Himanshu Gupta on climate finance
Himanshu Gupta's argument on climate finance is that markets are mispricing the risk: climate is no longer a developing-country problem, investors are overlooking it as a category of volatility, and today's risk disclosures are too vague to act on. His fix is to reframe climate from long-run averages to near-term volatility — and to build new mechanisms that actually fund resilience.
Co-founder & CEO, ClimateAi · WEF Young Global Leader · Forbes 30 Under 30 · Stanford
His position in brief
- Climate risk is now a developed-country problem too.
- Investors systematically overlook climate as a category of volatility.
- Today's climate-risk disclosures are vague and non-actionable.
- Reframe from averages to volatility — and fund resilience directly.
Is climate finance a developing-country problem?
Not anymore. Gupta argues the economic hit from climate has moved squarely into wealthy economies — so the financing conversation can't be framed as someone else's burden.
“It's no longer just a developing country problem; it's very much a developed country problem as well.”World Economic Forum — Summer Davos 2025 panel · 2025 · Panel
Why do markets underprice climate risk?
Because they leave a whole category of volatility out of the model. Gupta's case for "climate-Sharpe ratios" starts from the claim that investors are simply overlooking climate as a driver of risk and return.
“Investors today are grossly overlooking one critical category of volatility: climate change.”Impact Alpha — Tipping points of volatility: The case for climate-Sharpe ratios · Mar 2022 · Op-ed
What makes businesses pay attention to climate?
Reframing it. Gupta argues that the moment you shift the narrative from averages to volatility, businesses suddenly start paying attention.
“we need to change the narrative from averages to volatility.”World Economic Forum — Summer Davos 2025 panel · 2025 · Panel
Are climate-risk disclosures working?
Not as built. Gupta argues today's disclosures produce misleading reports with metrics that can't be compared across companies — even though, done right, they could be one of the most powerful levers against rising losses.
“However, the way these disclosures are currently made leads to inaccurate and misleading reports, with non-actionable metrics that are impossible to compare between companies.”SupplyChainBrain — Current Climate Risk Disclosures Are a Sham. Here's How We Fix Them · Feb 2022 · Op-ed
What's the cost of not measuring climate volatility?
Flying blind. Gupta warns that if climate volatility isn't measured alongside returns, investors are heading into the future with a serious blind spot.
“If climate volatility is not measured properly in conjunction with returns, investors could be speeding into the future with a gaping blind spot.”Impact Alpha — Tipping points of volatility: The case for climate-Sharpe ratios · Mar 2022 · Op-ed
How should we fund resilience?
With a new mechanism. Gupta proposes letting companies privately fund adaptation to recompense their historical emissions — an idea he develops into an adaptation-credits marketplace that would function like carbon markets.
“We need a new system that gives companies the opportunity to privately fund climate adaptation measures, in order to recompense their historical emissions and the damage that these emissions have caused.”The Hill — A radical idea to fund climate adaptation globally · Sep 2022 · Op-ed