Executive Education White Paper
How Can Green Finance Respond to the Climate Emergency?
with Christophe Thibierge Professor at ESCP Business School
“To what extent can (or should) the world of finance adapt to the realities of the growing sustainability concerns for our planet?”
You are never too small to make a difference. This was Greta Thunberg's mantra in the summer of 2018, when the 15-year-old began her climate strikes outside the Swedish parliament.
Her activism caught on, and led her to challenge world leaders at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit and to feature on the cover of Time magazine, which named her Person of the Year.
The issue of the climate and the environment is no longer a distant, vaguely theoretical concept, but a reality that is striking every country in the world. And the younger generation has every intention to take up this fight. While there are ever more COPs being held and announcements being made, with mixed success, all actors in society need to get involved. And the financial sector is no exception.
Whether in corporate finance departments, in banks and insurance companies, or in the financial markets, to what extent can (or should) the world of finance adapt to the realities of the growing sustainability concerns for our planet? Is green finance a viable solution? How can companies go about adopting an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) approach? How much greenwashing is there in the world of green finance? And above all, what are the risks for organisations that do not play the game?
To answer all these questions, Professor Christophe Thibierge, professor of finance at ESCP, looks at the subject of green finance and its impact on our societies as we face climate emergencies.
This white paper is part of a series entitled “Leaders for the Future”, produced by ESCP Business School Executive Education, that addresses the needs of companies and professionals so that they can thrive in the face of challenges and a rapidly shifting business landscape.
Christophe Thibierge
Professeur at ESCP Business School, Christophe Thibierge’s expertise lies in the field of financial and non-financial information, business valuation and sustainable finance issues. He is the author of “Sustainable Finance”, published in 2022.
