Toronto-based Criterion Investments Ltd. launched the Criterion Global Clean Energy Fund on Monday — Canada’s first fund to focus on technologies aimed at curbing climate change.

The fund will invest in equity securities of the leading companies at each stage of the transition to cleaner energy. The
companies targeted will include:

• firms in the fields of resources, technology and equipment, infrastructure and energy efficiency that contribute to, or benefit from, the transition to less carbon-intensive energy; and
• firms that focus on carbon-free energy (such as solar, wind and hydroelectric); low-carbon energy (such as
natural gas and biofuels); and energy efficiency (such as power monitoring and controls and batteries).

“The drive for clean energy is a global theme that’s here to stay, offering a powerful investment opportunity for Canadian financial advisors and their clients,” said Ian McPherson, president of Criterion. “Investors now have the opportunity to capitalize on the global wake-up call to reduce carbon emissions.”

The investment advisor for the fund is Geneva-based Pictet Asset Management SA, an eminent European investment firm with $120 billion under management. The 200-year-old firm has established itself as a leading manager of thematic funds based on global mega-trends. Pictet’s own clean energy fund has over US$500 million in assets. (Criterion already has an established relationship with Pictet, the sub advisor for Criterion Water Infrastructure Fund.)