Assurance, attestation, and audit are synonymous, but what do they really mean when applied to climate-related disclosures? Investors rely on financial statements to make informed decisions because they have “reasonable assurance”, which is a well-defined term enforced by market regulators. However, climate data lacks a similar mechanism. As climate disclosure is increasingly correlated with financial performance, climate data should be subject to the same level of rigor that financial data receives. Ceres will present the findings from a new report, which shares perspectives from market participants on the current quality of climate data and provides recommendations for the structure and application of assurance.
In this session, participants—including investors, companies, and assurance providers:
Described the important role and benefits of assurance in supplying investors with decision-useful climate data
Identified actionable steps that companies and assurance providers should take to effectively apply assurance principles to climate-related disclosure and auditing practices
Assessed additional data, themes, or subject areas that should integrate similar assurance mechanisms to enhance investment decision-making