Key topics in Akin’s July 2024 Sustainability/ESG Policy and Regulatory Update include: Updated Assessment of SFDR by EU Regulators: The European Supervisory Authorities have proposed changes to the Sustainable Finance...more
8/2/2024
/ Corporate Governance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Products ,
Greenwashing ,
NRDC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
UK
In a decision with far-reaching implications, the UK Supreme Court has determined that a grant of planning permission for oil production was unlawful for failing to take into account downstream greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions...more
The energy transition posts a tremendous opportunity for private equity investors. The scale of the investment requirement makes private capital a “must have” and a broad spectrum of energy transition opportunities,...more
On 22 February 2024, the UK announced it is withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) on the basis that it is incompatible with the energy transition, being the 11th state to do so. However, ECT protections for...more
The year 2023 will be remembered as a challenging one for private equity (PE), with complexities to navigate on many fronts. Traditional debt financing was expensive and scarce, expectations on valuations were tricky to...more
3/12/2024
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Divestiture ,
Domestic Dealmaking ,
Drug Pricing ,
Energy Sector ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Healthcare ,
Investment ,
Life Sciences ,
Liquidity ,
Mergers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Renewable Energy ,
Reporting Requirements ,
UK ,
Unions ,
Venture Capital
Akin’s newsletter on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policy and regulatory developments, provides a timely digest of ESG topics, news items and other relevant information regarding significant ESG policy...more
3/7/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Policy Updates ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability ,
UNFCCC
Rapid deployment of new technology is required to achieve ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The scope and diversity of deployment required will see participation by new market entrants and a likely...more
The UK announced that it will require importers to pay a carbon levy on certain goods imported from countries with a lower or no carbon price.
Covered goods under the UK’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) likely...more
The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has commenced this week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and will run through December 12, 2023. The UAE is...more
12/4/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
COP ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Green Finance ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) ,
Paris Agreement ,
Popular ,
Sustainability ,
UNFCCC ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ,
United Nations
Biomethane is indistinguishable from natural gas and can be deployed as a drop-in renewable replacement to natural gas without the need for adaptation of network infrastructure or end-user equipment.
The scale of...more
The Autonomous Systems & Advanced Mobility (ASAM) space is headed for more change in 2023, generating new opportunities and challenges for a growing list of industry players. The adoption of new, complex and connected...more
5/9/2023
/ Aerospace ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automation Systems ,
Aviation Industry ,
Cybersecurity ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
FCC ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Innovative Technology ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Transportation Industry
On 30 March 2023, the United Kingdom Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNEZ) and the UK Treasury opened a public consultation on policies to reduce carbon leakage risk and support decarbonisation, especially in...more
Since providing our overview of the emerging hydrogen economy back in December 2019 and April 2020 and our commentary on the role of hydrogen in achieving Singapore’s net-zero ambitions in August 2021 and April 2022, hydrogen...more
The UN Conference of the Parties can be baffling. Here are Alex Harrison’s and Ken Markowitz’s key takeaways from week 1 of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt...more
The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued proposed rules to establish a U.K. sustainability disclosure regime (SDR) providing a U.K. take on a topic many investment managers have been dealing with in...more
11/8/2022
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment Management ,
Proposed Rules ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
UK
New U.K. energy bill relief scheme protects Great Britain businesses from rising energy costs...more
The European Parliament has rejected a motion to remove gas and nuclear investment products from the EU’s sustainable investment taxonomy, surprising many who consider their inclusion to be greenwashing. This article...more
The High Court of England and Wales (the “High Court”) recently ruled1 that the U.K. government’s Net Zero Strategy (NZS) breached the detail and reporting requirements of the Climate Change Act 2008 (“CCA 2008”). In this...more
As we noted previously, against the backdrop of the European Green Deal and related sustainable finance initiatives, environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are increasingly being incorporated into loan and...more
Almost a year ago, we reflected on the outcome of the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or “COP 26”. COP 26 brought 120 world leaders together to...more