Applications of Environmental Modeling in the Financial Services Sector

Abstract

Currently, personal carbon footprints and environmental impact are not well understood in the United States. Existing solutions aimed at educating people about these topics are stagnant and lack personalized details to help enable meaningful action. Yet, there is a willingness among the public to live a more sustainable lifestyle. In 2020, there was a 4550% increase in Google keyword search terms for “how to live a sustainable lifestyle 5. Moreover, 80% of people have indicated they would be willing to change their lifestyle as much for climate change as they have for the COVID-19 pandemic21. This project aimed to explore the value and viability of addressing the gap between current levels of concern and action to address climate change, known as the value-action gap, by first exploring current perceptions of carbon footprinting and offsets here in the US and subsequently conducting a market sizing analysis to determine the environmental impact and market opportunity. Specifically, this project explores the application of a well-established carbon accounting method, EIO-LCA, within the financial services sector as a means of addressing the value-action gap. Findings included the potential for a 640 million MTCO2E annual reduction within the United States and a recommended go-to-market strategy.