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Political Science > Environmental Policy

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 11 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
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Cover Staff Climate Notes
Embedded in Nature: Nature-Related Economic and Financial Risks and Policy Considerations
Charlotte Gardes-Landolfini, William Oman, Jamie Fraser, Mariza Montes de Oca Leon, and Bella Yao
The economy is embedded in, and dependent on, nature. Yet economic activity is degrading nature at an unprecedented pace. Interacting with climate change, nature loss and transformation generates significant threats to the global economy and financial system. However, work on the implications of nature-related risks for macroeconomic and financial sector policies remains at an early stage. This note seeks to contribute to this emerging policy space in three main ways: (i) it proposes a conceptual framework for understanding nature-related risks by mapping out macroeconomic transmission channels, emphasizing their impact on the economy and financial systems through “double materiality;” (ii) it conducts empirical analysis, finding that nearly 38 percent of bank loans of the 100 largest global banks are to harmful subsidies-dependent sectors and 44 percent are exposed to conservation areas under the Global Biodiversity Framework, and that industries most exposed to nature degradation are not well prepared to manage these risks; and (iii) it discusses takeaways for macroeconomic and financial sector policies and frameworks.
Keywords:
nature; environment; macroeconomics; macroeconomic policies; financial stability; banks; nature-related risks; financial regulation; financial supervision; Minsky moment; ecosystem services; planetary boundaries.; IMF staff climate note; ecosystem service; biodiversity loss; biodiversity conservation; biodiversity hotspot; Environmental policy; Climate change; Financial sector policy; Natural resources; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Banking Law and Climate Change: Key Legal Issues
Mario Tamez, Ender Emre, and Alessandro Gullo
This paper explores the intersection of climate change policies with banking supervisory law. Statutory mandates define banking supervisory agencies’ objectives, functions and powers. Policies that aim to address climate change risks appear fully germane to banking supervisors’ main objective of safety and soundness. As such, banking supervisory agencies have a duty to address climate risks in light of their mandate. A mandate that is not anchored on safety and soundness in light of best practice would blur the accountability of banking supervisory agencies and undermine their legitimacy also with respect to climate. While legal changes can help provide greater legal certaintly, particularly given the long-term perspective of climate change, bank supervisory agencies can take action without fundamental reforms of their legal framework. Accordingly, they have set expectations or requirements for banks to incorporate climate into their strategy and business model, risk management, and governance. A combination of legal instruments—based on soft law and hard law—helps to achieve this objective. Notwithstanding implementation challenges, taxonomies and disclosures remain important tools, and banking supervisors should assess their role in the development of such tools in light of their mandate. The key responsibility to address climate risks rests on banks, and corporate governance frameworks could assist.
Keywords:
Climate Change; Banking Law; Legal Framework; climate change risk; banking supervisor; corporate governance framework; supervisory agency; climate consideration; Climate policy; Bank legislation; Corporate governance; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Central Banks and Climate Change: Key Legal Issues
Mario Tamez, Hans Weenink, and Akihiro Yoshinaga
Well-designed legal frameworks and institutional arrangments support the legitimacy of central banks’ autonomous decision-making when grounded on sound legal basis and can prevent over-stepping in the remit of other authorities. This paper explores the key legal intersections of climate change and central banks. Climate change could impact price and finanical stability, which are at the core of a central bank’s mandate. While central banks’ legal frameworks can support climate change efforts they also determine the boundaries of the measures they can adopt. Central banks need to assess their mandate and authority under their current legal frameworks when considering measures to contribute to the global response to climate change, while taking actions to fulfill their legal mandates.
Keywords:
Climate Change; Central Bank; Legal Framework; central bank development programs; autonomous decision-making; IMF working paper No. 24/192; central bank's mandate; core objective; Financial sector stability; Climate policy; Central bank mandate; Central bank legislation; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Republic of Kazakhstan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Climate-Related Risks and Financial Stability
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper highlights the Technical Note on Climate-Related Risks and Financial Stability for the Republic of Kazakhstan Financial Sector Assessment Program. Domestic and global climate policies are expected to negatively affect Kazakhstan’s economy, its firms, industries, and banks, with heterogenous impacts across industries and banks. Improving and harmonizing data can be the first step to enhance interagency coordination and assess climate-related risks. Given the potential for substantial risks associated with climate change and climate mitigation actions, the authorities should develop capacity to conduct climate stress testing. While this analysis focuses on transition risk, Kazakhstan also faces physical risks, which require further assessment. The intensity and frequency of floods and droughts in Kazakhstan are expected to increase with climate change. Floods and droughts can affect crop yield and production, energy system operation, and major infrastructure and result in significant economic losses. Moreover, climate change, together with the onset of El Niño, will greatly increase the likelihood of extreme events in the next five years and increase physical risk in the near term.
Keywords:
IMF-World Bank Financial Sector Assessment Program; Climate-related TRANSITION; FSAP finding; Kazakhstan's greenhouse gas emissions; cost of goods sold; Climate change; Climate policy; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Sweden: Financial Sector Assessment Program–Technical Note on Supervision and Disclosure of Climate-Related Risks
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper discusses the technical note on Supervision and Disclosure of Climate-Related Risks for the Sweden Financial Sector Assessment Program. Swedish banks are in general mainly exposed to the effects of climate change through loans that are collateralized by real estate properties and lending to high-emission industries. Despite the challenges, Finansinspektionen (FI) has undertaken a number of positive initiatives aimed at integrating climate-related risks and the wider sustainability issues into its supervisory processes. There are however, still some gaps that need to be gradually addressed by FI to ensure full integration of climate-related risks into supervisory processes. The specific action to further integrate climate into the supervisory process should be prioritized based on the vulnerability of the Swedish banks and progress at international level in addressing the challenges that are not unique to Sweden. FI should also in a proportional manner formalize and expand its collaboration and information sharing arrangements with other Swedish Agencies involved in climate-related work.
Keywords:
transition risk; Sweden FSAP; government initiative; sustainability issue; aggregate risk; EU taxonomy regulation; CLIMATE-RELATED risk; Climate change; Climate policy; Greenhouse gas emissions; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Carbon Policy and Stock Returns: Signals from Financial Markets
Martina Hengge, Ugo Panizza, and Richard Varghese
Understanding the impact of climate mitigation policies is key to designing effective carbon pricing tools. We use institutional features of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and high-frequency data on more than 2,000 publicly listed European firms over 2011-21 to study the impact of carbon policies on stock returns. After extracting the surprise component of regulatory actions, we show that events resulting in higher carbon prices lead to negative abnormal returns which increase with a firm's carbon intensity. This negative relationship is even stronger for firms in sectors which do not participate in the EU ETS suggesting that investors price in transition risk stemming from the shift towards a low-carbon economy. We conclude that policies which increase carbon prices are effective in raising the cost of capital for emission-intensive firms.
Keywords:
Carbon Emissions; Carbon Prices: Climate Change; Transition Risk; Stock Returns; carbon Policy surprise; investors price; carbon intensity; climate mitigation policy; EU ETS; Greenhouse gas emissions; Stocks; Asset prices; Climate change; Europe; Global; Emissions trading; stock return; carbon policy; EU Emissions Trading System; Climate policy
Cover Staff Climate Notes
How to Cut Methane Emissions
Ian W.H. Parry, Mr. Simon Black, Danielle N Minnett, Mr. Victor Mylonas, and Nate Vernon
Limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2°C above preindustrial levels requires rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. This includes methane, which has an outsized impact on temperatures. To date, 125 countries have pledged to cut global methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. This Note provides background on methane emission sources, presents practical fiscal policy options to cut emissions, and assesses impacts. Putting a price on methane, ideally through a fee, would reduce emissions efficiently, and can be administratively straightforward for extractives industries and, in some cases, agriculture. Policies could also include revenue-neutral ‘feebates’ that use fees on dirtier polluters to subsidize cleaner producers. A $70 methane fee among large economies would align 2030 emissions with 2oC. Most cuts would be in extractives and abatement costs would be equivalent to just 0.1 percent of GDP. Costs are larger in certain developing countries, implying climate finance could be a key element of a global agreement on a minimum methane price.
Keywords:
Climate change mitigation; methane emissions; Global Methane Pledge; carbon pricing; methane tax; extractives; agriculture; design issues; border methane adjustment; international price floor; IMF staff Climate note; methane emission; IMF staff Climate Note 2022/008; IMF analysis; Greenhouse gas emissions; Natural gas sector; Agricultural sector; Agricultural commodities; Global
Cover Policy Papers
Statement by the Managing Director on the Independent Evaluation Office Report on IMF Engagement with Small Developing States: Executive Board Meeting May 6, 2022
International Monetary Fund
The report and its recommendations should also be careful to not impinge upon areas that are still unfolding, such as the RST, crisis response, and CD provision, to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts and ensure that a coherent and evenhanded framework is in place. I offer qualified and/or partial support to the recommendations, as discussed below, to serve better our SDS members.
Keywords:
SDS challenge; SDS MC turnover; SDS issue; SDS heterogeneity; SDS use; SDS engagement; Climate change; Natural disasters; Climate policy; Financial Sector Assessment Program; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Financial Regulation, Climate Change, and the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy: A Survey of the Issues
Mr. Dimitri G Demekas and Pierpaolo Grippa
There are demands on central banks and financial regulators to take on new responsibilities for supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. Regulators can indeed facilitate the reorientation of financial flows necessary for the transition. But their powers should not be overestimated. Their diagnostic and policy toolkits are still in their infancy. They cannot (and should not) expand their mandate unilaterally. Taking on these new responsibilities can also have potential pitfalls and unintended consequences. Ultimately, financial regulators cannot deliver a low-carbon economy by themselves and should not risk being caught again in the role of ‘the only game in town.’
Keywords:
Financial stability; financial regulation; climate change; climate mitigation policy; low-carbon economy; energy transition; carbon price; green finance; United Nations climate change conference; policy coordination; unintended consequence; Climate change; Global
Cover Staff Climate Notes
Strengthening the Climate Information Architecture
Caio Ferreira, Mr. David L Rozumek, Mr. Ranjit Singh, and Felix Suntheim
Strengthening the climate information architecture is paramount to promote transparency and global comparability of data and thus improve market confidence, safeguard financial stability, and foster sustainable finance. This note provides a conceptual framework around the provision of climate-related information, discusses the progress made to date, and points toward the way forward. Progress and convergence are required on the three buildings blocks of a climate information architecture: (1) high-quality, reliable, and comparable data; (2) a globally harmonized and consistent set of climate disclosure standards; and (3) a globally agreed upon set of principles for climate finance taxonomies. A decisive, globally coordinated effort is needed to move forward on all three fronts.
Keywords:
Climate change, data, disclosure, taxonomies; IMF staff climate note; climate information architecture; IMF staff climate NOTE 2021/003; disclosure standard; market confidence; Climate change; Climate finance; Environmental sustainability; Global