Is Your Audit Committee Climate Literate?

According to audit firm Deloitte, "[i]nformative climate reporting requires a complex transformation of reporting processes, of data collection, education of the finance function, and in many cases, of the audit committee itself. Yet, despite the urgency and magnitude of the task, many boards are hesitating in the face of inconsistent standards, fragmented global standard-setting, and myriad expectations from investors."  Just how prepared are companies, their boards and especially their audit committees to deal with climate risk and climate reporting?  That's the big question that Deloitte asked 353 audit committee members globally (56% of whom were chairs) in September 2021. The answer? Not so much. According to Deloitte's new report, 42% of respondents indicated that their company's "climate response is not as swift and robust as they would like" and almost half "do not believe that they are well-equipped to fulfil their climate regulatory responsibilities."