Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate
Develop the skills you need to integrate climate-related investing principles into the investment process and expand your network within a community of professionals.
The next cohort starts on 7 April 2025.
USD 1,590
Understand the risks, discover the opportunities
While climate change poses significant financial risks, transitioning towards a more sustainable, low carbon future is also creating new opportunities, including in sectors like renewable energy, green infrastructure, and green financial instruments. Climate-related risks and opportunities in climate investing are increasingly seen as material factors to be included in investment decision making.
The new Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate provides a practical approach to build the knowledge and skills you need to integrate climate considerations into valuation and portfolio construction processes. Develop the expertise to simplify complex climate concepts and facilitate effective communication with stakeholders and clients.
For practitioners by practitioners
This advanced climate certificate directly addresses the practical integrations and considerations of climate related matters in valuation and portfolio constructions. It develops skills using application-based activities and content based on case studies from around the world enabling learners to apply climate-related investment principles to real-world scenarios.
Learning communities
As a learner you progress through the climate certificate as part of a cohort with other professionals. Connect with investment professionals around the world and engage with the curriculum through a combination of self-study, online discussion, peer reviews, and optional live events.
Why earn a Certificate in Climate Change?
What skills will you be able to put into practice?
| 1. | Communicate and explain climate science concepts and climate risk adaptation and mitigation considerations for companies and investors. |
| 2. | Analyse a company’s transition plan, how these activities will be financed, and the risks and opportunities to the company and its investors |
| 3. | Analyse a company’s climate disclosure and risks (including physical risks using data from insurance providers). |
| 4. | Integrate climate considerations and risks into a financial model and adjust projections and discount rates to revise a valuation. |
| 5. | Analyse the financial projections of an investment project (private equity, venture capital, real estate, or infrastructure), including a range of scenarios, and adjust it by integrating climate factors. |
| 6. | Analyse and adjust a portfolio so it is aligned with a net-zero pathway. |
| 7. | Analyse a company’s environmental resolution and provide a recommendation for conducting an engagement activity. |
Learn in a cohort of professionals and build your network
The climate certificate is made up of five online courses of 20-25 hours each.
You progress through these courses in a cohort of other learners, so you interact and share ideas with other investment professionals.
- Join a community, engaging with other learners online, while a facilitator helps discussions and understanding, and answers questions.
- Network with groups of other learners and continue conversations from the certificate.
- Attend optional live events online where you can interact with an expert on each subject.
- Complete assignments based on practical case studies, while peer review helps you learn from a wider group of students.
- Pass a multiple-choice final assessment to demonstrate your knowledge with a certificate.
Explore the role of climate in investing
Explore a world of research on the role of climate considerations in investing and regulation in articles and papers from the Research and Policy Center. Listen to leading practitioners in the industry discussing their views in The Sustainability Story series of podcasts.
The latest articles and podcasts include:
Article: Green Parity and the Decarbonization of Corporate Bond Portfolios
Article: Climate Change, Risk Management, and the Freedom to Invest Responsibly
Podcast: Spencer Glendon: The Role of Climate in Shaping the Future of Business
Your questions answered
These are some of the most common questions we have been asked about the certificate.
| What are the prerequisites for the climate certificate? | Foundational knowledge and skills in financial statement analysis, valuation and portfolio construction are strongly recommended (equivalent to CFA Level 1). The Certificate in ESG Investing also provides a suitable foundation, but it is not essential. Knowledge of advanced math is not required. |
| What experience do I need to study the climate certificate? | As long as you have essential financial analysis and valuation skills, you can benefit from studying the climate certificate. Review the learning outcomes to see what you will learn and if they are relevant to your career goals. |
| How does the climate certificate compare to the CFA UK Society’s Certificate in Climate & Investing? | The Certificate in Climate & Investing from CFA Society UK is designed to provide all those working in the investment sector with the skills and knowledge to understand the risks and opportunities associated with climate. It sits alongside the Certificate in ESG Investing, providing more in-depth insight into climate. The CFA Institute Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate is an advanced certificate providing experienced investment professionals with practical skills, enabling them to integrate climate considerations into valuation and portfolio construction across asset classes. |
| How does the climate certificate compare to CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing? | The Certificate in ESG Investing builds foundational knowledge and an understanding of the issues across sustainability topics, one of which is climate. The Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate is a more advanced certificate. It develops the knowledge and practical skills needed to apply climate-considerations into valuation and portfolio construction. |
| How does the climate certificate compare to CFA Institute’s Climate Finance course? | The Climate Finance course introduces the economic and environmental impacts of climate change. It provides a foundational understanding of the role of finance professionals. The climate certificate is designed for analysts and portfolio managers. It develops the knowledge and practical skills needed to integrate climate considerations into valuation and portfolio construction processes. |
| How long is the climate certificate? | The climate certificate is made up of five courses and a final assessment. It takes approximately 100 hours to complete the certificate, so around 20 hours per course. In the cohort version, each course lasts four weeks with a buffer week, before the next course begins. You can see the dates for the next cohort here. |
| What equipment do you need? | The climate certificate is online. No specific equipment is required except a computer with internet access, with a common up-to-date internet browser, where you can view pdfs and watch videos. |
| What types of course materials are provided? | The study materials are viewable online and available to download as pdfs. Videos are available online with their transcripts, which can be downloaded. |
| How long can I access the course materials for? | You have access to the course materials and to the final assessment until 12 months after the start of your cohort. |
| How are you assessed? | Participants need to pass weekly quizzes, and complete an assignment and two peer reviews in each of the five courses. You need to pass and complete these items before you can take the final assessment. |
| How is the final assessment organized and what is the minimum passing score? | The final assessment is online and includes 60 multiple choice questions. The minimum passing score is 70%. The final assessment is not proctored. |
| What happens if you fail the final assessment? | If you fail the final assessment on the first attempt you have a second attempt available to take it again. You have access to the assessment until 12 months after your cohort started. If you fail a second time, you can retake the final assessment for an extra fee. |
| Do you receive a digital badge when you complete the certificate? | You receive a digital badge at the completion of the certificate. |
| Are the dates for the five courses fixed in the cohort version of the of the climate certificate? | Yes, the dates for the courses are fixed. If the dates are not convenient for your schedule, you can join a future cohort, where the timings work better for you. You can find the dates for the courses of the next cohort here. |
| What happens if I’m on holiday or can’t study for a week? | Each course lasts four weeks with a fifth, buffer week before the next course begins. You can study the coursework at your own pace within that time. If you are unavailable to study for a short period, for instance a week, you should have time to complete the course within the allotted time. The peer review usually takes place in week four of each course. |
| Can you tell me more about the peer reviews? | You will need to complete an assignment as part of each course. For each course you will need to peer review the assignments of two other participants. We use peer-review software and a carefully designed rubric to ensure a fair review process. |
| Can you tell me more about the discussion forums? | Weekly discussion forums are available to enable you to engage with your fellow participants. The focus of each forum is the topic covered in that week’s course materials. There are also forums for general questions and to discuss the peer review assignments. |
| What format do the live events take? | The live events are held as webinars presented by an expert on the course topic. A question and answer session forms part of the webinar, when you can ask questions of the presenter. The webinars are recorded. |
| Are there plans for more cohorts? | The next cohort is scheduled to start on 27 May 2024. The cohort after that will start in early September 2024. We don’t yet have dates for when the first cohort in 2025 will be. |
Is this Climate Certificate Right for Me?
Certificate in ESG InvestingThe Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate is an advanced certificate that builds on existing foundational investment knowledge.
If you need to build foundational knowledge in sustainability before enrolling in the Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate you can take the Certificate in ESG Investing.