For Faculty, Researchers & Staff

Kim SCHUMACHER

「写真:Kim SCHUMACHER」

Coordinator, Department of Research Promotion, Deputy Head of Industrial Cluster, Associate Prof.

- Specialty -
Sustainable Finance and ESG, Biodiversity Loss, Environmental Science

Prof. Kim Schumacher is originally from Luxembourg and prior to joining Kyushu University in August 2022, he was Lecturer and Research Fellow in Sustainable Finance and ESG at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. In addition, he is an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Oxford.

Past work included consulting activities for the Luxembourg Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development and research as a postdoctoral researcher in sustainable finance at the University of Oxford. He also had adjunct lecturer positions at the University of Luxembourg and the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan.

In terms of organizational outreach activities and society memberships, he is a member of the GRI Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). In addition, he is also a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and sits on the ISO Technical Committees on Sustainable Finance (TC 322) and Environmental Management (TC 207). Furthermore, he belonged to the Technical Working Groups of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), and the Green Finance Network Japan (GFNJ).

Career Summary:

2006-2009: B.A. (European Law), University of Lille (France)
2009-2011: M.A. (International Law), University of Lille (France)
2011-2012: LL.M. (Environmental Law), University of California, Berkeley (USA)
2013-2017: Ph.D. (Environmental Science), University of Tokyo (Japan)
2017-2019: Postdoctoral Research Associate (Sustainable Finance and ESG), University of Oxford (UK)
2019-2022: Lecturer and JSPS Fellow (Sustainable Finance and ESG), Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan)
2019-present: Honorary Research Associate (Sustainable Finance and ESG), University of Oxford (UK)
2022-present: Visiting Lecturer (Sustainable Finance and ESG), Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan)
2022-present: Associate Professor (Q-AOS Research Futures Coordinator), Kyushu University (Japan)

Research:

His research focuses on ESG risk and impact metrics, sustainable finance policies, sustainability reporting frameworks, ESG data-related greenwashing and carbonwashing activities, green bonds, natural capital, biodiversity and ecosystem services, biodiversity and carbon offsets, renewable energy project development, and TCFD/TNFD disclosure. These research activities all serve the underlying purpose of determining what are the material risks that companies and countries are exposed to from climate change and how they can through proper integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors foster genuine positive sustainability impacts. This includes the exploration of the double materiality concept, which looks at both the stakeholder-level sustainability-related risks and impacts, which means that companies, financial institutions and governments need to also consider their impact on the environment, biodiversity, climate, and the SDGs when making investment decisions.

Relevant Countries in Asia & Oceania:

Japan, Korea, China, India, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand

Committee roles and Outreach activities:

GRI GSSB (Global Reporting Initiative - Global Sustainability Standards Board)
CEnv (Chartered Environmentalist) at the SocEnv (Society for the Environment)
IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment)
ISO (International Standards Organization)
IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services)
ESG (Earth System Governance)

Message:

Email: schumacher@q-aos.kyushu-u.ac.jp

List of Selected Publications:

1
Martin, M., Boakye, E., Boyd, E., Broadgate, W., Bustamante, M., Canadell, J., . . . Zhao, Z. (2022). Ten new insights in climate science 2022. Global Sustainability, 1-41. doi:10.1017/sus.2022.17
2
In., S.Y. and Schumacher, K., 2021, Carbonwashing: ESG Data Greenwashing in a Post-Paris World. In Heller, t. and Seiger, A. (Eds.) of Settling Climate Accounts: Navigating the Road to Net Zero. Palgrave MacMillan, London, UK, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83650-4_3 & https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978- 3-030-83650-4_3
3
Schumacher, K., 2020, Green investments need global standards and independent scientific review, Nature 584(7822), 524–524, https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02472-5
4
Schumacher, K., 2020, The Shape of Green Fixed Income Investing to Come, The Journal of Environmental Investing 10(1), 5-29, http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3663308 and http://www.thejei.com/green-bonds-the- shape-of-green-fixed-income-investing-to-come-2/
5
Schumacher, K., Chenet, H., and Volz, U., 2020, Sustainable Finance in Japan, Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment 10(2), 213-243, https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2020.1735219
6
Schumacher, K., 2019, Approval Procedures for Large-Scale Renewable Energy Installations: Comparison of National Legal Frameworks in Japan, New Zealand, the EU and the US, Energy Policy 129, 139-152, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.02.013
7
Schumacher, K. and Yang, Z., 2018, The Determinants of Wind Energy Growth in the United States: Drivers and Barriers to State-Level Development, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 97, 1-13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.08.017
8
Schumacher, K., 2017, Large-scale Renewable Energy Project Barriers: Environmental Impact Assessment Streamlining Efforts in Japan and the EU, Environmental Impact Assessment Review 65, 100-110, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2017.05.001
9
Schumacher, K., 2015, Comparative Analysis of Environmental Impact Assessment Procedures in Japan and New Zealand, The International Journal of Sustainability Policy and Practice 11(2), 11-21, https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1166/CGP/v11i02/55348
10
In, S.Y. and Schumacher, K. 2021. Carbonwashing: A New Type of Carbon Data-related ESG Greenwashing. Stanford University Sustainable Finance Initiative | Working Paper Series. Stanford, CA, USA. Available at https://energy.stanford.edu/sustainable-finance-initiative/publications/working-paper-carbonwashing-new- type-carbon-data-related-esg-greenwashing & https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3901278
11
Hähl, T., Kube, M., Schütze, F., den Hamer, J., van der Zee, R., Bouveret, G., Caldecott, B., Harnett, E., Schumacher, K., Stolbova, V., Battiston, S., Bingler, J., & Liesch, T. 2021. Carbon Bubble – Analyses, economic risks, measures and instruments. Dessau-Roßlau, Germany. Available at https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/1410/publikationen/2021-07-06_texte_23- 2021_carbon_bubble_eng.pdf
12
Zhou, X., Caldecott, B.L., Harnett, E., and Schumacher, K., 2020, The Effect of Firm-level ESG Practices on Macroeconomic Performance, University of Oxford | Working Paper No. 20-03, Oxford, UK; SSRN Chicago Booth: Microeconomics Working Paper Series, https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3618748
13
Schumacher, K. , Chenet, H., and Volz, U., 2020. Sustainable Finance in Japan, ADBI Working Paper 1083, Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo, Japan, Available at https://www.adb.org/publications/sustainable-finance-japan
14
Schumacher, K., 2020. ‘Competence greenwashing’ could be the next risk for the ESG industry, Responsible Investor, London, UK, Available at https://www.responsible-investor.com/articles/competence-greenwashing-could-be-the-next-risk-for-the-esg-industry
15
Dericks, G., Schumacher, K., Bouveret G., Kruitwagen, L., Pfeiffer, A., Caldecott, B., 2018, EU Commission Report: Asset-level data and the Energy Transition - Findings from ET Risk Work Package 2, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Available at http://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/research/sustainable-finance/publications/Asset-level-data-and-the-Energy-Transition-Findings-from-ET-Risk-Work-Package2.pdf