Environmental Opportunities and Risks in Finance

Outlines environmental opportunities for the finance sector, which include: environmental investment funds; investment in new environmental technologies and services; and brokering tradeable environmental rights. The rapidly‐growing market in environmental technology and services is currently around $0.5 trillion globally, largely in waste management, and 60 per cent in Europe and North America. Argues that brokerage opportunities are currently limited but could expand quickly to trillion‐dollar totals if international climatechange and biodiversity agreements come into effect. Warns that environmental risks for the finance sector derive largely from the transfer of clean‐up liabilities to lenders and insurers, although this varies greatly between nations. Clean‐up costs may reach $2 billion for a single site.