-
Christopher Goolgasian
, CFA, CPA, CAIA
- Director of Climate Research
Australia & NZ, Institutional
Change
Our Climate Research Team studies the investment risks and opportunities of climate change. They also engage with companies and issuers that they believe contribute to a lower-carbon future, can help the world adapt to changing climate, or are well positioned to manage climate-related risks.
Our approach: Research-based, science-supported
Climate-science collaborations
Ongoing work with two leading research institutions, Woodwell Climate Research Center and the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, helps us better understand and communicate physical climate and climate-transition risks.
Climate mapping tool
Working with Woodwell Climate, our Climate Research Team developed our Climate Exposure Risk Application (CERA), which Wellington investment teams can opt to use to view the geospatial relationships between physical climate risks and securities worldwide.
Climate research tools and technology
Our investment teams have access to several data-driven analytics tools, including our Carbon Emissions Dashboard, Net Zero Portfolio View, and Transition Alignment Rating. Our Climate Research Team also offers climate portfolio reviews to all our investment teams to help them assess and enhance climate readiness.
Biodiversity investment research
Given widespread economic dependence on ecosystem services, investors can benefit from a better understanding of the financial risks associated with biodiversity loss and the depletion of natural capital.
Net Zero Asset Managers initiative (NZAM)
As consistent with their philosophy and process and with the aim of improving investment outcomes, our research and investment teams partner with asset owners on their decarbonization goals, in recognition of the potential impact of the low-carbon transition on security valuations.
We also acknowledge that the scope for asset managers to invest for net zero and to meet the commitments set forth above depends on the mandates agreed with clients and clients’ and managers’ regulatory environments. These commitments are made in the expectation that governments will follow through on their own commitments to ensure that the objectives of the Paris Agreement are met, including increasing the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions, and in the context of our legal duties to clients and unless otherwise prohibited by applicable law.
Meet our climate investing experts
-
Alan Hsu
- Portfolio Manager
-
Julie Delongchamp
, CFA
- Climate Transition Risk Analyst
- <p>2023 Climate Report </p>
Insights
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Insights Posts
2023 Sustainability Report
We appreciate the opportunity to share our approach to advancing sustainable practices across our investment, client, and infrastructure platforms.
Report
2025-04-30
Picking the right building blocks for a climate-aware portfolio
For asset owners integrating climate change into their multi-asset portfolios, members of our Investment Strategy & Solutions Group offer five important insights.
3
min
Article
2025-04-30
A blueprint for building climate-aware multi-asset portfolios
Members of our Investment Strategy & Solutions Group take a deep dive on the issues asset owners should consider when choosing climate-aware portfolio building blocks, from the evolving opportunity set to the active/passive decision.
Whitepaper
2026-03-31
Assessing the impact of climate resilience
Oyin Oduya and Louisa Boltz discuss the case for impact solutions focused on climate adaptation and share high-level guidelines to help overcome the associated measurement challenge.
Article
2024-02-29
How to invest amidst a still unfolding energy crisis?
In this ActiveViews webcast, senior climate – and energy – focused professionals explore the still unfolding energy crisis in Europe and the associated challenges and opportunities for investors.
Event replay
2024-02-29
Focusing on value amid rising global challenges and opportunities
Our Sustainable Investing (SI) Research Team offers a high-level view of 2023 research and engagement priorities.
Article
2023-12-31
Harnessing the power of engagement in stewardship investing
Equity Portfolio Manager Yolanda Courtines explores why company engagement is a key component of successful stewardship investing.
Article
2023-12-31
Advancing stewardship on biodiversity: Engagement examples
Members of our ESG Research Team share their approach to and examples of engagements on the financial risks of biodiversity.
Article
2023-12-31
Biodiversity: Why investors should take note
With scientists now broadly agreeing on the risks posed by accelerating biodiversity loss, Chris Goolgasian and Jenny Xie assess implications for investors and steps they can take.
Article
2023-12-31
Understanding the climate opportunity in alternatives
Portfolio Manager Alan Hsu highlights the potential inefficiencies created by traditional long-only climate strategies.
Video
2023-11-30
Physical climate risks: Implications for investors
Director of Climate Research Chris Goolgasian and Woodwell Climate Scientist Zach Zobel discuss how investors might use climate science as an input for financial decision-making.
Quick Take
2023-04-30
URL References
Related Insights
FAQS: Climate investing
In our view, climate change has the potential to significantly impact economic and financial-market outcomes, inclusive of asset prices and valuations. Companies and issuers that are unable to respond to shifting policy and regulation aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change, or that fail to adapt and build resilience to physical climate risks, may see their costs of capital rise and long-term value fall. Conversely, we believe companies and issuers that are helping the world mitigate and adapt to climate change may offer attractive investment opportunities.
Since September 2018, our Climate Research Team has been collaborating with Woodwell Climate Research Center, a leading independent climate-research institute. Working with the climate scientists, our Climate Research Team studies the physical effects of climate change on capital markets and asset prices, integrating those findings into our investment processes, where relevant to our clients’ objectives and the portfolio manager’s philosophy and process.
In January 2022, Wellington and the MIT Joint Program announced a new climate-change research collaboration. The alliance has not only bolstered the research we had been doing on the transition to a low-carbon economy, but also enhanced our understanding of the expected financial impacts of various transition pathways on industries and economies and deepened our decarbonization engagement practices.
We aim to study the investment risks and opportunities presented by climate change. With Woodwell Climate, we aim to bridge the gap between physical climate science and capital markets; understand which companies and regions face environmental and biodiversity risks; and improve our ability to quantify liabilities and appropriately price securities. With the MIT Joint Program, we seek to outline decarbonization pathways for corporate operations, supply chains, and products, while also assessing their potential economic impacts.
We leverage proprietary, data-driven tools and technology, including our Climate Exposure Risk Application tool (CERA), software that Wellington investors can use to view the geospatial relationships between physical climate-risk variables and the assets we consider investing in on behalf of clients. This work facilitates our ability to integrate climate science into fundamental investment insights; to better analyze and question those insights; and to draw practical, action-oriented conclusions. The Climate Research Team also conducts portfolio reviews and develops investor dashboards to facilitate company- and portfolio-level monitoring. The team also supports collaborative climate research at the firm.
Explore other sustainable and ESG investing opportunities
Socially and environmentally positive themes underpinned by structural economic drivers are central to the investment philosophy in pursuit of value creation and/or risk management.
Seeks to invest in issuers whose core products, services, or projects provide environmental and/or social solutions in a differentiated way, with the goal of driving measurable positive impact alongside financial returns
