Climate change and the ECB
We at the ECB are exploring how we can be effective in the fight against climate change. We are working to identify the risks that climate change can present to the economy and the financial system. Climate change can affect the economy through extreme weather events and uncertainties related to the transition to a low-carbon economy.
“Through our strategy review, we will determine where and how the issue of climate change and the fight against climate change can actually have an impact on our policies.”
Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB
The ECB takes actions in four main areas of competence
The Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS)
The ECB is a member of the NGFS: a group of central banks and financial supervisors from five continents who look for ways to support a smooth transition towards a low-carbon economy.
Other initiatives
Green ECB
We are continuously working to reduce the ECB’s ecological footprint. If you are interested in what we have achieved so far, see our page on Environmental protection.
European Mobility Week
The ECB regularly participates in this event. It encourages colleagues to commute to work in a way that is as environmentally friendly as possible.
Earth Hour
The ECB has participated in this event since 2012. By switching off the lights in our main building, we seek to raise awareness about climate change.
Speeches and interviews
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27 Feb 2020
- Christine Lagarde: Climate change and the financial sectorSpeech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the launch of the COP 26 Private Finance Agenda, London
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21 Nov 2019
- Luis de Guindos: Implications of the transition to a low-carbon economy for the euro area financial systemSpeech by Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, at the European Savings and Retail Banking Group Conference, “Creating sustainable financial structures by putting citizens first”
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21 Nov 2019
- Andrea Enria: Regulation, proportionality and the sustainability of bankingSpeech by Andrea Enria, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the ECB, at the Retail Banking Conference "Creating sustainable financial structures by putting citizens first" of European Savings Bank Group, in Brussels
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17 Oct 2019
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Luis de Guindos: Climate-related risksSpeaking notes by Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, at roundtable event on climate-related risks at Bloomberg
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9 Sept 2019
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Pentti Hakkarainen: The greening of the financial sectorSpeech by Pentti Hakkarainen, Member of the Supervisory Board of the ECB, at the Hannes Snellman Financial Law Seminar, Helsinki, 9 September 2019
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15 May 2019
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Frank Elderson: We need to ensure resilience to climate-change riskInterview with Frank Elderson, Member of the Supervisory Board of the ECB, Supervision Newsletter, 15 May 2019
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17 Apr 2019
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Sabine Lautenschläger: Central Bankers, Supervisors and Climate-Related RisksPanel remarks by Sabine Lautenschläger, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Network for Greening the Financial System Conference, in Paris, France, 17 April 2019
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27 Nov 2018
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Yves Mersch: Climate change and central bankingSpeech by Yves Mersch, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, Workshop discussion: Sustainability is becoming mainstream, Frankfurt, 27 November 2018
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8 Nov 2018
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Benoît Cœuré: Monetary policy and climate changeSpeech by Benoît Cœuré, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at a conference on “Scaling up Green Finance: The Role of Central Banks”, organised by the Network for Greening the Financial System, the Deutsche Bundesbank and the Council on Economic Policies, Berlin, 8 November 2018
Research
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No. 64
27 Nov 2019 - Research bulletin
Finance and decarbonisation: why equity markets do it betterAbstract
JEL Classification
G10 : Financial Economics→General Financial Markets→General
O4 : Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth→Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity
Q5 : Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental and Ecological Economics→Environmental EconomicsAbstract
This article provides evidence that economies receiving more funding from stock markets than credit markets generate fewer carbon emissions. Increasing the equity financing share to one-half globally would reduce aggregate per capita emissions by about one-quarter of the Paris Agreement commitment. Our findings call for supporting equity-based initiatives rather than policies aimed at decarbonising the European economy through the banking sector.
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No. 2318
26 Sep 2019 - ECB Working Paper Series
Finance and carbon emissionsAbstract
JEL Classification
G10 : Financial Economics→General Financial Markets→General
O4 : Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth→Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity
Q5 : Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental and Ecological Economics→Environmental EconomicsAbstract
We study the relation between the structure of financial systems and carbon emissions in a large panel of countries and industries over the period 1990-2013. We find that for given levels of economic and financial development and environmental regulation, CO2 emissions per capita are lower in economies that are relatively more equity-funded. Industry-level analysis reveals two distinct channels. First, stock markets reallocate investment towards less polluting sectors. Second, they also push carbon-intensive sectors to develop and implement greener technologies. In line with this second effect, we show that carbon-intensive sectors produce more green patents as stock markets deepen. We also document an increase in carbon emissions associated with the production of imported goods equal to around one-tenth of the reduction in domestic carbon emissions.
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29 May 2019
- Financial Stability Review
Climate change and financial stabilityAbstract
JEL Classification
G01 : Financial Economics→General→Financial Crises
G18 : Financial Economics→General Financial Markets→Government Policy and Regulation
G20 : Financial Economics→Financial Institutions and Services→General
Q54 : Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental and Ecological Economics→Environmental Economics→Climate, Natural Disasters, Global WarmingAbstract
This special feature discusses the channels through which climate change can affect financial stability and illustrates the exposure of euro area financial institutions to risks from climate change with the help of granular data. Notwithstanding currently limited data availability, the analysis shows that climate change-related risks have the potential to become systemic for the euro area, in particular if markets are not pricing the risks correctly. A deeper understanding of the relevance of climate change-related risks for the euro area financial system at large is therefore needed. Better data availability and comparability and the development of a forward-looking framework for risk assessments are important aspects of this work going forward.
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No. 2247
25 Feb 2019 - ECB Working Paper Series
The Green Golden Rule: habit and anticipation of future consumptionAbstract
JEL Classification
D90 : Microeconomics→Intertemporal Choice→General
Q56 : Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental and Ecological Economics→Environmental Economics→Environment and Development, Environment and Trade, Sustainability, Environmental Accounts and Accounting, Environmental Equity, Population Growth
G20 : Financial Economics→Financial Institutions and Services→General
Q54 : Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental and Ecological Economics→Environmental Economics→Climate, Natural Disasters, Global WarmingAbstract
We derive the Green Golden Rule (GGR) in the Habit Formation (HF) and Anticipation of Future Consumption (AFC) frameworks. Since consumption is the key variable of GGR, time non-separabilities in preferences over consumption streams, given by the AFC and HF, may have important impacts on the environment and sustainability. We demonstrate that agents who smooth their consumption patterns, according to the HF hypothesis, are more likely to preserve the environment than those who anticipate future consumption or who do not so smooth consumption.
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Issue 7/2018
8 Nov 2018 - Economic Bulletin
Purchases of green bonds under the Eurosystem’s asset purchase programmeAbstract
JEL Classification
D90 : Microeconomics→Intertemporal Choice→General
Q56 : Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental and Ecological Economics→Environmental Economics→Environment and Development, Environment and Trade, Sustainability, Environmental Accounts and Accounting, Environmental Equity, Population Growth
G20 : Financial Economics→Financial Institutions and Services→General
Q54 : Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental and Ecological Economics→Environmental Economics→Climate, Natural Disasters, Global WarmingAbstract
We derive the Green Golden Rule (GGR) in the Habit Formation (HF) and Anticipation of Future Consumption (AFC) frameworks. Since consumption is the key variable of GGR, time non-separabilities in preferences over consumption streams, given by the AFC and HF, may have important impacts on the environment and sustainability. We demonstrate that agents who smooth their consumption patterns, according to the HF hypothesis, are more likely to preserve the environment than those who anticipate future consumption or who do not so smooth consumption.
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No. 1982
21 Nov 2016 - ECB Working Paper Series
The impact of disasters on inflationAbstract
JEL Classification
E31 : Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics→Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles→Price Level, Inflation, Deflation
Q54 : Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics, Environmental and Ecological Economics→Environmental Economics→Climate, Natural Disasters, Global Warming
G20Abstract
This paper studies how disasters aff ect consumer price inflation, one of the main remaining gaps in our understanding of the impact of disasters. There is a marked heterogeneity in the impact between advanced economies, where the impact is negligible, and developing economies, where the impact can last for several years. There are also di fferences in the impact by type of disasters, particularly when considering inflation sub-indices. Storms in- crease food price inflation in the near term, although the eff ect dissipates within a year. Floods also typically have a short-run impact on inflation. Earthquakes reduce CPI inflation excluding food, housing and energy.