What's going on?

The green revolution continued its uprising this week, as three major oil companies were forced to feel the winds of change.

What does this mean?

It�s been a tough few days for oil companies. First up, a Dutch court stepped in and ordered Shell to start accelerating reductions in its carbon emission. Then Chevron�s shareholders followed up with an uppercut of their own,�voting�in favor of a drastic cut in�its emissions.

Still, maybe the most notable was ExxonMobil, which was put under pressure by its investors to start rolling out a greener agenda. Or more specifically, by one activist investor with just 0.02% of its shares. If you think that doesn�t sound like much, you�re not wrong: investors usually need a much bigger stake to throw their weight around. But despite having no history of activism in the oil and gas industry, this one managed to rally ExxonMobil�s second-biggest shareholder � BlackRock � to its cause, and the rest fell like dominoes.

Why should I care?

For markets: Investors just care too much (about money).

Make no mistake, investors� sudden enthusiasm for energy companies� transition to cleaner energy isn�t out of the goodness of their hearts. There�s a financial incentive at play (tweet this): oil companies could attract a fresh wave of climate-minded investors if their eco-friendly efforts are successful in the longer term, and that could push their share prices up.

The bigger picture: Making a difference from the inside.

One way for investors to make sure their investments have a positive impact is to avoid those that might have a negative one, but it�s not the only option. Some of the biggest investors in the world use an �engagement� strategy, where they take a big enough stake in dubious companies � poor employers or high polluters, say � to gain a seat at the table. That way, they can use that newfound influence to push them toward positive change.