Imperial College Business School launches free online course to help investors understand climate risks #GreenGB

Imperial College Business School today launched a new online course that responds to the challenge set out by central banks, financial regulators, and economic policymakers to provide investors with better information about the financial risks and opportunities presented by climate change.

The free online course is launched by Imperial in partnership with Climate KIC and will be hosted by edX, an online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT that offers free courses from the world’s top universities to more than eight million learners all around the world.

Developed by investment practitioners and business school academics, the new course is aimed at professionals working in financial markets. The course defines the emerging financial risks related to climate change and outlines the investment policies and management strategies that are taking shape within forward-looking financial institutions.

Participants will learn about emerging trends in climate-resilient investing and gain insights into potential winners and losers in the ongoing energy transition.

Charles Donovan, Director of the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment, said:

“As global warming becomes a more urgent challenge for countries around the world, there’s a growing need for investment managers to understand the investment implications of climate change.  There is ample evidence that climate risks are having an impact on the value of equity and fixed income portfolios.  This course will help those unaware of these risks to get back in the game.”

David Scaysbrook, Managing Partner of Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment, said:

“The dramatic fall in costs of solar and wind power in recent years is unleashing a wave of innovation in the global power sector.  While much of the discussion about climate change focuses on risks, the investment opportunities of a low-carbon energy shift are massive – if investors know how to seize them.”   

The course addresses an important knowledge gap within firms who are struggling to respond to recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), which asks firms to disclose the climate risks they currently face.

The free online course is self-paced over approximately 20 hours. The course is taught via curated reading materials, video lectures from Imperial academics and practitioner interviews, and interactive exercises.