Flood risk and corporate future orientation: Evidence from sea level rise risk

We find that firms located in US counties with higher sea level rise (SLR) risk engage less in future‐oriented activities, that is, lower corporate social responsibility performance, lower R&D investment and fewer patents granted than firms in counties with lower SLR risk. The effect is strengthened when media attention on climate change is high, when the firm has a high level of prior long‐term investment and when the firm is managed by a young CEO and a CEO who has a greater tendency to avoid uncertainty, whereas it is weakened when the firm's CEO is near retirement and when the firm is geographically diversified. Overall, we document a negative relationship between flood risk exposure and corporate future orientation, suggesting that firms change their future‐oriented attitude in response to concern over climate risks.