A Business Aims for Real Zero

I don’t make stock recommendations on this website,[1] so that is not what this is. But I recently learned about a business that is aggressively trying to make money by tackling climate change, with a goal of completely eliminating the use of fossil fuels in its operations by 2030—a goal it calls “real zero,” meaning its business will not emit any planet-warming carbon dioxide.

It’s a mining business—an industry that contributes more than five percent (5%) of global carbon emissions. Andrew Forrest, the CEO, is determined to change that by showing how clean energy technology is not only be better for the planet but better for shareholders, too.

The company is Fortescue Metals Group (ticker FSUGY). It’s an Australian mining company that is investing $6.2 billion in clean energy technology, including electric mining trucks that can haul 240 metric tons of material, as well as green-hydrogen production facilities in Australia, the United States, Norway, and Brazil. (If you aren’t familiar with green hydrogen, it’s produced by using renewable energy to split water molecules—H₂O—into its component elements of hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O). The hydrogen can then be used to provide energy for industry and transportation by recombining it with oxygen in the atmosphere, with water as the only by-product.)

 So far it seems to be working. Forrest claims that the company has “Australia’s highest shareholder return in history.” It currently pays an incredible annual dividend of 9.55%,[2] and has an excellent forward price-to-earnings ratio of 9.13.[3]

To learn more about what climate change is, how it is impacting our world, and how it might be fulfilling biblical prophecy, read Chapter 11 of my book, Beyond Blind Faith, entitled “Apocalypse Soon.” You can read it in its entirety for free on this website. Just click here, or go to “Don’s Books” at the top of this page and scroll down to the “List of Contents” under my book, Beyond Blind Faith.

This blog entry was based in part on information in the following source: “Net Zero Is Not Enough: Australian Mining Billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Green Crusade,” by Justin Worland, Time Magazine, March 10, 2025, pages 34-40.  

[1]. However, about 4 years ago I did write a 3-part blog post sharing what I had learned about investing in the stock market. If you’re interested you can read part one here (it links to parts two and three).

[2]. From schwab.com website

[3]. From Zacks.com website