Centre for Finance, Governance, and Sustainable Growth
ESG, climate risk and sustainable innovation
We lead research on how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors shape business investments and decision-making—and how, in turn, business practices redefine ESG’s role in advancing global well-being and achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Our work focuses on the financial materiality of climate-related risks, their impact across asset classes, and the use of financial instruments to manage these risks.
Key areas of study include:
- The effects of climate regulations on corporate outcomes.
- The pricing and impact of climate litigation.
- The role and effectiveness of voluntary markets (e.g., carbon offsets).
- How proactive risk management enhances societal resilience.
- The financial benefits of disaster risk reduction for businesses.
- Challenges of green and nature investing.
Through interdisciplinary research, we also explore the drivers of sustainable innovation, and how regulations and manufacturers promote circularity, particularly in critical elements essential for future industries.
Leads: Professor Andy Abbott and Dr Ayman Omar
Our experts
Selected outputs
- Bosher, L., 2025, Ongoing partnerships. Multi-Hazard-to-Health Outcomes (MH20) research network
- Bosher, L., 2025 - Ongoing partnerships i-Rec - Information and research for reconstruction
- Bosher, L., 2025, Engagement with relevant events, 11th i-Rec conference: (in)formalities: Understanding different forms of agency in disaster risk reduction, climate action, and reconstruction, (Chile, 27-29 May 2025)
- Ferdous, L. T., Rana, T., Yeboah, R., 2025, Decoding the impact of firm‐level ESG performance on financial disclosure quality, Business Strategy and the Environment 34(1), 162-186.
- Yeboah, R., Ferdous, L. T., Gerged, A. M., Liu, Z., 2025, Corporate response to catastrophic events: an analysis of executive compensation strategies following Hurricane Katrina disasters. Journal of Accounting Literature.
- Omar, A., Lambe, B., and Wisniewski, T. Omar, A., Lambe, B., Wisniewski, T., 2025, Offshore Accounts and Corruption: Evidence from Private Investments in Infrastructure Projects, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (R&R)
- Wisniewski, T., Omar, A., Lambe, B., 2025, Shareholder Gains from Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Working Paper
- Omar, A., Nakata, H., 2025, Voluntary Carbon Markets and Carbon Offshores, Working Paper
- Trzmielak, D., Grzegorczyk-Nuttall, M. Gregor, B., 2025, Knowledge and technology transfer – from universities to companies, University of Lodz, SIZ, Lodz. Monograph book – translation of Polish original.
- Rossi, F., Baines, N., Wilson, E. , 2025, Generating societal impact from collaborations between universities and arts and culture organisations (ACOs): Evidence from a survey of arts and culture professionals in the UK, Technovation 140, 103158.
- Hill B., Chen H., Liang Q., Bosher L.S., Vann J., 2024, Monitoring solutions for remote locations: A data gathering approach for remote nature-based solution sites, Nature-Based Solutions, Vol.5: DOI: 10.1016/j.nbsj.2024.100120
- Ferdous, L. T., Rakeeb, F. R., Wakefield, L., 2024, Incorporating Climate Change and Disaster Education into Accounting Curriculums. In Disaster and Climate Risk Education: Insights from Knowledge to Action (pp. 109-128). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
- Issah, W. B., Ferdous, L. T., Bhuiyan, F., Sharif, T., 2024, Digitalisation and environmental management activities: The effects of family ownership. Business Strategy and the Environment 33(5), 4351-4374.
- Ferdous, L. T., Atawnah, N., Yeboah, R., Zhou, Y., 2024, Firm-level climate risk and accounting conservatism: International evidence. International Review of Financial Analysis 95, 103511.
- Yan, M., Li, Y., Pantelous, A.A., Vigne, S.A., Zhang, ., 2024, A comparative and conceptual intellectual study of environmental topics in economics and finance. International Review of Financial Analysis, 91, 103023
- Wei, W., Zalewska, A., 2023, Capitalists or fiduciary conscious agents? ESG mutual fund fees and investor sophistication
- Chmutina K., Von Meding J., Lizarralde G., Bosher L.S., 2023, Standardised indicators for ‘resilient cities’: The folly of devising a technical solution to a political problem’, International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, April 2023 DOI:10.1108/ijdrbe-10-2022-0099"
- Bosher, L., - Engagement with relevant events 2023 10th i-Rec conference: Tensions between tradition and innovation in disaster risk reduction, climate action, and reconstruction (Sendai, Japan, June 2023)
- Omar, A., Lambe, B., 2022, Crude oil pricing and statecraft: Surprising lessons from US economic sanctions, International Review of Financial Analysis 83, 1 – 10
- Zhou, X., Moinuddin, M., Renaud, F., Barrett, B., Xu J., Liang, Q., Zhao, J., Xia X., Bosher, L., Huang, S., Hoey T., 2022, Development of an SDG interlinkages analysis model at the river basin scale based on a systematic review: a case study of the Luanhe River Basin, China, Sustainability Science,
- Zhao, J., Chen, H., Liang, Q., Xia, X., Xu, J., Hoey, T., Barrett, B., Renaud, F.G., Bosher, L., Zhou, X., 2022, Large-scale flood risk assessment under different development strategies: the Luanhe River Basin in China. Sustainability Science, 1-20
- Grzegorczyk, M., 2021, Marketing in university-industry technological collaboration: communication and research commercialisation. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Grzegorczyk, M., Lotfian, P., Nuttall, W.J., 2021, Parallels Between the Future for MedTech and Agri-Tech, Perspectives Drawing on the British Experience. Bio# Futures: Foreseeing and Exploring the Bioeconomy,.229-247. eBook ISBN 978-3-030-64969-2, Hardcover ISBN 978-3-030-64968-5,
- Omar, A., Wisniewski, T., Yekini, S., 2019, Psychopathic traits of corporate leadership as predictors of future stock returns, European Financial Management 25, 1196 - 1228
- Grzegorczyk, M., 2019, The role of culture-moderated social capital in technology transfer – insights from Asia and America. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 143, June, 132-141