IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/pacfin/v88y2024ics0927538x24002932.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of climate change risks on equity capital: Evidence-based on Chinese markets

Author

Listed:
  • Yue, Xiaotong
  • Kong, Xiaoran
  • Zhao, Qiuyun
  • Ho, Kung-Cheng

Abstract

The economic consequences of climate change at the enterprise level have received considerable attention. This study examines the positive effects of climate change risk on equity capital costs, which are realized through firms' operational risk, financial constraints, and the government's service environment. A higher corporate ESG rating enhances the positive effect of climate change risk on equity capital costs. We also find that the Paris Agreement has a benign policy effect on equity capital costs. Finally, expanding upon this groundwork, a thorough heterogeneity analysis has been conducted, encompassing three distinct dimensions—enterprise risk system, industry environmental attributes, and operational ecosystem.

Suggested Citation

  • Yue, Xiaotong & Kong, Xiaoran & Zhao, Qiuyun & Ho, Kung-Cheng, 2024. "Impact of climate change risks on equity capital: Evidence-based on Chinese markets," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:88:y:2024:i:c:s0927538x24002932
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2024.102541
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927538X24002932
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.pacfin.2024.102541?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sylvester Senyo Horvey & Jones Odei-Mensah, 2024. "Enterprise risk management, corporate governance and insurers risk-taking behaviour in South Africa: evidence from a linear and threshold analysis," Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(1), pages 53-83, July.
    2. N. Berger, Allen & F. Udell, Gregory, 1998. "The economics of small business finance: The roles of private equity and debt markets in the financial growth cycle," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(6-8), pages 613-673, August.
    3. Fatemi, Ali & Fooladi, Iraj & Tehranian, Hassan, 2015. "Valuation effects of corporate social responsibility," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 182-192.
    4. Liu, Ziqiang & Gao, Xin & Xu, Hao & Xu, Weidong, 2024. "Climate change exposure and stock liquidity commonality: International evidence," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    5. Vera Palea & Federico Drogo, 2020. "Carbon emissions and the cost of debt in the eurozone: The role of public policies, climate‐related disclosure and corporate governance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 2953-2972, December.
    6. Berkman, Henk & Jona, Jonathan & Soderstrom, Naomi, 2024. "Firm-specific climate risk and market valuation," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    7. Möllmann, Johannes & Buchholz, Matthias & Kölle, Wienand & Musshoff, Oliver, 2020. "Do remotely-sensed vegetation health indices explain credit risk in agricultural microfinance?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    8. Mara Faccio & Maria-Teresa Marchica & Roberto Mura, 2011. "Large Shareholder Diversification and Corporate Risk-Taking," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(11), pages 3601-3641.
    9. E. Somanathan & Rohini Somanathan & Anant Sudarshan & Meenu Tewari, 2021. "The Impact of Temperature on Productivity and Labor Supply: Evidence from Indian Manufacturing," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(6), pages 1797-1827.
    10. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Wang, Chih-Wei & Thinh, Bui Tien, 2023. "Green development, climate risks, and cash flow: International evidence," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    11. Stefano Battiston & Antoine Mandel & Irene Monasterolo & Franziska Schütze & Gabriele Visentin, 2017. "A climate stress-test of the financial system," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 7(4), pages 283-288, April.
    12. Berkman, Henk & Jona, Jonathan & Soderstrom, Naomi, 2019. "Firm value and government commitment to combating climate change," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 297-307.
    13. Huynh, Thanh D. & Nguyen, Thu Ha & Truong, Cameron, 2020. "Climate risk: The price of drought," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    14. John Lintner, 1965. "Security Prices, Risk, And Maximal Gains From Diversification," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 20(4), pages 587-615, December.
    15. Merton, Robert C, 1974. "On the Pricing of Corporate Debt: The Risk Structure of Interest Rates," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 29(2), pages 449-470, May.
    16. Beirne, John & Renzhi, Nuobu & Volz, Ulrich, 2021. "Feeling the heat: Climate risks and the cost of sovereign borrowing," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 920-936.
    17. Zhang, Dayong & Cao, Hong & Zou, Peijiang, 2016. "Exuberance in China's renewable energy investment: Rationality, capital structure and implications with firm level evidence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 468-478.
    18. Richard Lambert & Christian Leuz & Robert E. Verrecchia, 2007. "Accounting Information, Disclosure, and the Cost of Capital," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(2), pages 385-420, May.
    19. Omar Bellprat & Virginie Guemas & Francisco Doblas-Reyes & Markus G. Donat, 2019. "Towards reliable extreme weather and climate event attribution," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-7, December.
    20. Gillan, Stuart L. & Koch, Andrew & Starks, Laura T., 2021. "Firms and social responsibility: A review of ESG and CSR research in corporate finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    21. Nora Pankratz & Rob Bauer & Jeroen Derwall, 2023. "Climate Change, Firm Performance, and Investor Surprises," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(12), pages 7352-7398, December.
    22. Lee, Kiryoung & Cho, Juik, 2023. "Measuring Chinese climate uncertainty," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 891-901.
    23. Louis Daumas, 2024. "Financial stability, stranded assets and the low‐carbon transition – A critical review of the theoretical and applied literatures," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 601-716, July.
    24. Chang, Ya-Kai & Cheung, William Ming Yan & Chung, Min-Hsi & Tan, Haoyun, 2024. "The Paris Agreement effect of consumer awareness and sustainable investing: Some international evidence," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    25. Gregor Semieniuk & Emanuele Campiglio & Jean‐Francois Mercure & Ulrich Volz & Neil R. Edwards, 2021. "Low‐carbon transition risks for finance," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(1), January.
    26. Flammer, Caroline, 2021. "Corporate green bonds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 499-516.
    27. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    28. Chen, Zhao & Kahn, Matthew E. & Liu, Yu & Wang, Zhi, 2018. "The consequences of spatially differentiated water pollution regulation in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 468-485.
    29. Edwin J. Elton, 1999. "Presidential Address: Expected Return, Realized Return, and Asset Pricing Tests," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(4), pages 1199-1220, August.
    30. Dunz, Nepomuk & Naqvi, Asjad & Monasterolo, Irene, 2021. "Climate sentiments, transition risk, and financial stability in a stock-flow consistent model," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    31. Charles J. Hadlock & Joshua R. Pierce, 2010. "New Evidence on Measuring Financial Constraints: Moving Beyond the KZ Index," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(5), pages 1909-1940.
    32. Vermeulen, Robert & Schets, Edo & Lohuis, Melanie & Kölbl, Barbara & Jansen, David-Jan & Heeringa, Willem, 2021. "The heat is on: A framework for measuring financial stress under disruptive energy transition scenarios," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    33. Fisman, Raymond & Svensson, Jakob, 2007. "Are corruption and taxation really harmful to growth? Firm level evidence," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(1), pages 63-75, May.
    34. Philipp Krueger & Zacharias Sautner & Laura T Starks, 2020. "The Importance of Climate Risks for Institutional Investors," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 33(3), pages 1067-1111.
    35. Chakraborty, Chandana & Nunnenkamp, Peter, 2008. "Economic Reforms, FDI, and Economic Growth in India: A Sector Level Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 1192-1212, July.
    36. William F. Sharpe, 1964. "Capital Asset Prices: A Theory Of Market Equilibrium Under Conditions Of Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 19(3), pages 425-442, September.
    37. Michael Barnett & William Brock & Lars Peter Hansen & Harrison Hong, 2020. "Pricing Uncertainty Induced by Climate Change," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 33(3), pages 1024-1066.
    38. Anglin, Aaron H. & Short, Jeremy C. & Drover, Will & Stevenson, Regan M. & McKenny, Aaron F. & Allison, Thomas H., 2018. "The power of positivity? The influence of positive psychological capital language on crowdfunding performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 470-492.
    39. Henry He Huang & Joseph Kerstein & Chong Wang, 2018. "The impact of climate risk on firm performance and financing choices: An international comparison," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(5), pages 633-656, July.
    40. Idris A. Adediran & Phebian N. Bewaji & Olajide O. Oyadeyi, 2024. "Climate Risk and Stock Markets: Implications for Market Efficiency and Return Predictability," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 60(9), pages 1908-1928, July.
    41. Tang, Xudong & Jia, Yang & Li, Rui, 2024. "Common institutional ownership types and corporate innovation: A taxonomy based on whether the investees are in the same industry," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lai, Fujun & Cheng, Xianli & Li, An & Xiong, Deping & Li, Yunzhong, 2025. "Does flood risk affect the implied cost of equity capital?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Li, Wanli & Luo, Dan & Cheng, Teng-Yuan, 2025. "Strategy choices in strategic risk-taking: Does climate risk matter?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    3. Zeng, Huixiang & Ren, Lei & Chen, Xiaohong & Zhou, Qiong & Zhang, Tao & Cheng, Xu, 2024. "Punishment or deterrence? Environmental justice construction and corporate equity financing––Evidence from environmental courts," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. Julia Anna Bingler & Chiara Colesanti Senni, 2020. "Taming the Green Swan: How to improve climate-related financial risk assessments," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 20/340, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    5. Fafaliou, Irene & Giaka, Maria & Konstantios, Dimitrios & Polemis, Michael, 2022. "Firms’ ESG reputational risk and market longevity: A firm-level analysis for the United States," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 161-177.
    6. Ho, Kung-Cheng & Yan, Cheng & Kong, Xiaoran, 2024. "The impact of climate change on credit cycles: Evidence from China's bond market," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    7. Venturini, Alessio, 2022. "Climate change, risk factors and stock returns: A review of the literature," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    8. Jang, Soomi & Choi, Heeick & Kim, Hyungtae, 2024. "Managerial ability and cost of equity capital," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    9. Su, Yueying & Li, Jialong & Li, Zhicheng & Wu, Cathy, 2025. "CEO inside debt holdings and climate risk concerns in corporate acquisition," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    10. Jiaxin Wang & Jingyi Zhuang & Chao Yan & Kam C. Chan, 2025. "Standing Up or Standing By: Abnormally Hot Temperatures and Corporate Environmental Engagement," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 196(1), pages 93-127, January.
    11. Kim, Incheol & Lee, Suin & Ryou, Jiwoo, 2024. "Does climate risk influence analyst forecast accuracy?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    12. Treepongkaruna, Sirimon & Jiraporn, Pornsit & Kyaw, Khine & Padungsaksawasdi, Chaiyuth, 2024. "Climate change exposure and corporate culture: A text-based approach," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    13. Wang, Zhen & Chu, Erming & Hao, Yukai, 2024. "Towards sustainable development: How does ESG performance promotes corporate green transformation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    14. Zhang, Chenrui & Wang, Yatong, 2024. "Is enterprise digital transformation beneficial to shareholders? Insights from the cost of equity capital," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    15. Trinh, Vu Quang & Trinh, Hai Hong & Li, Teng & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2024. "Climate change exposure, financial development, and the cost of debt: Evidence from EU countries," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    16. Zhang, Dongyang & Bai, Dingchuan & Wang, Yizhi, 2024. "Green vs. brown: Climate risk showdown – who’s thriving, who’s diving?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    17. Maretno A. Harjoto & Andreas G. F. Hoepner & Marcus A. Nilsson, 2022. "Bondholders’ returns and stakeholders’ interests," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1271-1301, November.
    18. Benkraiem, Ramzi & Dimic, Nebojsa & Piljak, Vanja & Swinkels, Laurens & Vulanovic, Milos, 2025. "Media-based climate risks and international corporate bond market," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    19. Miriam Breitenstein & Duc Khuong Nguyen & Thomas Walther, 2021. "Environmental Hazards And Risk Management In The Financial Sector: A Systematic Literature Review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 512-538, April.
    20. Bilyay-Erdogan, Seda & Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Demir, Ender, 2024. "ESG performance and investment efficiency: The impact of information asymmetry," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:88:y:2024:i:c:s0927538x24002932. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/pacfin .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.