Investors Handed Stark Warning With Latest Climate Assessment

A multitrillion finance movement intended to protect the planet and its people faces some awkward questions as fresh analysis from the world’s top climate scientists suggests it’s falling far short of the mark.

In a report published Monday, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provided a bleak picture, saying “the extent and magnitude of climate change impacts are larger than estimated in previous assessments.” The IPCC went on to say that “current global financial flows for adaptation, including from public and private finance sources, are insufficient.” It listed finance to developing countries as a particular weak point.

The findings lay bare the disconnect between ...