Sustainable investing has faced a barrage of criticism from both the left and right. This attention, alongside government efforts to crack down on greenwashing, makes one thing clear: investors are demanding transparency about corporate behavior. Investors – and this includes every Californian with a retirement account – have the right to know about the climate risks companies face and their plans for managing them.
Our two organizations, Generation Investment Management and Ocean Conservancy, are stewards of valuable resources others rely on – one of financial assets, the other of the ocean. To do this work in a rapidly changing world, our actions must be grounded in reliable data about climate risks. And it’s the same for the financial community as a whole.
That’s why we welcome California’s leadership on climate risk reporting for large companies operating in the state. SB 253 requires a company to report its emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gasses in regulatory filings. It would be the first in the nation to require reporting on emissions from a company’s entire value chain – suppliers, clients, or customers – in producing and using its products or services.
The clean energy transition is creating some of the biggest growth opportunities in our economy, boosted by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act that brought major incentives for building sustainable companies. Improved disclosure will equip investors to identify and support those companies that are innovating to meet the needs of our society, manage the risks involved, and reward their investors.