As it is becoming clear that climate change will exert a major impact on inflation, economic growth, and financial system stability, central banks and financial regulators have increasingly recognized that they can no longer ignore climate change and other environmental issues. In general, central banks are responsible for achieving price stability under the monetary policy mandate and financial stability under the macroprudential policy mandate. Therefore, it is possible for central banks to consider climate risks within their existing mandates. Moreover, the global financial markets have been facing the problems of mispricing due to the presence of low carbon prices. If these issues are unaddressed, the transition process towards a low carbon economy will remain too slow to achieve carbon neutrality. While governments play the most important role in pursuing climate policy, central banks could contribute to governments' efforts within their existing mandates. Central banks and financial regulators have begun to discuss prudential policy and take measures to cope with climate-related financial risks including climate scenario analysis and/or stress test. Moreover, there are growing discussions on how to include climate risks with respect to the capital adequacy requirements regulation for banks in the Basel framework. Central banks are also encouraged to lead by example through disclosing the impact of climate risks on central banks' own balance sheets, setting a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target on their operations, and adjusting the composition of various domestic and foreign assets held by central banks for non-monetary and monetary policy objectives. This paper provides an overview of climate-related approaches and practices undertaken by central banks and financial regulators that have become more visible in recent years.

The books deals with the questions that really matter for green finance: Where will the money to finance the transition to a low carbon environment come from, how far do the banks’ balance sheets stretch and where will the rest of the money come from? How much can we rely on the capital markets, especially in the EU, to get money to the parts of the economy which really need it, without greenwashing? How do governments organize not just a transition, but a just transition to a low carbon environment? Is it time to revisit received ideas about the proper role for central banks?

In this book, the author traces the emergence of the climate-related financial risks (CRFR) policy norm in central banking. During recent years, Central Banks (CBs) have increasingly started to care about climate change. This development is puzzling and has received surprisingly little scholarly attention so far. Why is it that CBs with a very narrow mandate like the ECB, start to tackle CRFR? What makes CBs adopt a new policy norm on climate change and sustainable development although this provokes discussions about their independence? Based on data collected through expert interviews triangulated with public sources, the author shows that the CRFR policy norm emerged in three steps. First, an epistemic community of think tanks and politically engaged academics framed the idea of CRFR and proposed a policy norm specifically focusing on CBs. Second, the epistemic community taught the CRFR policy norm to early-adopting CBs that acted as norm champions, which helped strengthen its social recognition in the central banking community. Third, the CRFR policy norm has been strengthened by activist campaigns demanding CBs to comply with the emerging new policy norm.

More than 120 countries have committed to net zero targets by 2050, requiring systemic economic transitions on an unprecedented scale and with the finance sector playing a leading role. Green finance will power the transition, ensuring capital flows to the firms, investments, projects and technologies looking to create a sustainable, low-carbon world. To achieve net zero, every professional financial decision must take climate change and broader sustainability factors into account. Green and Sustainable Finance provides a comprehensive guide to the application of common green and sustainable principles and practices in banking, investment and insurance to help finance professionals embed these in their daily activities and decision-making. Focusing on the necessity of mainstreaming green and sustainable finance globally, this book includes a clear explanation of the science underpinning climate change. Green and Sustainable Finance covers a wide range of green finance products and services in retail, commercial and corporate banking, insurance, investment and fintech. It provides an overview of emerging regulation and international market frameworks and standards, particularly in relation to climate and environmental risk. Consideration is also given to the ethical dimensions of green and sustainable finance, including how professionals can promote market integrity and take active steps to avoid greenwashing. Endorsed by the Chartered Banker Institute as the core text for the benchmark Certificate in Green and Sustainable Finance, this book is essential reading for finance professionals and students, and individuals working to embed sustainability in business, policy and regulation.

Environmental sustainability is perhaps the key societal challenge of our times. Achieving it will require a significant level of financing and investment, and here the role of the banking industry is fundamental. Banks can play a broader and far-reaching role by adopting environmental concerns in their internal and external business operations. Principles of Green Banking is a comprehensive account of the different aspects of green banking and offers theories and principles as well as practical how-to guidelines to adopt green banking practices. This book discusses why green banking is central to achieving sustainable development. It illustrates the evolution of green banking around the world, different types of environmental risks created by firms and how these risks offer threats to sustain ability, and ongoing trends and patterns of green banking practice. Critically, it also presents an outline of the regulatory framework necessary to help the entire banking sector adapt to the change towards green banking. It is a valuable resource for financial sector professionals and scholars in the fields of sustainable finance and banking.

Sustainable Finance and Climate Change explores the legal and regulatory framework that governs the transition to a carbon free economy, looking in particular at the regulation of the financial sector and corporate liability for climate change and biodiversity loss. In addition it looks at the effect on general corporate law, environmental law, central bank law, as well as litigation and arbitration.

The financial sectors of the Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA) countries should play an important role in supporting climate-related policies for the region. The sectors are vulnerable to downside risks from climate-related shocks and at the same time offer the potential to help fill the financing gap for needed adaptation and mitigation strategies. Successful approaches to climate change in the region therefore need to coherently integrate financial sector strategies within the overall policy framework to meet this important challenge. To this end, policymakers must ensure that financial sectors are prepared for a green future. This means enhancing the resilience of banks to physical and transition risks from climate change and boosting the capacity of insurance sectors to speed recovery from climate-related disasters and help offset economic costs. Moreover, policies are needed to foster an enabling environment for private green finance, attract investment from other official entities, such as sovereign wealth funds (SWF), and facilitate support from international financial institutions and multilateral development banks. In the near term, policy efforts should center around better understanding and measuring climate-related risks. This includes prioritizing the implementation of methodologies for quantifying and reporting such risks, promoting their transparent disclosure by financial institutions, and strengthening frameworks for their forecasting and analyzing. Over the medium term, governments can play an important role in supporting green finance through incentives and market mechanisms, phasing-out energy subsidies, and introducing new tools and markets (such as carbon pricing frameworks), which can stimulate demand for investment in green technologies. The paper offers a unique regional perspective on climate risks in ME&CA's financial sectors and outlines the road ahead in transitioning to a green future. It is the first to evaluate the impact of climate change on banking institutions in the region and assess the capacity of insurance in mitigating climate-related damages and losses. It contributes to the existing literature by synthesizing the size and nature of regional financing needs for adaptation and mitigation and discussing both opportunities and challenges for the development of green finance. The paper's policy recommendations provide guidance to policymakers on how to develop regulatory responses to enhance financial sustainability amid climate change risks.