AQR Research on Investing in a Warming World: Analysis of Differences Between Mainstream Portfolio Carbon Metrics and Financed Emissions

AQR has released the research Investing in a Warming World, noting that mainstream portfolio carbon metrics such as carbon footprint and carbon intensity are easily affected by rising stock market valuations, and may show improvement even when corporate emissions change little, potentially overestimating decarbonization progress when used as time-series measures of decarbonization. Financed emissions are more directly linked to real-world emissions outcomes. The study also explores approaches to constructing climate-oriented portfolios, noting that combining multiple metrics can provide a more comprehensive assessment of climate-related investment progress.