Pricing Our Climate

As the effects of climate change move from scientific predictions to daily headlines, some investors have begun sounding the alarm about impending dangers to financial markets. In this episode, experts break down the intersection of climate change and the economy, and examine whether the persuasive power of the dollar can be leveraged in the fight for climate action.

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Host
  • Gabrielle Sierra
    Director, Podcasting
Credits

Asher Ross - Supervising Producer

Markus Zakaria - Audio Producer and Sound Designer

Rafaela Siewert - Associate Podcast Producer

Episode Guests
  • Kate Mackenzie
    Green Columnist, Bloomberg
  • Michael Greenstone
    Professor of Economics, University of Chicago

Show Notes

In early 2020, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink penned a letter laying out the long-term investment risks posed by climate change. It brought attention to the ways shifting consumer sentiment, regulation, and physical risk all could alter the playing field. But even as some pension fund managers and other investors with long time horizons are increasingly planning for climate change, much of Wall Street is continuing business as usual. What incentives and policies are needed before markets will unleash their power in the fight for climate action?

 

From CFR

 

The Coming Climate Disruption, With Alice C. Hill,” The President’s Inbox 

 

Envisioning a Green New Deal: A Global Comparison,” Andrew Chatzky  

 

OPEC in a Changing World,” Andrew Chatzky and Anshu Siripurapu 

 

Adapt or Perish,” Alice C. Hill and Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, Foreign Affairs 

 

Australia’s Fires Will Rage Again. Here’s How the Government Can Prepare,” Alice C. Hill  


Read More

 

BlackRock’s Arbitrage Won’t Stop Climate Change: Kate Mackenzie,” Bloomberg 

 

What Financial Markets Can Teach Us About Managing Climate Risks,” Michael Greenstone, New York Times 

 

A Fundamental Reshaping of Finance,” Larry Fink, BlackRock 

 

Can Wall Street save us from climate change?,” Washington Post

 

Pay Now Or Pay Later: The Certain Cost Of Climate Change,” Forbes

 

How much can financiers do about climate change?,” Economist 

 

The Catastrophic Risks of Climate Change: The US Turns Its Back on the World,” Alice C. Hill, Lawfare

 

Ten facts about the economics of climate change and climate policy,” Brookings Institution

 

Climate Change’s Giant Impact on the Economy: 4 Key Issues,” New York Times 

 

Climate finance is failing the communities most at risk on a warming planet,” Reuters 


Watch or Listen

 

Why climate change means new risks for U.S. financial markets,” PBS Newshour

 

Investing in the age of climate change,” Financial Times

 

What is Climate Change?,” Al Jazeera 

 

How Energy Got So Cheap,” Wall Street Journal 

 

Financial risks of climate change are bigger than any other crisis: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink,” CNBC 

Space

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are real. And the truth about them is often hidden from the public, for reasons related to national security. That secrecy has fed conspiracy theories about the possibility of alien life on Earth, creating a stigma around the legitimate scientific search for life on other planets. Why are UFOs considered a defense concern? And does a defense framing of UFOs inhibit scientific research?

Center for Preventive Action

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey anticipates that this year, 2024, the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Billions of people will take to the polls next year, marking the world’s largest-ever electoral field. But this historic scale is not the only thing that will make 2024 unique. As new threats like deep fakes become cheaper and more widespread, these upcoming elections could serve as a test run for democracy in the artificial intelligence (AI) era. What risks does AI pose to elections next year? And will a surge in AI-powered disinformation change the nature of democratic elections?

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