Registration is open for the 2021 Center for Accounting Research and Education Conference – Accounting for Sustainability and Responsible Investing

Virtual - September 22, 2021 & September 29, 2021

Overview: There is no denying the global climate is changing. 2019 was the second warmest year on record, and ended the warmest decade on record. Climate change is affecting every continent on earth, disrupting the economy and affecting lives. The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change through appropriate financial flows and new technology frameworks; additionally, the UN Secretary-General has proposed six climate-positive actions for governments to take as they begin to individually and collectively begin to build back the economy post-pandemic. Companies will need to adopt long-term systemic shifts to address the changes necessary to comply with the Paris Agreement. This conference will discuss some of the changes that will be necessary to create the accounting framework for sustainability and responsible investing necessary moving forward. The CARE Conference is virtual in 2021 to safeguard the health and well-being of all conference participants and speakers, and to make our content more widely available for those unable to travel globally. With over 70 industry and academic speakers, this conference is the first of several conferences on the topic and will bring together accountants, finance-professionals, law-professionals, law-makers, standard-setters, economists, investors and scientists as well as academics from the sciences, accounting, finance, law and economics as a vehicle for change. The 2022 conference will have a similar focus, highlighting select academic research papers that are based on discussions held at this year’s conference.

Who attends and why join? The CARE Conference will bring together accountants, finance-professionals, law-professionals, law-makers, standard-setters, economists, investors and scientists as well as academics from the sciences, accounting, finance, law and economics. As with all CARE conferences, the main goal will be to set a research agenda for many emerging scholars, which will address key issues related to accounting for sustainability and responsible investing. We look forward to your participation in the discussion of the critical issues of accounting for sustainability and responsible investing.

Key themes:

• Can ESG reporting be consistent with basic accounting principles

• Why, should, and how can accounting and finance academics become involved

• Key thoughts from climate scientists

• Implementation issues

• Thoughts and ideas from accounting and finance academics

• Thoughts and ideas from accounting, finance and investment practitioners, and standard setters

• Youth engagement

• Measuring, managing, and monetizing the impact of sustainability

Organized by the Center for Accounting Research and Education at the University of Notre Dame. Established in 2004, the Center for Accounting Research and Education at the University of Notre Dame supports academics worldwide in the creation and dissemination of accounting and investment knowledge through education, timely and thoughtful research, and partnering with accounting practice to inform the accounting and investment professionals of tomorrow. The 2021 conference is the 13th in a series of CARE conferences, which have catalyzed new research projects by accounting and finance faculty world-wide.

Conference Attendance: The 2021 Conference is being held virtually in conjunction with Sustainable Investment Forum North America, 21, 23, 28 and 30 Sept 2021, in partnership with UNEP-FI. Attendance is free. There will be a cap on the total number of attendees so early registration is encouraged by visiting https://events.climateaction.org/care-conference.

For more information, go to the conference website.