FSB Consults on Forward-Looking Climate Metrics for Financial Sector

The consultation on forward-looking climate metrics asks questions about the usefulness and challenges of such metrics and what may be necessary to enhance their comparability, transparency, and rigor. Through public consultation, TCFD aims to better understand the evolution of metrics used and disclosed by companies in the four financial groups that were identified in its 2017 supplemental guidance: asset owners, asset managers, banks, and insurance companies. Such metrics may focus on carbon and other emissions or other financially relevant factors. Weighted average carbon intensity and other carbon foot printing metrics provide some visibility into the carbon exposure of certain assets at a fixed point in time. Although still useful for decision-making, past carbon exposures provide little insight into potential future exposure. Financial sector organizations may also use forward-looking metrics to assess climate-related risk and opportunity outside of carbon exposure. Other forward-looking metrics could focus on physical climate-related risk, future valuations of specific assets, and applications of climate within more traditional financial valuation metrics. One example of a forward-looking financial metric is climate Value-at-Risk. TCFD will take consultation responses into consideration to determine whether further financial sector guidance on forward-looking metrics is needed.

The guidance on integration of risk management and disclosures is aimed at companies that are interested in integrating climate-related risks into their existing risk management processes and disclosing information on their risk management processes in alignment with the TCFD recommendations. The guidance is intended to cover a wide range of companies—from banks and insurance companies to various types of nonfinancial companies, including energy; building and materials; and agriculture, food, and forest products companies. In addition, as with its recommendations in general, TCFD expects this guidance to be useful to companies of all sizes and located in various countries worldwide. The guidance:

• describes the unique characteristics of climate-related risks that are important to consider when integrating such risks into existing processes.
• explores the practicalities of integrating climate-related risks into existing risk management processes.
• describes features of decision-useful risk management disclosures as well as examples of companies’ disclosures.
• provides, via Appendices, further information on topics covered in the guidance, including transition and physical risk definitions, additional information to support integration, and references.

Related Links

• Notification
• Consultation on Climate Metrics (PDF)
• Guidance on Risk Management Integration (PDF)
• Guidance on Scenario Analysis (PDF)

Comment Due Date: January 27, 2021

Keywords: International, Banking, Insurance, Securities, TCFD, Disclosures, Scenario Analysis, Climate Metrics, Climate Change Risk, ESG, FSB