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Climate Risk, Sustainable Business and Finance
Last Updated: 2026-06-01 11:31:20
Abstract
Climate change and related-risks like extreme weather events or biodiversity loss are worsening, driving up costs across industries. This course bridges climate science and business, covering climate risk modeling, nature-related risk and opportunity assessments, and business decision-making. It also introduces sustainable finance and methods to evaluate corporate sustainability performance.
Objective
The main objectives of the course are: - Get an idea of climate change causes, physical vs. transition risks, consequences and scenarios, economic trade-offs, and the barriers for mitigation policies. - Understand the interconnectedness of socio-economic and environmental systems. - Learn how to identifiy climate and nature-related impact, risks and opportunities for businesses and how to derive actionable results from it. - Understand climate risk and gain hands-on experiene on climate risks modelling - Learn about the latest regulatory developments and climate and nature-related risk standards. - Understand the basics of sustainable finance and how to address environmental factors in investments. - Get practice insights into green cities and sustainable urban planning. The Course is offered as a block course, allowing for a workshop character. Students will work in groups on selected cases on each day and share their thoughts and findings with industry professionals. Participation on all course days is mandatory. Performance assessment is based on active contribution and presentation of group work and cases.
Content
Climate change is on par with political instability, violent conflict, cybersecurity threats, and volatile interest rates. However, there is one exception – these other factors will eventually reverse course – climate change will not. Related risks, such as biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, further add to the long-term challenges facing economies and societies. This MAS MTEC elective lecture aims to empower future business leaders in the management of climate- and other nature-related risks. By engaging with industry experts, participants will gain practical insights and actionable strategies to create positive impact within their organizations and beyond. This course is structured as follows: - Day 1: Introduction to Climate Risk, climate change causes, physical vs. transition risks, consequences and scenarios. Treating uncertainty in modeling climate-related financial risk, fundamentals of Climate risk modelling and how to derive business decisions from it. - Day 2: Basics of corporate sustainability and sustainable finance. Definition of ESG, concept of integrated value, double materiality assessment. Case study on and how to integrate climate factors in corporate strategy. Classification on sustainable investments, principles of portfolio decarbonization; overview of the EU and Swiss regulatory landscape. - Day 3: Introduction to Nature-Related Risks and Urban Sustainabiltiy. Concept of biodiversity and ecosystem services, physical and transitional risks, and their integration into a nature risk-based model. Conducting a nature-related risk and opportunity assessment for corporates. The session also addresses climate mitigation and adaptation at the city level. During the 3 days, participants will also learn and hear from the guest speakers about cultivating leadership skills to address climate-related challenges, ethical decision-making, and fostering a culture of resilience in order to promote organizational agility and adaptability. The course is not targeted to participants with a background and work experience in the finance, banking, or insurance sector only. This course will benefit from participants with diverse backgrounds and industry experience.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- NDS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 20
- Signup End
- 24.08.2025
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Climate Risk, Sustainable Business and Finance
Three-day course.
|
|
24 h semesterly |
Offered In
-
MAS in Management, Technology, and Economics (MAS MTEC Einführungsveranstaltung für Studierende im 1. Semester: Freitag, 12.09.2025, 09.00 -17.30, LEE E 101)