Climate Changed

Companies See $1 Trillion in Climate Risk, but More in Potential Reward

An analysis of corporate disclosures to the nonprofit CDP shows advances in carbon dioxide reporting. The financial sector is ahead, but has room for improvement.

A glacial toe caused by melting grows near Ilulissat, Greenland, on July 15, 2013.

Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Europe
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

An analysis of thousands of corporate disclosures on climate-change risks suggests that companies stand to gain more than they lose, mostly within the next five years.

Some $2.1 trillion worth of potential good news is embedded in those statements, according to CDP, a U.K. nonprofit that requests information on behalf of a large pool of investors. Companies that capitalize on a shift to climate friendly products and services or that find ways to help people adapt to changing conditions could reap massive rewards.