Posts in Energy
What Do the New SEC Rules Mean for Action on Climate Change?

For far too long, the Securities and Exchange Commission—the nation’s top Wall Street watchdog—has responded only tepidly to the global climate crisis. This week, that finally changed. On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted three-to-one to issue draft rules that will require publicly traded corporations to be more transparent with investors about their greenhouse gas emissions and how climate change may pose a risk to their businesses. Read More →

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Climate experts are worried about the toughest carbon emissions for companies to capture

Andrew Behar, a shareholder advocate and CEO of As You Sow, which has long led climate disclosure efforts among investors pressuring companies, and who is involved in the Say on Climate initiative, says using the 2050 net-zero target as an example — which is the timeline for many companies — means a net 50% reduction by 2030, because once the low-hanging fruit is taken care of, the percentage goals get harder to reach. “That means 5% every year for the next 10 years, and it means Scope 3, and they need to actually report that.” Read More →

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This San Diego energy company is doubling down on fossil fuels

“The company is just very much wedded to natural gas being part of reducing emissions,” said Daniel Stewart, a program manager at As You Sow, a nonprofit that works with corporate shareholders to advocate for stronger climate action. “From investors’ side, there’s just an increasing level of skepticism about what sort of role natural gas can play.” Read More →

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GE Sets 2050 Goal of Zero Emissions From Jet Engines, Gas Power

The new objective comes after GE investors in May overwhelmingly backed a shareholder proposal pushing the company to say whether it planned to reach net-zero by 2050. As You Sow, the shareholder advocacy group behind the push, also pushed the company to include emissions from the use of its products and its supply chain in its net zero goal, saying the company had been slow to address this category, undoubtedly the largest associated with the company. Read More →

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Corporations Pressed to Adapt to Climate Change Threat

Danielle Fugere is the president of the group As You Sow, which focuses on shareholder activism. She said it's a market reality that the world is taking climate change seriously. She said she thinks businesses should join the movement, instead of putting up a fight. "Because as climate change occurs, it impacts every company globally," said Fugere. "It makes it much more difficult to maintain business." Read More →

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After railroad vote, climate resolutions pick up steam

"Given the growing consensus on the material risks related to the climate crisis, investors seek assurance that company lobbying activities support, and do not block, policy solutions designed to help markets decarbonize," Lila Holzman, an energy expert at the shareholder advocacy group As You Sow, said in an email. "It is no surprise that shareholder resolutions on this topic are seeing record high votes this year, and we absolutely expect this trend to continue." Read More →

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