Learn from a curriculum built on the latest industry research and practice, helping you stay ahead in the developing landscape of climate investment.
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
Develop practical skills in climate investing with the Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate. The climate investment certificate teaches you how to integrate climate considerations into investment decision-making. Learning as part of a cohort of professionals, together you’ll discover how to convey climate concepts to clients and stakeholders effectively.
Climate risks and opportunities in climate investing are increasingly seen as material factors to be included in your investment decisions. Through a combination of practical skills development, knowledge building, and real-world case studies, you’ll become adept at integrating climate considerations and sustainable investing strategies into portfolio management.
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?
Who should enroll
- Industry professionals who conduct analysis and portfolio construction, including analysts, portfolio managers, private wealth managers, product specialists, relationship managers, and roles that support these activities.
- Professionals who need to communicate climate principles and explain decisions to clients or colleagues.
Sustainable Investing Community
This global online community platform offers a blend of exclusive learning, networking, and professional development opportunity. The Sustainable Investing Community is open to all CFA Institute members, plus anyone who has passed the Sustainable Investing Certificate or Climate, Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate.
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
Curriculum
Build a solid understanding of climate science, the associated risks and opportunities for corporations and investors, and the regulatory responses. Develop the knowledge and skills you need to navigate the evolving landscape of climate change, its impacts and government responses.
How can companies prepare for the future? Climate considerations are often framed as either physical or transition risks. Physical risks include damage to or destruction of assets by severe weather and can often be insured against or diversified. Transition risks are losses related to the transition to a lower carbon economy, which can result from regulations or shifting consumer demand.
Gain a better understanding of how companies create transition plans, plus the frameworks and standards used in transition planning.
Analyze material climate risks and opportunities, and their impact on corporate performance and valuation. Exploring climate data, metrics, and tools (including stress testing and climate scenarios) first, you’ll then focus on the application of these tools by analyzing two asset classes: equity and fixed income.
Expand your understanding of the strengths and limitations of integrating climate risks and opportunities in the investment process. This course covers four key asset classes: private equity, private debt, infrastructure, and real estate. Become familiar with climate-related tools and metrics for asset valuation and learn how to assess the strengths and limitations of managing each asset class in the context of climate change.
Deepen your understanding of the impacts of climate change on portfolio management, risk management, and engagement and stewardship. In this course, you’ll explore the integration of climate-related factors into portfolio construction and risk management, going on to develop comprehensive strategies for engaging with companies on climate issues.
Cohort-based online learning
- Connect with investment professionals from across the globe as you progress through the certificate together and share ideas in facilitated discussion forums.
- Follow a six-month schedule, with fixed start dates for each of the five courses, while having the flexibility to study at your own pace within each course.
- Increase motivation by learning as part of a cohort with a structured schedule that offers a clear timeline and a sense of community. Optional virtual events explore an issue in each course.
The next cohort started on 7 April, 2025.
Interested in studying at your own pace?
You can also study this certificate independently, with no set deadlines to follow. Fit your learning around your own schedule, whilst still being able to connect with fellow learners via an online forum.
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.
Frequently asked questions
The cohort version of the Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate starts on specific dates throughout the year and connects you with a cohort of your peers from around the world who all study together during the same timeframe. Build your network by sharing ideas in facilitated discussion forums and get a sense of community as you learn new topics in the curriculum together. Many people find they are also more motivated to learn with a structured schedule that offers a clear timeline while still having the flexibility to study at their own pace within each of the five courses.
If you prefer maximum flexibility, the self-paced version lets you study independently throughout all five courses with no set deadlines to follow. Instead of waiting for the next cohort to begin, you can start learning immediately and will still have access to an online forum to ask questions and share ideas with other self-paced learners.
You’ll have access to the learning materials for 12 months from the date of purchase. Learning materials and assessments can be accessed anywhere, online, providing maximum flexibility and convenience to candidates.
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.
The Certificate in Climate and 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 Sustainable Investing Certificate, 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.
The Sustainable Investing Certificate 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.
No, you do not. Many of the participants come from non-investment backgrounds (such as policy roles in sustainability) and we prepare them for the valuation aspects of the curriculum. The assignments are structured so that those with less investment experience are able to complete them, whereas those with greater experience can undertake more challenging, optional, assignments.