The world economy continues to suffer as a result of both covid and the war in Ukraine. There are idiots still saying to leave oil and gas in the ground but we need them both until we have alternatives. I agree we should move to a greener future at a much faster pace.
Those who can afford it
Some people can afford to, “go green” and buy an electric car, have a heat pump heating system and so on. If you’re earning 100K a year you can afford those things but lower down the pay scales you might have to skip this year’s and next year’s holidays to afford to “go green”. If the well-paid “go green” would that help? Not if they still drive SUVs with huge diesel engines. Maybe the government could phase out diesel engines in cars a bit quicker than planned? No more diesel after 2025 perhaps? We could also limit petrol engines to 1600 cc. They won’t do it, of course, so we are doomed to a dystopian future where they suffer extreme heat in some countries. It’s over 100F in California, as I write this and floods and extreme weather around the world is likely to continue.
As green as I can be
I’m about as green as I can be. I drive a petrol-driven Astra with a 1400cc engine. I also make the petrol last quite a long time! I don’t spend a lot on manufactured goods and prefer to have financial security more so than piles of “stuff”. I have a garden hedge and two apple trees that are capturing carbon as I write and I would like another tree to capture even more. I tend to feel guilty when I do spend money on Amazon. I’ve just bought a few things. I needed the gadget to clean my windows!
eToro
My investments on the eToro platform aren’t doing too well but I’m still returning over 20%. In normal circumstances diversifying as much as possible is a good strategy but at the moment the only sector doing well is commodities like oil and gas. I sold some of my holdings and bought more Shell and BP. If the oil and natural gas prices start to drop, I’ll review that decision. I’m still favouring banks too, especially Barclays, Lloyds and Standard Chartered. When the world economy starts to pick up I think Rolls Royce with its SMR (small modular reactor) technology could be a good bet. We’re going to need small nuclear power stations. It will give the tin foil hat brigade something to complain about.
Cost of living
My cost of living is going up like everyone else’s. To measure the CPI they look at a basket of goods and see if the price of that basket of goods has gone up since last year. A lot of things in that basket, I don’t buy so I fare better than average. I don’t eat out and I don’t buy takeaways. I have to follow a medical diet but I really enjoy cheap meals. I cooked a turkey dinner at the weekend and I enjoyed my fried eggs, fries and peas last night just as much as my Sunday dinner. I enjoyed a couple of glasses of tawny port with my Sunday dinner too. I think my food bill is probably well below average but my enjoyment of food is well above average!
The markets
I watch the markets and try to analyse what’s going on. Oil is on 120.18, up a little but Shell and BP haven’t benefited from that maybe because natural gas is down a little. The rest of the stock market in London is down and so that is probably why Shell and BP follow the trend. I see them recovering that small loss on their share prices on Monday. The FTSE 100 is down 1.19 but many overseas investors will be watching and hoping to pick up a bargain or two. Many shares on the London market are cheap compared to the US markets. The pound is at $1.245 making UK shares more of a bargain just now.
Paradox
There might appear to be a paradox between being an investor and being “green”. However, if you invest, you have more discretionary income and more security and you can enjoy the simple things and also buy things that are high quality and last. Not being a slave to fashion or being obsessed with image or status can mean a greener lifestyle too. I think I might buy a cherry tree for my garden and capture a bit more carbon…
A Zillion Ideas 
Leave a Reply