Frontiers in Climate Finance Research
A New York Climate Week Event

About the event

What does rigorous academic research tell us about some of the biggest questions in climate finance — and where is the evidence still developing?

The MSCI Institute will bring leading academics into direct conversation with investors and policymakers during New York Climate Week to examine new findings, test them against market experience and surface the questions that remain unresolved.


What we’ll explore

A series of focused research presentations and discussions will examine:

  • How much of companies’ future carbon burden is reflected in today’s valuations and cost of capital? Exploring what the evidence can tell us about how markets price carbon exposure.
  • When insurers retreat, who ultimately bears physical climate risk? Following how risk can move from insurers through property markets, lenders, governments and ultimately taxpayers.
  • Which companies are genuinely providing climate solutions, and are investors paying the right price? Examining how to identify meaningful climate-solutions exposure and what research tells us about how those companies are valued.
  • Can ecosystem fragility be priced? Exploring emerging research into financial risks arising from companies’ dependence on nature and location-specific ecosystems.

From research to debate

Rather than a conventional sequence of industry panels, leading academics will present findings from their research before investors respond from the perspective of market experience. The discussion will ask where the evidence supports prevailing assumptions, where it challenges them, and what new questions it raises for both researchers and investors.

Places are limited, so to confirm your interest in participating please kindly submit this form by September 14.

Speakers

Linda-Eling Lee

Founding Director and Head of the MSCI Institute

Peter Tufano

Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School and Senior Advisor to the Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability.

Lubos Pastor

Charles P. McQuaid Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Shirley Lu

Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Ishita Sen

Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Johannes Stroebel

David S. Loeb Professor of Finance at the New York University Stern School of Business.

Carine Smith Ihenacho

Chief Governance and Compliance Officer, NBIM

Kunal Motiani

Managing Director, Head of Risk Identification and Climate Risk, Citi

CIO for Responsible Investment, Man Group
Jason Mitchell

CIO for Responsible Investment, Man Group

With additional speakers to be announced

Agenda

2:30 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.

Welcome and Introduction

Linda-Eling Lee, Founding Director and Head of the MSCI Institute

2:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Opening Remarks

Peter Tufano, Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School and Senior Advisor to the Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability.

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Research Exchange I

How large is the corporate carbon burden, and how much of it are markets actually pricing?
Lubos Pastor, Charles P. McQuaid Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Which companies are really selling climate solutions, and are investors paying the right price? 
Shirley Liu, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Moderated discussion and practitioner perspectives followed by Q&A

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Research Exchange II

When insurers retreat, who is left holding the climate risk?
Ishita Sen, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School


Can ecosystem fragility be priced?
Johannes Stroebel, David S. Loeb Professor of Finance at the New York University Stern School of Business

Moderated discussion and practitioner perspectives followed by Q&A

By registering for this event, you acknowledge that your registration information will be shared with our event partner. Your information will be processed by MSCI for the purposes of registration and administration of the event. For more information on how your information is processed by MSCI, please review our Privacy Notice.