponsor and profit from eco-damaging corporations, placed at the forefront of the environmental debate. By focusing on these unseen polluters, Benjamin Richardson provides a comprehensive examination of socially responsible investment (SRI), and offers a guide to possible reform. Richardson proposes that greater regulatory supervision of SRI will help ensure that the financial sector prioritizes ethically-based investments. In Socially Responsible Investment Law, he suggests that new governmental reforms should encourage companies to participate in socially responsible investments by providing a better mix of standards and incentives for SRI through measures that include redefining the fiduciary responsibilities of institutional investors to incorporate environmental concerns. By doing so, Richardson posits that corporate financiers, including banks, hedge funds, and pension plans, will become more accountable to the goals of ensuring sustainable development.

Professor Benjamin J. Richardson specializes in environmental and financial law at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Canada. His previous publications include Environmental Law for Sustainability (Hart Publishing, 2006) and Environmental Justice and Market Mechanisms (Kluwer, 1999). He is a member of the IUCN Environmental Law Commission and the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law.