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How the SEC's new rule could reveal more about a company's emissions : The Indicator from Planet Money - NPR

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How the SEC could add teeth to ESGs with rules requiring companies to report the : The Indicator from Planet Money : NPR

How the SEC's new rule could reveal more about a company's emissions

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The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to issue new rules this week on how companies disclose their greenhouse gas emissions. This is part of a broader movement for more environmentally and socially conscious financial options, known as ESG investing. Today on the show, what the proposed climate disclosure rule says, why it's so controversial, and if it passes, what that'll mean for investors and the stock market.

Related episodes:

The OG of ESGs ( Apple/ Spotify)

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Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics

State of Play

Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:

  • Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
  • Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
  • Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
  • Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. 

On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”

More informationabout Climate economics