Expert Perspectives

Congress recently took a hatchet to the Department of Labor's rules permitting plan fiduciaries to consider climate and broader ESG factors in their investment decisions. This puts plan fiduciaries in a difficult spot. Amid this crossfire, we take a closer look at climate-related financial risks and opportunities to put this issue back into a financial perspective.

In the latest edition of Full Disclosure, we break down what we learned at the first-ever hashtag IFRS Sustainability Symposium and why it matters to you.

As I have spoken with groups over the last couple of months, I've witnessed a sense of dread over compliance with the SEC's forthcoming climate disclosure rules. My response has been that, with the right compliance tools, reporting will be manageable. What's more, it will get better and easier as time goes on. We can do this.

We will continue to try to simplify and demystify the climate reporting landscape, with Emily Pierce providing her unique perspective on developments in international reporting, where there will continue to be a great deal of progress over the coming years.

My interest was piqued this week when I read the announcement that one of my very first employers, the grocery chain Ahold Delhaize, will require its suppliers to report their emissions and set science based targets. With all the political hue and cry over scope 3 emissions disclosures and the potential impact of the SEC's climate proposals on farmers, here we have one of the largest grocers in the world pushing ahead. This, in an industry that is competitive, subsisting on low margins, and typically conservative. hashtag

The last couple of weeks have renewed my faith in the power of innovation. We need innovation to address the climate crisis. The climate crisis will drive innovation. As the very clever and smart CEO of a global chemicals company (a chemist) said in a recent meeting, "“Chemists need to become designers. The Yves St. Laurent of chemistry. Make chemistry sexier to get attention..”

Thanks to my colleague and rising star in the sustainability world, Anissa Vasquez, for writing this week's newsletter. She chose a topic near and dear to my heart - the TCFD. The TCFD issued its recommendations five years ago and recently issued its fifth annual status report. The takeaways show great progress, and more work to be done. Anissa provides a great summary of the TCFD's most recent status report. It's a quick read and very useful.

Kristina Wyatt's Full Disclosure Newsletter - Exploring the trends and regulations helping us in the fight against climate change - one disclosure at a time