The Bonn Climate Change Conference saw limited progress resolving open issues related to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which aims to incentivize international cooperation in mitigating climate change through carbon credit...more
The 60th sessions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Subsidiary Body for Implementation and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice from 3 to 13 June 2024 in Bonn, Germany (the "Bonn...more
On April 4, 2024, less than one month after their adoption, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has chosen to stay its newly adopted climate disclosure rules, pending judicial review (the "Final Rules"). The...more
On March 6, 2024, in a 3 to 2 vote of the Commissioners, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") adopted rules that will require public companies to disclose extensive climate change-related information in their...more
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures ("TNFD") released its final framework (the "TNFD Framework") on September 18. The TNFD Framework encourages organisations to integrate nature into decision-making and...more
11/9/2023
/ Biodiversity ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financing ,
Framework Agreement ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ("UNFCCC") provides a structure for a carbon credit market on which greenhouse gas ("GHG") emission reductions or removals may be...more
Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement that was approved by the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ("UNFCCC") provides a framework for countries to transfer...more
Buyers are scrutinizing everything from an acquisition target’s projected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to ways in which a deal may impact their own climate mitigation strategies. In this regard, reliable and verifiable...more
The voluntary carbon credit market is a market-based approach to controlling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Individuals, companies or governments can purchase credits, often referred to as "carbon credits", to mitigate or...more
Greenhouse gas emissions reduction or removal credit transactions allow governments, companies or individuals to purchase credits that are often referred to as "carbon credits" in an effort to mitigate climate change by...more
On March 21, 2022, in a landmark proposal, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") proposed rules that would require public companies to disclose extensive climate-related information in their SEC filings....more
3/25/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
The Paris Agreement approved by the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ("UNFCCC") aims to (i) hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C...more
The 'Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets' (the "Taskforce") is a private sector initiative working to scale an effective and efficient voluntary carbon credit market to help meet the goals of the Paris...more
7/30/2021
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Market Based Approach ,
Paris Agreement ,
Popular ,
Public Consultations ,
Sustainability
Over April 22nd and 23rd, the Biden administration hosted 40 world leaders in a climate summit coinciding with Earth Day. The leaders announced a variety of pledges and ambitions relating to curbing greenhouse gas emissions...more
4/28/2021
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Earth Day ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Regulatory Agenda
While ESG issues have been a "hot topic" for several years, in recent weeks, the SEC has significantly increased its focus on the topic, paying particular attention to climate:
- Corp Fin to Focus on Climate Disclosure: On...more
The 'Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets' (the "Taskforce") is a private sector initiative working to scale an effective and efficient voluntary carbon credit market to help meet the goals of the Paris...more
This week, as part of a series of significant executive actions, President Biden issued an executive order directing the United States Department of Interior (DOI) to pause new oil and natural gas leasing on federal public...more
1/29/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Climate Change ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Land ,
Federal Leasing Regulations ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Secretary of the Interior ,
Tribal Lands
The Poseidon Principles Association, a group of major marine shipping banks, released its first Annual Disclosure Report in December 2020. This report discloses the "climate alignment score" of fifteen banks' ship finance...more
Three states and the District of Columbia reached agreement on December 21 to combat climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector via a cap-and-invest system.
Massachusetts, Rhode...more
The 'Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets' (the "Taskforce") published a blueprint for a voluntary greenhouse gas or carbon market in its 10 November 2020 Consultation Document. The Taskforce's Consultation Document...more
11/13/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Know Your Customers ,
Market Based Approach ,
Offsets ,
Paris Agreement ,
Sustainability
The Equator Principles have been one of the principal frameworks for managing sustainability and ESG risk in projects by financial institutions since 2003. The latest update – known as EP4 – renews the focus on human rights...more
9/26/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EPFIs ,
Equator Principles ,
Financial Institutions ,
Human Rights ,
OECD ,
Popular ,
Refinancing ,
Sustainable Finance
These are unprecedented times, and companies are facing important issues as they navigate the current economic, political, and social climate. The COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement have put the spotlight on...more
8/17/2020
/ Annual Meeting ,
Black Lives Matter ,
Board of Directors ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Culture ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Ethical Standards ,
Filing Requirements ,
Fortune 100 ,
Green Finance ,
Human Capital ,
Popular ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Renewable Energy ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Socially Responsible Investments ,
Surveys ,
Sustainability ,
Workplace Safety
Strong ESG credentials and long-term plans to improve their relationship with society and the environment are increasingly important to ensure companies’ access to capital.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters...more
8/7/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Black Lives Matter ,
BlackRock ,
Capital Raising ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Crisis ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Human Rights ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Middle East ,
Multinationals ,
Popular ,
Public Disclosure ,
Renewable Energy ,
SASB ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders ,
Workplace Safety
The Trump administration proposed rules intended to speed up approval of major projects subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), such as pipelines, power facilities, mines, highways, and other public...more
1/18/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Mines ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Federal Land ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Highways ,
Land-Use Permits ,
NEPA ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pipelines ,
Power Infrastructure ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Rescission ,
Rollbacks ,
Trump Administration
In New York Supreme Court, Exxon was on trial for allegedly misleading investors about the business costs of climate change. The central allegation was that Exxon fraudulently used two distinct sets of metrics to calculate...more
11/11/2019
/ Climate Change ,
Common Law Claims ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dismissal With Prejudice ,
Evidentiary Standards ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Investment Fraud ,
Popular ,
Proxy Statements ,
Reputational Injury ,
Restitution ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Securities Fraud ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
State Attorneys General