Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change
Practical guidance for preparing this disclosure. Use this card to identify datapoints, verify claims and organise supporting evidence. For exact requirements, always refer to the official GRI source.
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This disclosure asks an organisation to explain how climate change could affect its finances and wider business position, and what that means in practice. The focus is on identifying the main risks and opportunities, describing their likely effects, and showing how the organisation has assessed them rather than simply stating that climate change is relevant.
In practical terms, the reporting should look across the organisation’s activities, not just a few headline sites or projects. The useful question is whether the assessment covers the parts of the business that could be materially affected, and whether it reflects both downside risks and any potential opportunities, with enough detail for a reader to understand the scale and nature of the impact.
* This LRA educational guidance supports disclosure preparation. For the exact requirements, always refer to the official GRI source.
A quick mental checklist before you prepare this disclosure — tick each as you settle it.
| Datapoint | What to capture | Evidence hint | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial modelling system | Whether a process or tool exists that can turn the climate issue into money terms, including cost estimates or revenue forecasts. | Model documentation, calculation workbook, system screenshots, or finance methodology note. | Finance |
| Model build plan | The plan and timetable for putting in place the system that will calculate costs or revenue effects, including key milestones and delivery dates. | Project plan, implementation roadmap, budget approval, or IT/finance delivery tracker. | Finance |
| Climate financial exposure | The money value of climate-related risks and opportunities that could materially change operations, turnover, or spending. | Risk register, scenario analysis, business case, or finance impact assessment. | Risk |
| Risk type and description | A plain description of the issue and whether it is a physical, regulatory, or other type of climate-related risk or opportunity. | Risk register entry, taxonomy mapping, or assessment note showing the classification used. | Risk |
| Business impact description | A description of how the risk or opportunity affects the business in practice, such as operations, sales, costs, or assets. | Impact assessment, scenario analysis output, or risk committee paper. | Risk |
| Pre-action financial effect | The expected financial effect before any response or mitigation is applied, stated separately from the effect after action. | Baseline scenario, sensitivity analysis, or finance memo showing gross impact before mitigation. | Finance |
| Risk response methods | The methods the organisation uses to deal with the risk or opportunity, such as avoidance, reduction, transfer, adaptation, or other response measures. | Risk treatment plan, control register, adaptation plan, or management action log. | Risk |
| Response costs | The money spent on the actions used to manage the risk or opportunity, with the relevant period and scope clearly identified. | Capex/opex records, project spend report, purchase orders, or cost centre extracts. | Finance |
Show GRI 201-2 sub-elements (LRA working checklist)
- Set out the spend needed to deal with the risk or opportunity.
- Explain what effect it has on the business.
- State what it is and whether it is physical, regulatory, or another type.
- Set out the expected financial effect before any response is applied.
- Confirm whether you already have a way to estimate the financial effect or the related costs, or to forecast income.
- Describe the approach used to handle it.
- If the calculation or forecasting system is not yet in place, give the plan and timetable for building it.
- Identify climate-related risks and opportunities that could materially change operations, turnover, or spending.
LRA working checklist - paraphrased; see official source
- Set the reporting boundary first. Decide which business units, sites, time periods and climate-related matters you will include, so the same scope is used for every figure and narrative in this disclosure.
- Agree the definitions you will use for each item. Make clear what counts as a climate-related risk or opportunity, how you will classify it, and what you will treat as the related impact, before-action financial effect, response method and action cost.
- Gather the source material behind each entry. Pull together finance papers, risk registers, project files, budgets, forecasts and management papers that support the amounts, descriptions and classifications you plan to report.
- Build the disclosure from the evidence. Provide the required amounts where a number is needed, and write concise supporting text for the nature of the issue, the effect on the business, the pre-action financial effect and the way it is being managed.
- Record any gaps, exclusions or changes in approach. If you are not yet able to calculate the financial effect or revenue outlook, note the development plan and timing, and explain any boundary or method changes so the reader can follow the basis of preparation.
- Check the final draft against the source material. Confirm that each required item is covered, the figures tie back to evidence, the wording matches the underlying records, and the completed disclosure aligns with the official reporting source before sign-off.
Translate the disclosure into an internal business question — then adapt it to your organisation's own language.
Use your team’s own labels first, then map them to the disclosure. For example, if you track this through budget, forecast, scenario, capex, opex, or risk registers, keep those internal terms in the request and only translate them afterwards for reporting.
Please provide the climate change disclosure data for GRI 201-2, including all financial implications, risks, opportunities, and management actions.
Please send the latest finance pack, risk register entries, and any scenario or investment files for climate-linked items that could change costs, revenue, capex, or opex in [period] for [boundary]. Include the internal label, amount before and after action if tracked, assumptions, action taken, action cost, and the source file or extract.
Formal email template
Subject: Request for climate-related financial evidence for [reporting period] Dear [name/team], We are preparing the sustainability reporting pack and need your help with the climate-related financial evidence for [business area / entity]. Please share the figures and supporting notes for any climate-linked risks or opportunities that could affect costs, revenue, capex, opex, or other financial lines. Please include: - the relevant internal category name(s) - the financial amount(s) and whether they are before or after any action taken - the main assumptions used - the method or action used to manage the item - the cost of any action already taken - the source file or system extract - the period and boundary covered - the name of the person who prepared and checked the information If you already track this in a budget, forecast, risk, or investment file, please send the latest version and a short note explaining how it should be read. Please use your own internal terms first, then we will map them for reporting. This is a possible LRA training template only; please adapt it to your organisation and check the official source before sign-off. Many thanks, [preparer name]
Short Teams / Slack version
Hi [name/team] — could you send the latest climate-related finance evidence for [business area/entity]? We need the amounts, assumptions, actions taken, and any source file for items that could affect costs, revenue, capex, opex, or other lines. Please use your internal labels and include the period, boundary, and owner/checker. Thanks — [preparer name]. This is a possible LRA training template only; please adapt it to your organisation and check the official source before sign-off.
Manufacturing
Context. A plant team tracks weather disruption, energy price exposure, and retrofit projects in separate files.
Adapted request. Please share the latest plant-level files for climate-linked items that could affect production cost, downtime, maintenance spend, or sales at [site] for [period]. Include the internal risk name, estimated financial effect, assumptions, mitigation action, and the cost of any retrofit or resilience work already approved.
Example response. The team returns a capex tracker, a maintenance risk log, and a short note showing that heat-related downtime is tracked as an operational risk, with estimated cost impact, assumptions on lost output, and the spend already committed to cooling upgrades.
Retail / Consumer
Context. A trading and property finance team monitors flood exposure, store closures, insurance changes, and demand shifts.
Adapted request. Please send the latest trading and property finance evidence for climate-linked items that could change rent, repairs, insurance, stock loss, or sales at [region / estate] for [period]. Use your internal labels and include the forecast impact, the action taken, and any cost already incurred for resilience or relocation work.
Example response. The team provides a forecast workbook, an insurance renewal summary, and a property risk note showing flood exposure by store cluster, estimated revenue at risk, and the cost of drainage and fit-out works already completed.
The full request pack — response form, data table, evidence metadata and sign-off — is in the Download Centre.
LRA training templates — adapt them to your organisation, and check the official source before sign-off.
Describe the basis used to identify climate-related matters, how you distinguish physical, regulatory and other business drivers, and how you estimate the related financial effects and response costs.
Explain what the figures mean for the business by linking each climate-related matter to the part of the organisation it could affect, the scale of the possible effect, and the actions already taken or planned.
If the numbers move materially, note whether this is due to new issues being identified, changes in the estimated size of the effect, progress in building the assessment process, or different response costs.
GRI 201-2 Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change — [location / page] / [notes]
Professional preparation tools and forms for GRI 201-2. Each download includes a concise “How to use” guide.
| Claim | Risk | Evidence to check |
|---|---|---|
| We have a documented method for turning the disclosed risk or opportunity into a monetary estimate or revenue view, and we can show how that method was applied. | The assurer may find that the figure was based on judgement alone, with no repeatable calculation approach or no clear link between the method and the published number. | Method note or model description; calculation files; assumptions log; source data; version history; reviewer sign-off showing the method was used consistently. |
| Where we are still building the calculation approach, we have a dated plan that sets out what will be developed, by whom, and when. | The assurer may conclude that the plan is vague, not approved, or not realistic, so the reported readiness is overstated. | Project plan or roadmap; milestones and target dates; ownership assignments; steering or management approvals; progress updates against the plan. |
| We identified the climate-related matters we believe could materially affect our operations, income, or spending, and we kept the basis for that judgement on file. | The assurer may challenge whether the selected matters were complete, relevant, or assessed using a consistent threshold. | Risk register; materiality or significance assessment; workshop notes; scenario or risk assessment outputs; management review records. |
| For each matter we disclosed, we recorded what type of issue it is and kept a short explanation of why we placed it in that category. | The assurer may find the classification inconsistent, unsupported, or applied differently across similar items. | Classification matrix; narrative write-ups; internal guidance used for categorisation; cross-checks between similar risks or opportunities; reviewer comments. |
| We documented the expected effect on the business for each item, using the same basis across the set of disclosures. | The assurer may see that impacts were described qualitatively in some places and quantitatively in others without a clear rationale, or that the impact statement does not match the underlying evidence. | Impact assessment papers; supporting analysis; links between the narrative and source data; internal challenge notes; consistency check against the risk register. |
| Before any response or mitigation was applied, we estimated the likely financial effect and kept the working papers behind that estimate. | The assurer may question whether the estimate reflects the position before action, whether the assumptions are reasonable, or whether the calculation is traceable. | Pre-action estimate model; assumptions and sensitivities; source data; dated working papers; evidence showing the estimate predates mitigation effects. |
- The governing policy or written commitment behind this disclosure
- A methodology / definition note setting out how the disclosure was scoped and prepared
- Source-system exports the figures or facts were drawn from
- The internal approval / sign-off record for the disclosure before publication
- Minutes or records evidencing the relevant engagement or consultation
- Figures are stated without the supporting narrative, or narrative without figures.
- Scope is inconsistent between the text and the numbers.
- The reporting boundary is left undefined.
- Material changes since the previous period are not disclosed.
- Estimates and measured values are not distinguished.
- Source records for the figures are not identified.
- Wrong owner
The request goes to the sustainability lead alone, even though the figures and narrative sit with finance, risk, operations, and the team managing climate actions.
- Framework language only
People ask for the data using disclosure jargon, so the business teams cannot map it to their own cost centres, project names, or risk registers.
- Scope left vague
The team never states which sites, business units, or climate-related matters are in scope, so different contributors send numbers for different populations.
- Period basis mixed up
One source uses the current reporting year while another uses a forecast or project timetable, and the pack combines them without saying which timing basis applies.
- Counting bases blended
Actual spend, planned spend, and estimated exposure are put into one total, which makes the financial picture impossible to trace back to the source records.
- Source labels lost
The original file names, register IDs, or system references are stripped out during consolidation, so no one can trace a figure back to the record it came from.
- Separate groups merged
Physical events, policy-driven changes, and other climate-related matters are rolled into one list, even though they need to stay distinct for review and explanation.
- Evidence trail missing
The pack reaches sign-off without the supporting notes, version history, and approver names, so reviewers cannot see who checked what and when.
- Setting the reporting perimeter after a buy or sell transaction
Use the same business perimeter you apply for the rest of the report, and explain any mid-year additions or exits so readers can see whether the climate-related amounts sit inside the current group or only part of the year.
- Choosing which country rule set to use when local definitions differ
Where local legal or operational definitions do not line up across markets, pick one consistent internal basis for the climate-related figures and describe the basis you used so the same issue is treated the same way across the group.
- Deciding whether a borderline issue is close enough to include
If a risk or opportunity sits near your internal cut-off for inclusion, make a clear judgement on whether it could lead to a material shift in operations, income, or spend, and state the threshold or screen you applied.
- Separating climate-driven effects from wider business movements
When the same cost or revenue movement has both climate and non-climate drivers, isolate the climate-linked portion where you can and explain the allocation method if you have used an estimate.
- Using forecast models versus hard numbers
If the amount is based on a model, scenario, or management estimate rather than observed results, say so and describe the main assumptions, the time horizon, and any known limits on precision.
- Picking the timing basis for the amount reported
Be explicit about whether you have used the year-end position, the full-year effect, or another cut-off date, and keep that timing basis consistent for the related narrative and figures.
- Handling small amounts that round to zero
Apply one rounding approach across the disclosure, and if a figure rounds away to zero while still being relevant to the story, note the underlying scale or range so the omission is not misleading.
- Aggregating sensitive site or customer information
Where a detailed breakdown could expose confidential location, customer, or asset data, group the figures at a higher level and explain the aggregation choice while keeping the climate-related financial effect understandable.
Synthetic, written by LRA — not from a company report, not text from any standard.
Synthetic example for illustration only. We already have a process that estimates climate-related effects on earnings, cash outflows and sales, and we use it for our annual planning cycle.
- The main issues we track are flood disruption at two sites, tighter carbon rules on process heat, and a chance to win lower-emission product contracts; we classify these as physical, regulatory and other business risks/opportunities.
- Before any response measures, we estimate a downside of £18m in extra costs and lost margin over three years, and an upside of £9m in added revenue from new contracts.
- We manage these through site hardening, energy-efficiency upgrades and customer engagement; the actions taken so far have cost £4.2m, and we plan to extend the model to a fuller scenario set by Q4 2026.
Synthetic example for illustration only. We do not yet run a fully integrated tool for climate-linked financial estimates, but we do have a manual process for selected sites and product lines.
- Our current focus is heat stress affecting warehouse labour, storm damage to delivery routes, and demand growth for low-carbon products; we treat these as physical, physical and other business opportunities.
- On a pre-action basis, we estimate £6m of extra expenditure and £3m of foregone sales, alongside a possible £5m revenue uplift from greener ranges.
- We are addressing these through roof reinforcement, route redesign and supplier switching; the actions have cost £1.8m so far, and we expect a full system with regular forecasting by the end of 2027.
How to turn the collected data into a draft disclosure. Suggested visuals and a GRI content-index line generated from this disclosure's datapoints.
Suggested visuals
- Readiness to quantify climate-related financial effects — table: Whether a process already exists to estimate climate-related financial impacts, and whether work is underway to build that capability where it is not yet in place.
- Climate-related risks and opportunities by type — stacked bar: A split of identified climate-related matters into physical, regulatory and other business categories, showing how the portfolio is distributed across those types.
- Potential business impact by issue — bar: The expected effect of each identified climate-related matter on operations, income or spending, so the most material items are easy to compare.
- Estimated financial exposure before management action — bar: The gross financial effect linked to each risk or opportunity before any response measures are applied.
- Response methods and associated spend — table: The main ways the organisation is managing each climate-related matter, alongside the cost of the actions taken.
- Planned build-out of financial impact assessment capability — line: The timeline for developing or improving systems used to estimate climate-related financial effects or revenue effects over time.
What separates a figure from a disclosure.
We have identified climate-related risks and opportunities that could affect our costs, revenue or operations.
We have a system to estimate climate-related financial effects, and we have mapped one regulatory risk with an estimated pre-action exposure of £2.0 million and a £0.3 million response cost.
We have a system in place, we are extending it by Q4 2026, and for our main physical risk we estimate a £2.0 million pre-action exposure, a £0.3 million mitigation cost and a lower expected impact because we are upgrading site drainage and backup power.
Real reports where this topic is disclosed. The confidence label shows how closely each match maps to GRI 201-2 — these are report practice, not exact disclosure examples.
| Company | Sector · Country | Year | Match | Page | Report | Assurance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abertis | Ground Transportation — Highways and Railtracks · Spain | 2024 | Partial | p. 220 →p. 256 →p. 260 → | Abertis Annual Report 2024 → | KPMG | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Evidence in Abertis’s reportWhat the report shows Abertis’ 2024 Annual Report provides several covered datapoints relevant to the disclosure, including a financial capacity statement related to goodwill impairment testing on page 321 and monetary values linked to renewable energy technologies and climate risk assessments on pages 132 and 134 respectively. The report details systems utilising renewable energy technology in infrastructure maintenance (p.132) and mentions a physical climate risk assessment conducted in the prior year (p.134). However, key narrative items (a-i to a-iii) and certain monetary values (a-v) are not found, and the methodology or narrative for item (a-iv) remains unclear.
Evidence-based summary of this company’s own report — not a disclosure template to copy, and not a compliance verdict. Datapoint coverage
Source trail
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| Qisda Corporation | Technology Hardware and Equipment · Taiwan | 2024 | Partial | p. 228 →p. 229 →p. 80 → | QISDA ESG Report 2024 → | EY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Evidence in Qisda Corporation’s reportWhat the report shows Qisda Corporation's 2024 ESG Report includes some coverage of financial implications related to climate change, with a specific monetary value reported on page 229. The report also discusses operational costs and competitiveness linked to establishing an ISO 50001 management system on page 28. However, several narrative items and monetary values related to climate risk disclosure are missing or unclear, with no quotable evidence found for key narrative elements and some monetary values.
Evidence-based summary of this company’s own report — not a disclosure template to copy, and not a compliance verdict. Datapoint coverage
Source trail
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| REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais, SGPS, S.A. | Water Utilities · Portugal | 2025 | Partial | p. 325 →p. 634 →p. 653 → | REN Integrated Report 2025 → | bsi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Evidence in REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais, SGPS, S.A.’s reportWhat the report shows REN’s 2025 Integrated Report includes detailed financial information such as revenue measurement at fair value, net of taxes and discounts (p.479), and specific monetary values related to costs and interest expenses (p.446). The report also references climate-related impacts and risks within a double materiality analysis (p.635) and provides an overview of the company’s activities and strategy (p.15). However, there is no clear narrative on methodology or certain narrative items, and some monetary values related to specific disclosures are not found or remain unclear.
Evidence-based summary of this company’s own report — not a disclosure template to copy, and not a compliance verdict. Datapoint coverage
Source trail
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A preparer has a climate risk register, but the finance team only tracks likely spend on adaptation projects and has not built a way to estimate how weather-related disruption could affect sales or costs across the business. The team is deciding whether this counts as enough for the disclosure.Should the response say there is a system in place for turning climate-related effects into financial estimates, or should it say that work is still needed?
A business has approved a project to build a climate scenario model next year. The budget is £120,000, with £40,000 planned for this year and £80,000 for next year, but the project has slipped and no model is yet live.How should the preparer present the plan and timing for building the estimating system?
A manufacturer has identified two climate-related matters that could change future results: hotter summers may raise cooling costs by £300,000 a year, and a new carbon charge could add £500,000 a year in compliance spend. The finance team is unsure whether to describe both, and how to label them.Which matters should be included, and how should they be described so the reader understands what kind of issue each one is?
A retailer has a flood exposure that could interrupt deliveries and cause £250,000 of lost sales if nothing is done. It has already spent £70,000 on raised storage and backup logistics, and expects those measures to cut the loss to £80,000.What should the preparer explain about the issue, the effect, the pre-action financial exposure, the response taken, and the cost of that response?
See how companies actually report GRI 201-2 — drawn from their own published reports, with the exact pages, and an LRA AI-assistant that works through it with you. Available to LRA Community members and to students throughout their platform access.
How this disclosure maps across the major reporting frameworks.
For GRI 201-2, what data do I need to gather before I start drafting the disclosure?
The page says to prepare a set of specific datapoints, including the financial modelling system, model build plan, climate financial exposure, risk type and description, business impact description, pre-action financial effect, risk response methods and response costs. Use that list as your starting point so you can collect the right inputs before writing the narrative. ↑ section
How do I use the step-by-step 'how to prepare' section for GRI 201-2 in practice?
Use it as a working sequence for moving from scoping and data collection into drafting, rather than as a finished answer in itself. The page is designed to help you prepare the disclosure, build the evidence pack and turn the data into a draft. ↑ section
What should I include in the evidence pack for GRI 201-2 if I want to be assurance-ready?
The page includes an evidence pack with five items to support assurance readiness, alongside six assurance claims to verify. In practice, that means keeping the underlying support for the claim, the risk and the evidence together so a reviewer can trace the disclosure back to source material. ↑ section
What are the six assurance claims on the GRI 201-2 page and how should I use them?
The page says there are six assurance claims to verify, each linked to a claim, risk and evidence check. Use them as a review list to test whether the disclosure is supported and whether the evidence pack is complete before sign-off. ↑ section
What common mistakes does the GRI 201-2 page warn me to avoid?
The page lists common reporting gaps and mistakes, so it is useful as a pre-submission check rather than a source of new data requirements. Review those gaps against your draft to catch missing datapoints, weak evidence or unclear wording before you finalise. ↑ section
How can I turn the GRI 201-2 data into a draft disclosure quickly?
The page includes draft-output support, including visualisation ideas, narrative starters and a GRI content-index line. That makes it easier to move from collected data to a first draft without starting from a blank page. ↑ section
What is the best way to assign ownership for the GRI 201-2 disclosure across ESG, finance and data owners?
The page is set up to help you prepare the disclosure and collect the right data, so ownership should follow the datapoints you need to assemble. In practice, assign each input to the person or team closest to the source system or model so the evidence pack is easier to build. ↑ section
How do I decide the scope and methodology for the GRI 201-2 disclosure using this page?
Use the page’s datapoint list and model build plan to define what is in scope and how the figures or descriptions are being produced. The page is intended to help you set up the disclosure in a practical way, not to replace your own methodology decisions. ↑ section
What should an assurance reviewer look for in the GRI 201-2 evidence pack?
They should be able to trace the disclosure back to the supporting material in the evidence pack and check that the claim, risk and evidence line up. The page’s assurance section is designed to help you spot gaps before external review. ↑ section
How do I use the synthetic example disclosures on the GRI 201-2 page without copying them blindly?
Treat the examples as a drafting aid, not as a template to copy into your report. They are synthetic and internally consistent, so they are there to show the kind of structure and level of detail the page is aiming for. ↑ section
Can I reuse the same data for GRI 201-2 and ESRS E1 (Climate Change)?
The page notes ESRS E1 (Climate Change) as the closest correspondence, so there may be useful overlap in the data you collect. Reuse the data where it fits your reporting needs, but do not assume the two disclosures are identical. ↑ section
- GRI 201-2 economic performance disclosure checklist for ESG managers
- What evidence do I need for GRI 201-2 financial modelling system and model build plan?
- How to collect climate financial exposure data for GRI 201-2
- Who should own the GRI 201-2 response costs and pre-action financial effect inputs?
- GRI 201-2 assurance-ready evidence pack template
- Common mistakes in GRI 201-2 economic performance reporting
- How to use the GRI 201-2 Prep & Assurance workbook
- How to use the printable Library Card for GRI 201-2
- GRI 201-2 draft narrative starters and content index line
- GRI 201-2 synthetic example disclosure table
- GRI 201-2 closest ESRS E1 climate change correspondence
- Where can I find real company report examples for GRI 201-2
Get a practical answer for your reporting context. Your first answer is free — create a free account to continue the conversation.
Sources, status and disclaimer
This LRA assistance tool is designed for educational and internal data-collection purposes. It is not an official interpretation of the GRI Standards, IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards or EU CSRD/ESRS requirements. When applying these frameworks in professional practice, users should consult and double-check the official standards, guidance and applicable regulatory sources.