Fossil fuel companies hold vast oil, gas and coal riches that they frequently tout to the investing universe to help elevate their market values. However, not a single energy company has ever told investors about the potential effects on the environment if all their hydrocarbon reserves were burned. And certainly few, if any, have ever told investors that a large chunk of these assets could be doomed to forever remain buried in the ground – and essentially worth nothing – should environmental regulations tighten. Yet, the specter that these assets might one day end up stranded and theoretically worthless as the clamor for clean energy heats up looms large. According to estimates in the Financial Times’ Lex column, nearly $900 billion worth of reserves – or about one-third of the value of big oil and gas companies – is at risk of one day becoming worthless as market and […]