In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical data themes, we look at melting ice caps, the rising value (and volume) of ‘unicorn’ companies, and the hidden power of your pension.

How fast is the ice melting?

Ice is melting at an incredible speed, equating to a down payment on the cost of global warming. As shown in Figure 1, 28 trillion tonnes of ice melted between 1994 and 2017 – approximately two thirds of which has been caused by the warming of the atmosphere and the oceans.

Figure 1: Global ice loss (1994 – 2017)1
Global ice loss
Source: The Cryosphere, January 25, 2001

The annual amount of melting ice has increased from 0.8 trillion tonnes in the 1990s to 1.3 trillion tonnes in 2017. To put this in perspective, one trillion tonnes is the equivalent of an ice cube taller than Mount Everest, while the amount lost over the entire period would cover the UK with an ice sheet 100 metres thick.

One of the key consequences of melting ice is global sea level rise, which increases flood risk. The ice loss over the study period is estimated to have raised sea levels by 35 millimetres.2 Urgent solutions are needed, as the rate of loss is now in line with the worst-case scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Is Apple worth more than 817 unicorns?

Privately owned start-up companies with a valuation of $1 billion or more are dubbed unicorns. However, what was once quite a rare occurrence (hence the mythical name) has become far more commonplace, with 817 unicorns globally.3

The list includes well-known names like online-learning platform Udemy, Uber rival Ola Cabs and social network Reddit, with valuations of $3.2 billion, $6.3 billion and $10 billion, respectively. Popular former unicorns include vacation rental company Airbnb and tech giants Facebook and Google.

Perhaps some of the current crop will go on to replicate their success. But it is also worth putting their current value in context: all the unicorns combined are roughly worth the same as Apple – currently the largest company in the world.4

Figure 2: Unicorns versus Apple (market cap)5,6
Unicorns versus Apple
Source: CB Insights and Aviva Investors, September 2021

How to make your money matter

Many of us are making lifestyle changes to reduce our carbon footprints – including adopting vegetarian diets, switching to renewable energy and reducing the amount we fly.

Is our pension the bigger ‘superpower’ we could all use to reduce our respective carbon footprints?

However, there is a bigger ‘superpower’ we could all use – our pension. According to the latest Make My Money Matter campaign, the best way to make a positive impact on the environment is to align your pension to your values. Its campaign states that greening your pension is 21 times more powerful than all three changes mentioned above combined.7

Figure 3: The power of greening your pension8
The power of greening your pension
Source: Make My Money Matter and Aviva Investors, September 2021

To put this in perspective, those with an average-sized pension who move from a traditional fund to a sustainable option can expect to save 19 tonnes of carbon per year, while people with a larger pension of at least £100,000 could save up to 64 tonnes of carbon. That’s nine years’ worth of the average UK citizen’s average carbon footprint.  

There are about £2.6 trillion invested in pensions in the UK – an amount that could make a great difference if invested the right way.

View our full monthly series

We take a visual approach to illustrate topical data themes in economies, markets and beyond.

Learn more

The Little Book of Data

A collection of visualised data showcasing a range of themes including data and technology, diversity and inclusion, and markets and economics all brought together in one book resulting in an expressive and stunning compilation. Reserve your copy of The Little Book of Data now.

Request your copy

Want more content like this?

Sign up to receive our AIQ thought leadership content.

Please enable javascript in your browser in order to see this content.

I acknowledge that I qualify as a professional client or institutional/qualified investor. By submitting these details, I confirm that I would like to receive thought leadership email updates from Aviva Investors, in addition to any other email subscription I may have with Aviva Investors. You can unsubscribe or tailor your email preferences at any time.

For more information, please visit our privacy notice.

Related views

Important information

THIS IS A MARKETING COMMUNICATION

Except where stated as otherwise, the source of all information is Aviva Investors Global Services Limited (AIGSL). Unless stated otherwise any views and opinions are those of Aviva Investors. They should not be viewed as indicating any guarantee of return from an investment managed by Aviva Investors nor as advice of any nature. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but has not been independently verified by Aviva Investors and is not guaranteed to be accurate. Past performance is not a guide to the future. The value of an investment and any income from it may go down as well as up and the investor may not get back the original amount invested. Nothing in this material, including any references to specific securities, assets classes and financial markets is intended to or should be construed as advice or recommendations of any nature. Some data shown are hypothetical or projected and may not come to pass as stated due to changes in market conditions and are not guarantees of future outcomes. This material is not a recommendation to sell or purchase any investment.

The information contained herein is for general guidance only. It is the responsibility of any person or persons in possession of this information to inform themselves of, and to observe, all applicable laws and regulations of any relevant jurisdiction. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer or solicitation to any person in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorised or to any person to whom it would be unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.

In Europe, this document is issued by Aviva Investors Luxembourg S.A. Registered Office: 2 rue du Fort Bourbon, 1st Floor, 1249 Luxembourg. Supervised by Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. An Aviva company. In the UK, this document is by Aviva Investors Global Services Limited. Registered in England No. 1151805. Registered Office: 80 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4AE. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm Reference No. 119178. In Switzerland, this document is issued by Aviva Investors Schweiz GmbH.

In Singapore, this material is being circulated by way of an arrangement with Aviva Investors Asia Pte. Limited (AIAPL) for distribution to institutional investors only. Please note that AIAPL does not provide any independent research or analysis in the substance or preparation of this material. Recipients of this material are to contact AIAPL in respect of any matters arising from, or in connection with, this material. AIAPL, a company incorporated under the laws of Singapore with registration number 200813519W, holds a valid Capital Markets Services Licence to carry out fund management activities issued under the Securities and Futures Act (Singapore Statute Cap. 289) and Asian Exempt Financial Adviser for the purposes of the Financial Advisers Act (Singapore Statute Cap.110). Registered Office: 138 Market Street, #05-01 CapitaGreen, Singapore 048946.

In Australia, this material is being circulated by way of an arrangement with Aviva Investors Pacific Pty Ltd (AIPPL) for distribution to wholesale investors only. Please note that AIPPL does not provide any independent research or analysis in the substance or preparation of this material. Recipients of this material are to contact AIPPL in respect of any matters arising from, or in connection with, this material. AIPPL, a company incorporated under the laws of Australia with Australian Business No. 87 153 200 278 and Australian Company No. 153 200 278, holds an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL 411458) issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Business address: Level 27, 101 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia.

The name “Aviva Investors” as used in this material refers to the global organization of affiliated asset management businesses operating under the Aviva Investors name. Each Aviva investors’ affiliate is a subsidiary of Aviva plc, a publicly- traded multi-national financial services company headquartered in the United Kingdom.

Aviva Investors Canada, Inc. (“AIC”) is located in Toronto and is based within the North American region of the global organization of affiliated asset management businesses operating under the Aviva Investors name. AIC is registered with the Ontario Securities Commission as a commodity trading manager, exempt market dealer, portfolio manager and investment fund manager. AIC is also registered as an exempt market dealer and portfolio manager in each province of Canada and may also be registered as an investment fund manager in certain other applicable provinces.

Aviva Investors Americas LLC is a federally registered investment advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Aviva Investors Americas is also a commodity trading advisor (“CTA”) registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”). AIA’s Form ADV Part 2A, which provides background information about the firm and its business practices, is available upon written request to: Compliance Department, 225 West Wacker Drive, Suite 2250, Chicago, IL 60606.