Grassy field with ominous clouds overhead

Managing Risks for a Changing Climate: A Guide for Institutional Investors

Gain a better understanding of physical and transition climate risks and their potential impacts to effectively respond to climate risks in investment portfolios and comply with the growing list of climate-focused reporting frameworks and regulations.

How to Achieve Net Zero? Match Action to Ambition

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ president on the gains and pains in the fight against climate change.

Storm surge hits building near the shore

Capturing the Direct and Indirect Risks of Physical Climate Change in Investment Portfolios

Investors face a unique set of challenges in assessing the physical climate risks affecting their portfolio companies. In this blog discover the direct and indirect physical climate risks impacting companies and their supply chains.

Pink clouds in the sky at sunset

A New Tool at the Table: Understanding Low Carbon Transition Risk By Industry and How Companies Are Managing It

Discover how leading companies are managing their low carbon transition risks. Using data from the Low Carbon Transition Ratings, we identify the industries with a large portion of the companies with strong management of transition issues and examine the factors contributing to their strong management scores.

Physical Climate Risk Metrics On Demand Webinars

On-Demand Webinar: Physical Climate Risk Metrics

Watch our on-demand webinar recordings to learn more about enhancements to Physical Climate Risk Metrics.

A Closer Look at How and Where Net-Zero Commitments Are Falling Short

Read about the methods investors can use to measure portfolio alignment to net-zero and the importance of not only assessing climate transition plans, but also their governance structure and implementation.

Smoke stacks at sunset

Carbon Emissions Data for Investors: Closing the Reporting Gap and Future-Proofing Estimations

Despite improvements in the quality and quantity of carbon emissions reporting from companies, significant gaps remain. Discover the current state of emissions disclosures, learn the advantages and disadvantages of widely used estimation models, and discover the approach underpinning Sustainalytics' Carbon Emissions Data product.

scope 3 emissions shareholder voting

Investors Seek Meaningful Scope 3 Emissions Targets to Evaluate Climate Transition Plans

Climate concerns continued to dominate proxy voting in the 2022 proxy season. With more clarity on sectoral commitments required to achieve the global net zero goal, shareholders’ requests have become noticeably more specific. A larger number of resolutions asked companies to adopt and report on emissions reduction targets and transition plans that reference the latest forward-looking guidance.

Biodiversity COP15 Sustainalytics

Post-COP15 Outlook: Evolving Investor Responsibilities in Biodiversity

Awaiting COP15’s Global Biodiversity Framework negotiation outcomes, financial market participants could face new regulatory pressure sooner than expected to integrate biodiversity assessment into their investment, decision-making processes.

Sustainalytics at COP15 Biodiversity Conference

Danish Delegation Engages Sustainalytics’ Biodiversity Expert, Enabling Front Row Access to COP15 Negotiations

Finance Day within the U.N. Biodiversity Conference (COP15) is fast approaching, and Morningstar Sustainalytics’ team members will be in attendance, each focusing on different investor biodiversity considerations related to active ownership.

Physical Climate Risk: Preparing Your Portfolio for a Changing Climate

The physical climate risks affecting assets are likely to increase in the coming years, as the impacts of climate change are felt more frequently and with more intensity. In this guide, learn how companies and investors can assess their exposure to physical climate risks.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

The Role of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Achieving Decarbonization by 2050

Meeting the aviation's industry's goal of decarbonization by 2050 will require a collective effort and more ambitious measures than those currently in place, including carbon offsetting, route optimization, fuel efficiency and fleet renewals that involve a shift to more eco-friendly aircraft. However, all of these measures still revolve around fossil fuels as a source of energy.

Physical Climate Risks: 6 Things Portfolio Managers Need to Know

The negative physical impacts of climate change are being felt by communities and corporations globally and are likely to get worse in the coming years. The knock-on costs of more frequent “once-in-a-century” climate events on economies are likely to rise. To prepare for this looming threat, investors must forecast the asset-level effects of climate change on companies in a granular and sophisticated way. Here are six things portfolio managers should know to manage and mitigate the physical risks of climate change to their portfolios and meet growing list of climate-focused reporting requirements.

Utilities and Carbon Emissions

Impact of US Supreme Court’s EPA Ruling on US Utilities’ Carbon Exposure

The Clean Power Plan was created using a directive from the Clean Air Act that enabled the EPA to set emission limits for air pollutants based on the best available technology to reduce emissions. The EPA aimed to cap carbon emissions and curb greenhouse (GHG) emissions by changing the composition of the existing operational power generation assets by forcing the closure of coal plants through strict emission caps, resulting in a system-wide transition to renewable energy.

oil and gas europe russia

How Europe’s Energy Crisis Impacts the Clean Energy Transition

Europe is facing two major crises—an energy crisis, worsened by Russian energy supply disruptions and the challenge of tackling climate change. Renewables have the potential to accelerate EU's energy independence and reduce emissions. Still, there is also an urgent need to secure an adequate energy supply, especially in the coming winter months when heating demand increases. In the short-term, many EU countries are turning to other fossil fuel producers in the Middle East OPEC+ and the US, as well as domestic coal production. For firms deciding which energy projects to invest in, they face a complex question: are energy supply disruptions advancing the EU’s transition to a lower-carbon economy and its energy independence or furthering the continent’s dependence on fossil fuels?

deforestation biodiversity thematic engagement

Biodiversity loss and climate change call for a nature-positive economy – Stewardship may lead the way

Financial institutions funding the supply chains affected by biodiversity loss stand to lose right alongside farmers, producers and retailers—and so, in turn, do investors. ESG stewardship continues to be a powerful investor instrument to mitigate risks on a changing planet. With growing expectations of double materiality, it is an opportunity for investors to have a greater societal impact and support the transition towards a nature-positive economy.

Mass Timber in Construction - Big Buildings, Smaller Carbon Footprint

As an innovation in the industry, mass timber construction emits significantly less carbon than traditional concrete and metal structures, while modular construction ensures usability across many building types. This article reviews some of the concerns over structural strength, fire safety, regulatory compatibility, cost savings and the sustainability of increased forestry. It then examines current mass timber buildings and projects and looks at their viability as an alternative material for the future.

physical climate risk

Webinar | Morningstar Sustainalytics Physical Climate Risk Metrics

As climate change challenges the modern investment landscape, evolving marketplace expectations will require investors to disclose both transition and physical climate risks associated with their investments.

Key Themes Shaping Proxy Voting in 2022

Key Themes Shaping Proxy Voting in 2022

As the volume and breadth of ESG risk exposure continue to rise, the stage is set for another momentous proxy season. The trending topics of last year will continue to steer the agenda—with the prospect of even more substantial support from shareholders in 2022.

biodiversity and ESG stewardship

3 Reasons to Skill Up and Scale Up ESG Stewardship in 2022

As our clients and the industry at large focus on proactively mitigating risk and capitalizing on this evolving landscape, stewardship will be a key lever for savvy investors—particularly those facing external pressure to divest. Here are the ESG themes we see influencing stewardship priorities this year.