Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks
62 Pages Posted: 22 Oct 2019 Last revised: 26 Apr 2021
Date Written: March 17, 2021
Abstract
This paper examines whether -- in the absence of mandated disclosure requirements -- shareholder activism can elicit greater disclosure of firms' exposure to climate change risks. We find that environmental shareholder activism increases the voluntary disclosure of climate change risks, especially if initiated by institutional investors, and even more so if initiated by long-term institutional investors. We also find that companies that voluntarily disclose climate change risks following environmental shareholder activism achieve a higher valuation post disclosure, suggesting that investors value transparency with respect to firms' exposure to climate change risks.
Keywords: shareholder activism, climate risk, climate change, corporate disclosure, corporate governance
JEL Classification: P28, G3, L2, M14, M38, Q5
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation