State Comptroller [1] Thomas DiNapoli [2] has joined nearly 50 institutional investors at the United Nations in pledging to invest a total of $10 billion over two years in technology to counter climate change.

According to The Post-Standard [3], the comptroller has received praise for the group's agreement to invest in energy productivity and cut energy use. Plus, the move could be a good financial one: A report released by McKinsey Global Institute [4] concluded that major investments over the next decade in energy productivity could earn double-digit rates of return. An additional annual investment of $170 billion through 2020 could cut the growth of global energy demand by at least half, the report said.

The investors at the United Nations also agreed to urge Congress and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt strict national policies to lower greenhouse gas emissions, as well as require businesses to report the risks that climate change poses to their businesses and investors.