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Evaluating TCFD reporting—A new application of zero-shot analysis to climate-related financial disclosures

Author

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  • Alix Auzepy
  • Elena Tönjes
  • David Lenz
  • Christoph Funk

Abstract

We examine climate-related disclosures in a large sample of reports published by banks that officially endorsed the recommendations of the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). In doing so, we introduce a new application of the zero-shot text classification. By developing a set of fine-grained TCFD labels, we show that zero-shot analysis is a useful tool for classifying climate-related disclosures without further model training. Overall, our findings indicate that corporate climate-related disclosures increased after the launch of the TCFD recommendations and following individual endorsements. However, there are marked differences in the extent of reporting by recommended disclosure topic, suggesting that some recommendations have not yet been fully met. Our findings yield important conclusions for the design of climate-related disclosure frameworks.

Suggested Citation

  • Alix Auzepy & Elena Tönjes & David Lenz & Christoph Funk, 2023. "Evaluating TCFD reporting—A new application of zero-shot analysis to climate-related financial disclosures," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(11), pages 1-23, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0288052
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288052
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    3. Bingler, Julia Anna & Kraus, Mathias & Leippold, Markus & Webersinke, Nicolas, 2022. "Cheap talk and cherry-picking: What ClimateBert has to say on corporate climate risk disclosures," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
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    2. de Almeida, Ana Carla Leite & Bueno, Carlos & Dale, Allan & Hay, Rachel & Jarihani, Ben & Everingham, Yvette & Lockie, Stewart, 2025. "Integration of ESG standards in Australian sugarcane farming: A co-design approach to accelerate ESG adoption and innovation," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).

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