How Climate is Changing Finance

Odunayo Magret Olarewaju (Durban University of Technology South Africa) and Idris Olaylwola Ganiyu (University of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa ) new book, "Handbook of Research on Climate Change and the Sustainable Financial Sector releases in June.

I wrote the foreward to the book which is below:

I am an economist who is passionate about the business of teaching and learning. My area of interest has always been related to socioeconomic equity. I am the lead editor of, “A Handbook on the Future of Work & Entrepreneurship for the Underserved.” We believe the body of work is important because of the novel presentation of authentic voices on the future of work. 

I met Dr. Odunayo Olarewaju in 2018 at the 8th International Conference on Restructuring of the Global Economy (ROGE), at the Said Business School, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. I was a keynote speaker and my topic was “ From Good to Great: Shaping a flatten global economy and giving hope to the underserved”. Dr. Olarewaju and I discussed her work after she presented, “Dividend Policy, Agency Cost, and Bank Performance in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries: The role of Market Risk.” We later discussed our similar paths, albeit from different perspectives; we shared our hopes and dreams of making a difference in the worlds we live in; hers in Africa and mine in America. Over the years we continued to communicate. I read her first book written in 2020 to inspire hope and happiness in others. 

We planned to meet again in April 2020 at the International Conference on Business and Economic Development (ICBED)-2020, New York, USA. She was to present her paper ‘‘Dynamic Panel Investigation of the Determining Factors of Non-Performing Loan in African Lower Middle Income Countries Commercial Banks ‘’. We were both disappointed, due to the pandemic, the conference transitioned to a virtual platform, and we could not physically meet. Hence, I was delighted when she asked me to write the Foreword for, Climate Change and the Sustainable Financial Sector. 

I read the book from the perspective of a board member, and researcher interested in and committed to addressing Environmental Social Justice and Governance (ESG) challenges. What I found was that the body of work addresses issues of diverse stakeholders including labor, management, government and community advocates. Climate change and the future of work impacts everyone from the board room to human resources; it impacts planning for risks and uncertainty both now and in the future. 

The book suggests that environmental friendly is no longer a buzz word but rather a preferred workplace and lifestyle of sustainability conscious employees. In the future, organizations may be required to cut jobs that are not environmentally responsible, and prepare workers for green learning. 

I was intrigued by the discussion on environmental degradation. Environmental degradation has a significant impact on underserved communities and exasperates poverty, as well as, other socioeconomic inequities. As we seek to quantify, assess and discuss further the issues of environment on our world, we must address the issue of training, re-skilling, and up-skilling those who are becoming the silent majority in the global workforce. 

Will humanity meet the charge for an inclusive, sustainable, and just society? The research and insights in the following Chapters of Climate Change and the Sustainable Financial Sector may help us find the path. 

#thefutureofworkandentrepreneurship

JoAnn Rolle, Ph.d. 

Dean School of Business 

Medgar Evers College, City University of New York (CUNY) 

Fellow of the Centre for Business & Economic Research, London, United Kingdom. 

The link to the publisher, for information on release date is in the first comment column.

#climate #environment #fiance #climatechange #sustainability #SDG #UN #ESG #board #leadership #environment #Africa #economic #workforce #economicdevelopment #futureofwork