Flying Blind: The Glaring Absence of Climate Risks in Financial Reporting

In this webcast, Carbon Tracker’s Barbara Davidson reveals the risks created by firms’ failures to disclose their exposures to climate change, and how they can be effectively managed.

Last year, Carbon Tracker released their report, Flying Blind: The Glaring Absence of Climate Risks in Financial Reporting, which found that over 70% of the 107 publicly listed firms they reviewed – including some of the world’s most carbon-intensive companies – did not report on their climate risk or emission-reductions commitments in their financial statements.

If the majority of firms are not disclosing their exposures to climate change, this creates a risky environment for stakeholders, who require such information to make informed strategic and financial decisions. However, these risks may be managed through a combination of regulatory oversight and stakeholder engagement.

In this session, we will cover:

• Why increasing financial reporting transparency is an essential step in the transition to a net-zero economy
• How the convergence of sustainability reporting and financial statements can help significantly reduce the risks of greenwashing
• Why investor engagement and regulatory oversight go hand-in-hand when holding firms accountable for climate change and environmental degradation

Speaker

Barbara Davidson, Head of Accounting, Audit and Disclosure, Carbon Tracker Initiative