Corporations Are Bringing Climate Talk to a Whisper

Today’s newsletter looks at how Trump’s return to the White House is prompting companies to stifle climate talk with ‘greenhushing.’ You can read and share the full story on Bloomberg.com. For unlimited access to climate and energy news, please subscribe.

By Coco Liu

When I joined Bloomberg Green two years ago, my editor warned me of not falling into the trap of so-called “greenwashers.” Back then, companies big and small were eager to create an eco-conscious image, which often led to an exaggeration of their green credentials.

Fast forward to today and there is a sea change in companies’ attitudes towards promoting their work on sustainability. I’ve now found myself being quietly introduced to followers of a new trend: “greenhushing.”

Greenhushing is the inverse of greenwashing: Companies are devoted to combating climate change yet reluctant to publicize their climate efforts. This phenomenon is emerging on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, driven by different factors.

In the US, President Donald Trump has gutted many of the Biden administration’s climate policies since his return to the White House, sending a chilling effect to businesses that develop or deploy climate-friendly solutions. In response to the changing political landscape, many executives in corporate America are dropping the mention of “climate change” in meetings. Instead, they start to highlight non-climate benefits of their work, such as job creation and economic growth.

In Europe, where climate change hasn’t completely fallen off governments’ agendas, companies are also keeping their climate actions away from public sight due to the risk of being seen as greenwashing. Overstating green claims cause reputational damage that is hard to repair. It is costly, too. In the UK, greenwashers face a penalty of up to 10% of their global annual turnover.

In 2024, 63 out of the 100 largest publicly listed firms in the UK under-promoted their work on environmental protection, according to an analysis by market research firm Connected Impact, which examined the differences between what companies disclosed in public filings and what they presented in promotional materials. When it came to US companies, the desire for staying unnoticed was even greater — as many as 67 major public and private firms resorted to greenhushing.

Unlike greenwashing, the implications of greenhushing are harder to conclude. Some worry the silence risks damaging consumers’ trust and weakening peer pressure needed for motivating more companies to go green. While others say it is a wise business decision in difficult times.

Companies are “smart to play whichever cards are most likely to win at any given moment,” says Edward Maibach, a professor specializing in climate change communication at George Mason University. “The most important thing is that their products succeed in the marketplace so that we can bring the fossil fuel era to a rapid close.”

Read the full story on Bloomberg.com.

—With assistance from Olivia Rudgard

Global temperatures in February were the third hottest on record — 1.59C above the pre-industrial average, according to Zeke Hausfather, a climate researcher who calculated the result using data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Last month was the first month since June 2023 that didn’t finish first or second on the all-time-warmest chart. But it was still anomalously hot.

The first and second hottest Februarys came in 2024 and 2016, years that were both marked by powerful El Niño warming phases of the Pacific Ocean. The second month of the year is particularly sensitive to El Niño warmth, said Hausfather, who is affiliated with Berkeley Earth, a non-profit that maintains one of the major temperature datasets.

EU to give carmakers leeway in reaching CO2 targets. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc would grant carmakers a three-year window in which to hit emissions targets that were originally set for this year.

Sunnova stock plunge heralds US solar state of ‘chaos.’ The company gave warning there was substantial doubt it will remain in business. The news came less than a week after First Solar said it was seeing increasing customer delays. It was also on the heels of Sunrun saying it expects installation volumes to be flat this year.

Hedge fund says clean energy is ‘dead for now.’ Less than a year after a launching a hedge fund dedicated to the green energy transition, its founder says there’s currently no financial gain to be had from investing in renewable power.

By Brian K Sullivan, Lauren Rosenthal, and Mary Hui

A rainy autumn followed by a dry winter is raising wildfire risks for the US Great Plains and Texas.

Wet weather in November has helped grasses to grow and thrive across the Plains, but since then nature’s spigot has turned off, leaving dried-out plants that are potential fuel for blazes, said Brad Rippey, a meteorologist with the US Department of Agriculture.

All that’s needed is a spark and high winds, and a situation could develop similar to the devastating fires that killed 29 people and devastated neighborhoods across Southern California in January, he said.

The western half of Oklahoma and most of Texas are among the places at above-average risk of “significant” wildfires going into March, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Roughly a year ago, Texas was scorched by its largest fire in history. The Smokehouse Creek blaze in the state’s Panhandle left two people dead and destroyed homes and livestock.

Parts of the Southwest, Southern California around Los Angeles and the US South are also at high risk of severe wildfires.

About 80% of Texas is abnormally dry and “exceptional” drought conditions are gripping some of its westernmost counties, according to the US Drought Monitor. The drought extends into neighboring Oklahoma. The High Plains region is parched, too: Wyoming, Colorado, the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas are abnormally dry and close to 60% of the area is in drought.

Read the full story on Bloomberg.com. For weather insights sent straight to your inbox, sign up for the Weather Watch newsletter.

The world of ESG regulation and investing was already suffering a period of shaky confidence even before President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Now, companies are facing a new period of uncertainty when it comes to Environmental, Social, and Governance policies. Reporter Frances Schwartzkopff tells Akshat Rathi why the EU is rolling back some ESG legislation. And reporter Saijel Kishan explains that many companies today are still keeping their ESG plans in place — but just not talking about it. Listen now, and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube to get new episodes of Zero every Thursday.

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