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Climate change as a risk to financial stability

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Abstract

In this study, we give an overview of risks to financial stability that result from climate change. We classify them according to their sources and show how they affect traditional categories of financial risk. Most financial institutions have yet to acknowledge these types of risk, with only a few having to date recognized climate change as a market opportunity. Over the past few years, both private and public institutions have, however, started to find better ways to identify, assess and manage climate-related risks, especially since the Paris Climate Agreement. Which data and indicators are needed to implement effective risk management in this area? While metrics and methods are available to financial intermediaries for this purpose, they are not yet widely used in practice. In the latter part of our study, we explore the awareness of Austrian financial intermediaries of climate-related financial risks empirically. Based on survey data, we find that some institutions have already integrated climate change into their business strategy and risk management systems, while a large share of institutions has not yet identified climate change as a financial risk at all. The fact that a majority of financial intermediaries had cited regulations and norms as effective motives for better adapting to the risks of climate change calls for future action by policymakers and regulatory authorities.

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  • Wolfgang Pointner & Doris Ritzberger-Grünwald, 2019. "Climate change as a risk to financial stability," Financial Stability Report, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 38, pages 30-45.
  • Handle: RePEc:onb:oenbfs:y:2019:i:38:b:1
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    1. Getaneh Mihret Ayele & Fentaw Leykun Fisseha, 2024. "Does climate change affect the financial stability of Sub-Saharan African countries?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 177(10), pages 1-22, October.
    2. Prianto Budi Saptono & Gustofan Mahmud & Intan Pratiwi & Dwi Purwanto & Ismail Khozen & Muhamad Akbar Aditama & Siti Khodijah & Maria Eurelia Wayan & Rina Yuliastuty Asmara & Ferry Jie, 2023. "Development of Climate-Related Disclosure Indicators for Application in Indonesia: A Delphi Method Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-25, July.
    3. Andreas Breitenfellner & Susanne Hasenhüttl & Georg Lehmann & Andreas Tschulik, 2020. "Green finance – opportunities for the Austrian financial sector," Financial Stability Report, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 40.
    4. Wang, Chao & Li, Mengyu & Liu, Xiaoxing, 2024. "Does credit carbon exposure affect banks' profits and risks? Evidence from China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 370(C).
    5. Jiaying Peng & Yuhang Zheng & Ke Mao, 2021. "Heterogeneous Impacts of Extreme Climate Risks on Global Energy Consumption Transition: An International Comparative Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Billio, Monica & Costola, Michele & Hristova, Iva & Latino, Carmelo & Pelizzon, Loriana, 2022. "Sustainable finance: A journey toward ESG and climate risk," SAFE Working Paper Series 349, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    7. Csaba Burger & Dariusz Wojcik, 2023. "The Geography of Climate Change Risk Analysis at Central Banks in Europe," MNB Occasional Papers 2023/150, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary).
    8. Serhan Cevik, 2024. "Climate change and energy security: the dilemma or opportunity of the century?," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 26(3), pages 653-672, July.
    9. Kayla Stan & Graham A. Watt & Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa, 2021. "Financial stability in response to climate change in a northern temperate economy," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    10. Stefano Battiston & Martin Guth & Irene Monasterolo & Benjamin Neudorfer & Wolfgang Pointner, 2020. "Austrian banks’ exposure to climate-related transition risk," Financial Stability Report, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 40, pages 31-44.
    11. Monica Billio & Michele Costola & Iva Hristova & Carmelo Latino & Loriana Pelizzon, 2024. "Sustainable Finance: A Journey Toward ESG and Climate Risk," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 18(1-2), pages 1-75, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    climate change; financial risk; risk management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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