Climate change affecting shareholder value?

While we generally hear about global warming and climate change from scientists, people involved in the financial world should also consider it a major economic issue facing all U.S. companies, according to an article by the Vermont State Treasurer. While the U.S. government declined to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, many U.S. companies have already responded to some of the challenges climate change is posing. Many global companies based in the U.S. have to join in carbon-reduction efforts to comply in foreign markets. In addition, the federal government's choice to not impose greenhouse gas reduction measures has lead a dozen U.S. states to put their own regulations in place for automobiles and power plants. This will clearly affect shareholders of power generating companies, many of which rely on burning coal to generate the majority of their power. For those of you with money to invest, however, it's not all doom and gloom. The climate change challenges create significant opportunities for companies involved in biofuels or other renewable technologies.
[Source: The Burlington Free Press]