Environmental AFAS
The Accounting, Finance and Actuarial Science Group substantively contributes to the University of York’s ambitions to deliver world-class research on environmental sustainability.
We apply our specific expertise in areas ranging from critical accounting to quantitative financial economics to address pressing questions in environmental finance and accounting, as well as contributing to wider interdisciplinary problems through collaboration with Environmental Sustainability at York (ESAY), the York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI), and SEI York.
Both governmental and financial regulatory guidelines have been influenced by our work in this field.
Environmental reporting and corporate performance
Members of the group have expertise in a range of issues around financial reporting, including researching into the impact of the Taskforces on Nature-related and Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD, TCFD). We also explore how information on sustainability exposures is used both within internal financial decisions and to improve corporate environmental performance through benchmarking. Work in this field has been commissioned from us by the Financial Conduct Authority.
The impact of environmental regulation
Members of the group have researched the relationship between environmental regulation and its impacts on both corporate environmental performance and managerial wrongdoing.
Valuing ecosystems and pricing carbon damages
Our work has brought important insights from financial economics to help set the intergenerational social discount rate that is needed to value the very long-term damages caused by greenhouse gas emissions and benefits provided by ecosystem services. Our work has influenced, among others, HM Treasury and the US Environmental Protection Agency.