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The Usefulness Of Climate Change Risk Disclosure: Evidence From Sec Fr-82, Chong Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Accountancy

On February 8, 2010, the SEC issued an interpretive guidance, SEC FR-82, (guidance hereafter) and required public firms to disclose climate change risk in their 10-Ks. However, this guidance has been controversial. Using firm-year observations from the Russell 3000 Index, this paper shows the following findings regarding the usefulness of climate change risk disclosure. First, a review of the legislative process leading to the 2010 guidance suggests that institutional investors and Democratic politicians play a key role in lobbying the SEC to require the climate change disclosure. Second, firms with climate change risk disclosures have lower future return on assets, …