The value relevance of a firm’s carbon profile
File version
Version of Record (VoR)
Author(s)
Clarkson, Peter
Herbohn, Kathleen
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
License
Abstract
This study revisits the valuation relevance of a firm’s carbon profile using a broader notion of a firm’s carbon profile, which includes carbon risk exposure, aside from emissions, and proactive carbon responses (PCRs), identified from publically available information. Initially, we use extant literature and interviews with 28 managers of high carbon emitting firms and five ESG analysts to inform the operationalisation of carbon-risk exposure and identification of PCRs from publically available data. From this, we test the valuation effects of our broader notion of a firm’s carbon profile using a modified Ohlson valuation model and a sample of 51 firms (122 firm-year observations) reporting under the NGER scheme with the necessary financial and market data. We document that, on average, a one standard deviation change in the level of the expanded carbon-risk exposure results in a penalty of 12% of market capitalisation of the sample firms on average. We also find that PCRs partially mitigate the documented penalty on high emitters. The interview results suggest that in terms of PCRs, managers and analysts perceive value in firms developing intangible carbon-related capabilities around adaptability, carbon leadership and stakeholder trust. Our empirical results are consistent with this proposition since we find that adaptability, carbon leadership and stakeholder trust partially mitigate the emissions penalty, whereas emissions reductions do not. Taken together these results are consistent with the argument that capital markets impound the valuation impacts of other carbon-risk exposure, aside from emissions, and PCRs identified from publically available information in firm valuations.
Journal Title
Conference Title
Hawai'i Accounting Research Conference (HARC) 2019
Book Title
Edition
Volume
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
DOI
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
© The Author(s) 2018. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. For information about this conference please refer to the conference’s website or contact the author(s).
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Accounting, auditing and accountability
Sustainability accounting and reporting
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Millar, I; Clarkson, P; Herbohn, K, The value relevance of a firm’s carbon profile, Hawai'i Accounting Research Conference (HARC) 2019, 2019