Research

2021

Business risk and the emergence of climate analytics (Nature Climate Change, Fiedler T, A Pitman, K Mackenzie, Nick Wood, Christian Jakob, Sarah E. Perkins-Kirkpatrick)

This paper, co-authored with a multidisciplinary group of climate scientists, business academics and practitioners, explores the use of climate models to understand financial risk in the private sector and in the regulatory community, and points to the shortcomings and pitfalls of this practice with insufficient expert intermediation. We also wrote a comprehensive plain-language summary for business & policy folk.

Scaling up climate finance in the context of Covid-19 (Green Climate Fund, multiple authors)

A guide to climate science (including mitigation) co-authored with about a dozen experts, mostly IPCC authors. I was editor of an earlier version of this paper which was rescheduled due to COVID.

2020

Adaptation Finance: Emerging approaches to solve the climate adaptation finance gap (Climate-KIC Australia, Genevieve Mortimor, Belinda Whelan & Christopher Lee)

This paper reports on a multi-stakeholder project to create a private finance framework for adaptation in an advanced economy (Australia). NB: I am not a named author on this paper but am listing it as I led the first 12 months of the project that is chronicled here, and provided feedback on the draft. I wrote about some of my reflections here for Bloomberg; it explains why I am extremely sceptical of any private finance adaptation proposals.

2018

Climate Horizons: Scenarios and strategies for managing climate risk (Centre for Policy Development; co-authored with Sam Hurley)

This is a comprehensive guide for investors to understanding the climate science in the wake of the TCFD recommendations, particularly scenario analysis. It was awarded “Best Non-broker Research” by the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia.

2017

The 1.5C climate objective for businesses and investors, The Climate Institute

Corporate responses to the Paris Agreement (with KPMG)  (2017)

Climate risk and financial sector regulation in Australia, Australian Environment Review

Reducing the horizons of uncertainty: Setting Australia’s post-2030 emission goal (co-authored with Erwin Jackson & Olivia Kember of The Climate Institute & Cameron Reid of AGL)

2016

There goes the neighbourhood: Climate change, Australian housing and the financial sector (The Climate Institute)

Climate change and good corporate governance (Australian Institute of Company Directors; co-authored with Dr Nick Wood)

2015

Australia’s Financial System and Climate Risk (The Climate Institute)