2025 Climate Targets

The David Rockefeller Fund is announcing climate-related investment targets to be achieved by 2025. Announced on Earth Day 2021, as part of the Fund’s membership in the United Nations-convened Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance (AOA), these 2025 targets represent the first in a series of interim targets reflecting our commitment to take meaningful steps in combatting the threat of climate change.

These commitments include:

• A 25% reduction in carbon emissions in the investment portfolio across selected asset classes.
• A policy of engaging with the top corporate emitters within our holdings, as well as our largest asset manager relationships.
• Continued industry engagement to encourage net zero commitments from similar organizations, by offering collaboration and transparency on our own path.

25% by 2025 Interim target setting is of central importance to the net zero commitments made within the AOA. Climate science underscores the importance of achieving net zero by 2050, with particular urgency focused on a 50% reduction by 2030 in order to avoid the most severe negative impacts. Therefore, by committing to a 25% reduction in the next five years, the David Rockefeller Fund is taking the necessary steps today to ensure the viability of a 1.5°C temperature rise scenario for the remainder of the century.

Engagement is another cornerstone of the David Rockefeller Fund’s target setting framework. Because the transition to a carbon neutral economy requires reductions in absolute emissions in the real economy, our goal is to work with our highest emitting portfolio companies to support them on their own decarbonization journeys.

We will also engage with external asset managers on helping us to achieve our net zero and interim targets, as well as on considering advancements in their own climate commitments.

Finally, together with our investment advisors, we have set out a clear path for escalation of engagement with companies that demonstrate an unwillingness or inability to make meaningful changes over time, and will ultimately be prepared to divest from the worst performers.

Financing the transition means investing in the technologies that will be required for our net zero future. Therefore, we have made a commitment to increase investments in assets that meet these requirements.

Collaboration is a core tenet of the David Rockefeller Fund’s leadership in this climate fight. We will remain active in engaging with like-minded organizations to help catalyze commitments towards net zero. As we continue to leverage our convening power to accelerate this engagement and investment, we hope that you will join us on this path.