Highlights
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a report in September 2020 highlighting the risk that climate change poses to the stability of the U.S. financial system and the economy. The report, "Managing Climate Risk in the U.S. Financial System," was a detailed study of the topic that will provide insights to the Biden Administration's team of regulators.
The CFTC report emphasized that regulators have sufficient existing legislative authority to begin addressing climate-related risks now, through better oversight, risk management and disclosures.
Major findings in the report include: 1) More consistent, reliable and comparable data is needed to make this task meaningful and manageable, 2) regulators and companies can use scenario planning and climate stress testing to reduce climate risks, and 3) an economy-wide price on carbon would allow financial markets to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions more efficiently.