[Webinar] Political Climate Change – Public Finance and the ... - JD Supra
[Webinar] Political Climate Change - Public Finance and the Partisan War on ESG - November 14th, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET | Bowditch & Dewey - JDSupra
November 14th, 2023
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Increasingly, investors are considering the impact of severe weather events, climate-related risks and socio-economic challenges, across the United States and around the world, as they make investment decisions. In response to this growing popularity, the financial markets have incorporated environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors into certain investment vehicles, in order to align socially responsible business practices with positive financial returns. The municipal securities market has been at the forefront of this movement, with investors and rating analysists taking ESG factors into consideration in evaluating an issuer’s or conduit borrower’s overall financial condition, operations and future prospects.
On November 14, Neal Pandozzi and Andrew Stern of Bowditch’s Public Finance team will take a deep dive into this topic, discussing the evolution of ESG in public finance transactions, from its beginning as a fairly innocuous marketing tool to its present iteration as a political flashpoint in the partisan culture war on “wokeness” in the United States. Particularly, they will review the different state-by-state approaches to regulating the use of ESG factors by various municipal market participants. Additionally, recent developments in cybersecurity disclosure relative to ESG will be discussed.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This webinar is designed for members of the public finance community who would like to explore the topic of ESG in greater detail, particularly with regard to the complications, roadblocks and opportunities presented by the ESG backlash at the state level.
The webinar will include a question-and-answer session.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
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.”