After investors, asset managers, and bankers… finance students are now tackling climate change!

“Toward Responsible, Low-Carbon Finance”? This is the course topic that Carbone 4 is offering to students in the Master’s in Finance program at Paris Dauphine University for the first semester of 2018. This is further proof that a point of no return was reached at COP21 and that the financial sector now considers ESG issues—and in particular the energy transition and the fight against climate change—to be critical challenges. Carbone 4 is pleased to bring in several external speakers for this pioneering 12-session course to offer students a diverse range of experiences and perspectives:

• Sylvain Boucherand (B&L Evolution, Co-founder and CSR Engineer),
• Dominique Blanc (Novethic, Director of Research),
• Ladislas Smia (Mirova, Co-Head of Responsible Investment Research),
• Julien Touati (Meridiam Infrastructure, Director of Corporate Development & Partner),
• Christian Dubost (SNCF, Director of Sustainable Development)
• Marine de Bazelaire (HSBC Europe, Head of Sustainability),
• Lise Moret (Axa IM, Head of ESG Quantitative Solutions),
• Caroline Renoux (Birdeo, Founder and CEO).

Thank you to Alain Tord and the teams at Paris Dauphine University for their support in making this wonderful project a success! Course Description “Climate change is the Tragedy of the Horizon (…) ‘Green’ finance cannot conceivably remain a niche interest in the medium term.” On September 29, 2015, a speech on climate change and financial stability by Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England and Chair of the Financial Stability Board, marked the beginning of a new phase in the integration of sustainable development issues into the financial sector. BlackRock, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, and CNP Assurances… Many major players in the financial sector have committed to integrating ESG issues—and climate issues in particular—into their investment strategies. And the financial industry is evolving accordingly.

Is the financial sector becoming a true player in sustainable development? What approach and strategy should the various sectors of the financial industry adopt? What are the limitations of current initiatives and regulations? The course “Toward Responsible and Low-Carbon Finance?” aims to help students understand the theoretical and practical challenges of responsible, low-carbon, and climate-resilient investing. Specific topics covered will include ESG (environmental, social, and governance) issues, with a focus on energy and climate challenges that require the financial sector to acquire new scientific, technical, and practical knowledge. In this way, students will be prepared to understand and incorporate these new fundamental decision-making criteria into their future careers.