The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a collaboration of over 315 institutional investors with assets under management of more then $41 trillion, released today its Fifth Annual Report on Global Climate Change. CDP has sent a questionnaire to the world’s largest publicly-owned companies each year since 2002, which elicits detailed information on the risks and opportunities posed to the companies by climate change. The companies’ responses to the questionnaire, and an analysis of the responses, will be published today in the CDP reports and on the CDP website. RiskMetrics Group is honored to have authored the U.S. S&P500 Report.

The S&P500 Report summarizes key trends identified in S&P500 companies’ responses to the CDP5 survey and highlights commercial risks and opportunities that climate change is presenting to these widely held firms. Through increased support and improved quality of responses, CDP5 shows that the private sector in the US is increasingly engaged in addressing the global challenges presented by climate change. In fact, 81 percent of S&P500 respondents consider climate change as presenting commercial risks for their businesses, compared to only 60 percent that see it as presenting commercial opportunities.

To access the report, please visit the "In the Spotlight" section on RiskMetrics Group’s Web Site. To hear Doug Cogan, RiskMetrics Group's Head of Climate Change Research, discuss the findings from the S&P500 Report, please visit "Leadership Interviews" on the ESG section of RiskMetrics Group's Knowledge Center.