Carbon Accounting for Endowments: A New Frontier in Sustainable Investing with Brandon McNamara

In this episode of The Future of Finance, host Georges Dyer speaks with Brandon McNamara, Ph.D., a researcher at Northern Arizona University, about how endowments and institutional investors can better measure and manage the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions embedded in their investment portfolios. Brandon shares the details of his groundbreaking research analyzing the carbon footprint of NAU’s endowment, using the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) framework. They dive into how carbon accounting for investments works, the challenges of Scope 3 emissions, and how universities can integrate climate data into decision-making around divestment and engagement. Brandon also reflects on how academia can help drive real-world impact and offers advice to students entering the sustainable finance field. Keywords: Carbon accounting, scope 3 emissions, university endowments, sustainable investing, PCAF, divestment vs. engagement, climate risk, investment portfolios, ESG strategy, greenhouse gas emissions