Do you manage what you measure? Investor views on the question of climate actions with empirical results from the Swiss pension fund and insurance sector

Despite the political mandate of Article 2.1(c) of the Paris Agreement (United Nations 2015. ‘Adoption of the Paris Agreement.’ 21st Conference of the Parties, Paris, United Nations, 2) to align finance flows ‘with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development,’ many investors do not manage physical and transitional climate risks. The Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures’ 2019 Status Report highlighted this asymmetry. The following paperseeks to evaluate the efficacy of informing investors about the alignment of their portfolios with the Paris Agreement. Based on survey feedback from a 2017 pilot study conducted with Swiss pension funds and insurance companies, the results suggest that after the pilot 40% of respondents implemented a climate strategy or integrated climate criteria into their investment process, showing the potential impact of climate assessments on portfolio strategy. This fact affirms both the positives of portfolio climate assessments, but also the need to explore alternatives avenues for engaging with investors regarding climate risks.