Mar. 3, 2021

CLIMATE ACTION AND FINANCE

Five years have elapsed since the Paris Climate Accord and since Mark Carney’s “Breaking the Tragedy of the Horizon” speech, which warned of the risks to financial markets from climate change. The climate policies of most governments still fall far short of delivering the emissions reductions required to achieve the Paris ambition of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees C. Yet regulators and investors are increasingly pushing companies for “Paris-compliant” strategies and climate impact metrics. And money is flowing into ESG funds with climate as a high priority. How quickly will climate-related policies, physical risks, and transition and liability risks affect asset values? Does climate change pose systemic financial risk? Is the financial sector creating useful pressure policymakers and the public for climate action? Or is it getting ahead of reality and creating a potential bubble in “green” investments?