US Watchdog Plans to Make Companies Reveal Greenhouse-Gas Emissions

Climate action rules announced by SEC chair Gary Gensler expected to face opposition from Republicans and industry groups.

The US’s top financial watchdog proposed on Monday that publicly traded companies report information on their greenhouse-gas emissions and even those of their suppliers and consumers in one of the Biden administration’s most sweeping environmental actions to date.

The new SEC proposal, which has been in the works for over a year, would force companies to reveal the extent of their carbon footprint. Photo of a Google data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, by Chad Davis.

The new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules faces staunch opposition from some politicians and members of the business community and will be open to public comment for at least two months before final rules are released.

“I am pleased to support today’s proposal because, if adopted, it would provide investors with consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information for making their investment decisions, and it would provide consistent and clear reporting obligations for issuers,” said the SEC chair, Gary Gensler.

The proposal, which has been in the works for over a year, would force companies to make public the extent of their carbon footprint. While some companies including Apple and Microsoft now publish detailed analyses of their emissions, others have been reluctant to improve disclosure.

Under the proposal publicly traded companies would have to report greenhouse-gas emissions and obtain independent certification of their estimates. Some companies would also be required to report emissions from both their supply chains and consumers, known as Scope 3 emissions.

Republicans and some industry groups have already begun lobbying against the new requirements, which they argue would increase costs and go beyond the SEC’s mandate.

In a speech last year Gensler said the rules would introduce consistency to company reporting at a time when investors were increasingly concerned about the impact of climate on businesses.

“Today, investors increasingly want to understand the climate risks of the companies whose stock they own or might buy. Large and small investors, representing literally tens of trillions of dollars, are looking for this information to determine whether to invest, sell, or make a voting decision one way or another.

Investors are looking for consistent, comparable, and decision-useful disclosures so they can put their money in companies that fit their needs,” he said.

Get the Journal in your inbox.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

You Make Our Work Possible

You Make Our Work Possible

We don’t have a paywall because, as a nonprofit publication, our mission is to inform, educate and inspire action to protect our living world. Which is why we rely on readers like you for support. If you believe in the work we do, please consider making a tax-deductible year-end donation to our Green Journalism Fund.

Donate
Get the Journal in your inbox.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

The Latest

Plastic Trash from Cruise Ships, Fishing Vessels Pollute Arctic Permafrost

While two thirds of the plastic debris in the region come from Arctic fisheries, almost a third is of European origin, researchers find.

Elena Kazamia

Are the Amazon’s Biggest Trees Dying? Forest Coroners Investigate

As tropical forests decline at increasing rates the fate of their largest trees remains unknown. The Gigante project aims to change that.

Daniel Grossman

Argentine Ecologist Awarded for Work on Biodiversity Loss

‘As a society we must rethink the lifestyle we lead.’

Julián Reingold

Can the Octopus Adapt Fast Enough for Climate Change?

Researchers are racing to understand how the cephalopod’s embryos react to warming waters.

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry

Where California Goes, There Goes the Nation

Gavin Newsom’s war on rooftop solar is a bad omen for the country.

Joshua Frank

Countries Fueling Israel’s Gaza War May Be Complicit in War Crimes, Experts Warn

Research tracks dozens of oil and fuel shipments that could have aided Israel’s war on Gaza.

Nina Lakhani Ajit Niranjan The Guardian