ESG basics and climate change
Inhouse training
Equip yourself with the fundamentals
Sustainability issues have a larger than ever impact on businesses, investors, consumers, the workforce and governments. ESG, and in particular climate change, are high on the agenda of many organisations. How do we deal with the impact of climate change, environmental issues or inequality? What opportunities and risks do we see? What is the role you or your organisation can play?
This course will give you a basic understanding of ESG, an overview of the climate challenges and risks we face, and how an organisation can contribute to reducing these risks, while also addressing the regulatory impacts.
About this course
- Content of this course
- For whom?
- Trainers
Content of this course
This course provides a general introduction to ESG, covering the environmental, social and governance components. As many companies today focus on climate change, this course deep dives into the components of the climate system, the impact of climate change on organisations, the different types of climate risks, and regulatory developments that increase the urgency of ESG and climate change action.
After completing this course you will:
- understand the basics of ESG;
- know more about the background and impact of climate change;
- have a better idea of how you can reduce the contribution of your organisation to climate change and manage the risks of climate change;
- have a basic understanding of (developments in) the ESG reporting regulatory landscape and how to report accordingly.
With this course you can also meet the mandatory Dutch NBA ESG topic for 2023 and 2024.
For whom?
This course is for professionals across all sectors starting to explore the topic of ESG and who are seeking more knowledge on what climate change entails and (the impact of) climate risks and regulations.
This course is for you if you want to:
- Grow your knowledge on ESG and more specifically on the challenges and risks of climate change;
- Expand your understanding of how climate and (other) environmental risks and regulations impact different organisations;
- Learn what actions you can take to build a climate-resilient organisation.
Trainers
The sessions are organised by our ESG team and PwC Academy. The sessions will be facilitated by our ESG experts.
A powerful combination
About our ESG team at PwC
PwC's ESG team has extensive expertise in various areas related to ESG. The ESG experts support organisations in, amongst others, the integration of ESG in their business models, the implementation of ESG regulations and new ESG-focused processes and practices in organisations, and setting up or improving ESG reporting. The team consists of professionals with different backgrounds, experience and knowledge which also ensures knowledge on specific topics such as biodiversity and human rights.
About PwC Academy
PwC Academy offers open training programmes for organisations as well as customised inhouse- and virtual training programmes. The Academy uses the latest developments in learning technologies and methods. With a team of enthusiastic employees who have a passion for the development of people, they ensure a successful learning experience.
How you will learn
This course consists of interactive e-learnings and three virtual instructor-led sessions over a period of two months.
Pre-work: Prior to each session, you will receive access to the relevant e-learnings on our learning platform. These e-learnings cover the subjects that will be discussed during that session. In your own time, you can work through the relevant modules. We advise you to complete the modules before each session, for optimal participation during the virtual sessions. You will spend an average of 1.5 to 2.5 hours on three to four e-learnings as pre-work before each facilitated virtual session.
Virtual sessions: During the three hour virtual sessions, the topics will be discussed, and you will have the chance to ask questions and participate in exercises and discussions with your fellow participants.
The course is offered in English.
What each session covers
Session 1: ESG, climate change and decarbonisation
Pre-work: E-learnings
Total hours: 2.5
What is ESG: Understand the definition of ESG and what the elements E,S, and G stand for. Discover practical frameworks and agreements related to ESG. Identify the aim and key aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Climate basics: Identify the major human developments which have contributed to the current state of our climate. Understand the meaning of 'climate' and the related components.
Climate change: Discover essential information about climate change and how this is impacting the planet, society and businesses and why taking action now is so important.
Net Zero: Gain a broad understanding of what a ‘Net Zero’ strategy is. Understand the current challenges in setting Net Zero ambitions and the best practices in different industries.
Date and time to be determined
Agenda
- Understand the ESG concepts introduced in the pre-work and further discuss why and how ESG drives organisations to transform
- Identify key ESG developments and ESG challenges
- Deep dive into climate change, covering the climate system, climate change impacts, what companies can do and how they report on climate risk adaptation and climate risk mitigation
- Discuss the relevance of climate change to your company
- Understand what decarbonisation is, and why organisations should decarbonise
- Deep dive into Net Zero, understanding of definitions and overview of the steps to take towards decarbonisation
Session 2: Climate, environmental risks and opportunities
Pre-work: E-learnings
Total hours: 2.5
Climate risk foundation: Gain an overview on the two types of climate-related risk (physical/transition). Understand what they are, how they impact different sectors differently and what opportunities arise from them.
‘Other’ environmental risks: Identify the environmental risks from a.o. loss of biodiversity, pollution and use of marine resources, based on the planetary boundaries framework. Understand what these risks are,how they impact sectors and what opportunities arise from them.
Climate resilience: Understand the possible mitigation for physical risks as well as for transition risks. Understand what carbon budgets and carbon prices are and why they are important in taking action on climate change.
Date and time to be determined
Agenda
- Reflect on how climate change relates to ESG, and the pressure on organisations to take action on climate risk mitigation and adaptation
- Deep dive into climate risks (physical and transition risks), scenario analysis, climate risk quantification and climate risk reporting
- Identify other environmental risks in addition to climate risks, how they relate and the relevance of this type of risks to organisations
- Discuss how climate and other environmental risks impact your organisation, how you identify them and how to include them in your risk management processes
- Understand organisational environmental resilience: how to successfully respond to climate and other environmental risks as an organisation
Session 3: Regulations and reporting
Pre-work: E-learnings
Total hours: 2
- EU actions related to sustainable finance: Gain an overview of climate risk regulations & policies. Identify the ESG ecosystem, what sustainable finance is, and developments in different regions. Deep-dive intothe EU Action Plan.
- Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): Understand the basics of the CSRD and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Understand the materiality assessment, the cross cutting standards and the industry agnostic standards. Gain an overview of the scope of the CSRD and the implementation effort it may take. Understand the difference between governance/ESG ambition/impact, risks and opportunities versus metrics and targets, and the obligatory disclosures that are always applicable.
Microlearnings:
EU taxonomy: Identify the key principles of the EU taxonomy. Understand EU taxonomy’s basic components, how companies will apply it and expected developments.
Double materiality: Understand the concept of double materiality. Understand the role of stakeholders in the materiality assessment process, the impact materiality and financial materiality and their interrelation through examples.
Date and time to be determined
Agenda
- Recall climate risks, their impact on organisations and how to successfully respond to build climate resilience
- Introduction to the EU Action Plan and relevant regulations and frameworks issued by the EU
- Understand the objectives, scope and timeline of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Gain an overview of relevant CSRD concepts like double materiality
- Understand the impact of CSRD and the disclosure requirements of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and how these are linked to specific climate-related frameworks like TCFD
- Apply the ESG regulations and reporting knowledge to a practical short case on ESG reporting
Interested?
Are you interested in this training course? We would like to discuss your learning objectives and specific results. Please contact us for more information.
Permanent Education
PE-Portfolio accountants (AA and RA)
You can include this training as a learning activity in your PE portfolio. After the training, you will receive a certificate of participation (number of hours of training included).
PE points register controllers (RC)
At the end of the training you will receive a certificate of participation from us with the number of hours of training followed. You can register this yourself on the VRC website.
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