Climate Risk

5 posts

Are sustainable finance metrics up for the volatility of the transition to net zero? A new working paper investigates

In recent years, climate experts and even regulators have increased attention on the financial sector as a driver of both emissions and capital formation in the low-carbon economy. There has been growing emphasis on “aligning” capital allocation by financial institutions to the transition to net zero greenhouse gases (GHG) in […]

An Opportunity to Strengthen Climate Risk Management in the Derivatives Market

This piece previously appeared in EDF’s Climate 411 Blog.  Disasters that are fueled by climate change, like fires, floods, and hurricanes, increasingly pose risks to the U.S. financial system, including the derivatives market. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulates the derivatives market and is now considering updates to […]

The Tragedy on the Financial Horizon is Closer Than You Think

In September 2015, then Bank of England Governor Mark Carney gave a landmark speech on the “Tragedy of the Horizon.” The concept was simple: climate change creates tremendous risk for financial markets, but these mounting risks are ignored by investors due to the market’s tendency towards myopia. The speech marked […]

DOL Rule Clarifies that ESG Analysis is Consistent with Fiduciary Duty. Will it Preempt State Anti-ESG Laws?

  The federal Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a final rule on Tuesday, November 22, allowing plan fiduciaries to consider climate change and other environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) characteristics when they choose investments and exercise shareholder rights, reversing a Trump-era rule that sought to constrain this type of risk […]

Federal Agencies Must Consider Climate Risk in Environmental Reviews under NEPA

This post was co-authored by the Sabin Center’s Romany Webb and Stephanie Jones and Michael Panfil of Environmental Defense Fund. From pipelines destabilized by melting permafrost to power line-sparked wildfires exacerbated by drought, the impacts of climate change are affecting infrastructure across the U.S. and heightening the risks it poses […]