Sustainability hub

Learn about our work on climate change and sustainability

 

The greatest challenge of our time

Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. In 2017, we issued our first risk alert. Since then, governments, businesses, and regulators have increasingly recognised that climate change and sustainability-related issues represent a material financial risk to future economic and market conditions.

It’s even more crucial now that actuaries are aware of these issues and that they appropriately take them into account. Members need to appropriately consider, and communicate clearly, the impact of climate change and sustainability issues or risks within their actuarial work.

Read what climate change means for the actuarial profession, including the risks and opportunities, in our comment piece: the greatest challenge of our time.

In this video Louise Pryor, Past President of the IFoA, discusses the role of the actuarial profession in sustainability and fighting climate change.

News

Parasol Lost: Recovery plan needed

14 January 2026
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New Longevity Bulletin explores impact of climate change on longevity and mortality

28 October 2025
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IFoA research included in key climate-risk reports for global finance ministers

17 June 2025
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IFoA and University of Exeter launch Planetary Solvency dashboard

11 March 2025
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New thematic review on climate

Explore the IFoA’s latest thematic review on climate change and sustainability – uncovering how actuaries are integrating sustainability considerations into practice and decision-making. 

View the report

Reports and research

January 2025

Our fourth report with climate scientists proposes a novel Planetary Solvency risk dashboard, to provide decision-useful risk information to support policymakers to drive human activity within Earth’s finite bounds.

Planetary Solvency

March 2024

‘Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail’ is the IFoA’s third report in collaboration with climate scientists. It shows that climate risks are complex, interconnected, and could threaten the basis of our society and economy.

Climate Scorpion

July 2023

We partnered with the University of Exeter to produce this paper demonstrating how a deeper understanding of climate change, including tipping points can improve financial services climate- scenario modelling.

Emperor’s New Climate Scenarios

November 2022

Our joint report with the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG) looks at how actuarial risk-management techniques can be applied to the climate change problem.

Climate Emergency

June 2022

We contributed to this report from the Joint Forum on Actuarial Regulation. It explores the science behind climate change and its relation to actuarial work.

JFAR report (PDF, 8.5 MB)

Sustainability consultation responses

2025

2024

There were no sustainability consultation responses in 2024.

2023

2022

“Policy and thought leadership on this subject has never been more important. I’m proud that the actuarial profession is able to step forward with a range of policy initiatives and incisive thought leadership to support a transition to a sustainable future.” – Louise Pryor, IFoA Past President

Thought leadership

Sustainability on the IFoA blog

Read our members’ thought leadership on sustainability: from how actuaries can make an impact, to giving evidence in the UK Parliament.
Read blog

Thought leadership webinar series

Ahead of COP26, leading experts met with our global membership. They discussed key sustainability issues where actuarial science and the interests of wider society meet.
Watch series

Sustainability research working parties

Our sustainability practice area is active in member-led research, from biodiversity to implications of net zero for investment portfolios.
Read more