Stranded Assets

[ˈstræn.dɪd ˈæs·ets]

Related terms: Futurity, Ghost Acreage, Past Futures, Ruins, Unpredictability

Stranded assets describe resources and investments that are rendered worthless, that are abandoned and written off when the associated costs of their production surpass the profits. Every investment is made with the hope of a return and is therefore made with a specific expectation of what the future will bear. Specifically, the fossil fuel industry is undergoing a complete reevaluation – the carbon resources that make up their corporate value no longer promise returns, but their immense economic and environmental costs have become visible. Many companies are faced with stranded assets when the future they envisioned belongs to the past.