Could climate risk disclosure be the new bottom line for Australian companies?

A new global report is putting pressure on publicly listed companies to disclose their risk to climate change

Some of Australia's largest listed companies, including Woodside, Rio Tinto and Santos, are likely to face sweeping changes to the way in which they model, plan for and disclose risk from climate change to investors. How they respond will affect their ability to attract funding from lenders, insurers and superannuation funds who are under pressure to stress-test investments for a carbon-constrained future.

The release last week of a report by the Financial Stability Board's taskforce on climate-related financial disclosures is expected to add pressure on publicly listed companies to formalise their climate risk disclosure practices - particularly through scenario analysis - or risk investors pulling finance and rating agencies making assumptions about their risk profile.

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