NGFS Publishes Guide on Climate Disclosures for Central Banks

The guide is structured around the following three chapters:

• Governance. Central banks are recommended to disclose their high-level approach to climate-related risks and opportunities. The guide also recommends that central banks disclose how governance structures for monetary policy, asset management, financial stability, and internal operations
  encompass climate-related risks and opportunities.
• Strategy. The guide recommends that central banks disclose their strategies for identifying and assessing the inward and outward impact of climate-related risks. . As part of this disclosure, central banks should describe material risks and state the time horizon they consider most relevant for managing these risks. Where appropriate, central banks might disclose any adaptation of areas and functions, as well as changes to operational frameworks, embedded in the strategies. Finally, central banks are recommended to disclose their strategies for capacity building around climate-related risks and opportunities.
• Risk management. The guide recommends to disclose the current state of climate-related risk management, including integration with non-climate-related risk management. Central banks could start by using backward-looking methodologies to identify, assess, and disclose their climate-related exposures associated with credit facilities and investment portfolios. The guide recommends disclosing the central banks’ use of data, the sources of those data, their incorporation into risk analysis, as well as any relevant limitations of the data. Central banks are recommended to describe how climate-related risks are integrated into their existing risk management frameworks. Central banks are also recommended to make disclosures on target setting.

The fourth pillar of the TCFD recommendations, metrics, and targets serves to inform and support the organization’s governance, strategy, and risk management processes and is approached in this first guide through the cross-cutting perspective. Climate-related disclosure by central banks is still in its infancy. Looking ahead, NGFS will continue to serve as a forum for central banks to share their experiences and discuss challenges and possible ways forward. As part of this work, it would be important to have further guidance on metrics for disclosure on climate-related governance structures and strategy. The same can be said for risks associated with credit operations and counterparty collateral. Furthermore, future work could include additional guidance on the preparation of disclosures on central banks’ internal operations as well as guidance on environmental disclosures. In the coming years, climate-related disclosure by central banks is expected to go mainstream. NGFS will continue to contribute to this progress and develop new guidance for the management and disclosure of climate-related and environmental risks and opportunities.

Related Links

• Press Release
• Guide on Disclosures

Keywords: International, Banking, Climate Change Risk, ESG, Disclosures, TCFD, NGFS