The Latest
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Acting SEC chair asks court not to schedule climate rule arguments
“The Commission’s briefs previously submitted in the cases consolidated in the Eighth Circuit do not reflect my views,” Acting Chair Mark Uyeda said.
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HSBC taps global banking executive for chief sustainability officer role
Julian Wentzel — previously HSBC’s head of global banking for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey — becomes sustainability chief after serving as interim CSO.
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EPA funding freeze endangers $7B Solar For All program
“We don't know how much money got out the door, we don't know how much money the administration can seek to claw back,” said Vote Solar’s executive director, Sachu Constantine.
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New Jersey judge dismisses state’s climate lawsuit against major oil companies
A state superior court judge ruled that New Jersey’s climate-related claims were preempted by federal law as state law cannot govern disputes over the impact of climate change.
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Google moves away from aspirational diversity hiring goals
This move is on par with what attorneys have been recommending in a tense political landscape around DEI and compliance.
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Deep Dive
US state legislatures take aim at fashion’s sustainability and safety concerns
The new regulations are designed to protect workers, consumers and the environment, but there are still hurdles to face between passing the bills and implementing them.
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Google contracts over $100M in carbon removal credits in 2024
“We’re encouraged by our progress, but the journey to catalyze carbon removal is just beginning,” Google Carbon Credits and Removals Lead Randy Spock said.
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Lego to increase solar capacity by 72% this year to cut emissions
The Danish toymaker calls solar expansion a “key initiative” to help meet its sustainability goals, which include achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
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Opinion
‘A clarion call’: How employers should respond to Trump’s private-sector DEI order
Beyond clearly illegal practices like using preferences and quotas, employers need to dig into their DEI programs to see where the potential for other legal challenges might lie, writes Jonathan Segal, partner at Duane Morris.
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Developments driving the ESG, sustainability industry in 2025
The change in U.S. presidential leadership has triggered drawbacks of ESG and DEI commitments, as the private sector braces for a change in political direction.
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New York reintroduces bills seeking climate risk, emissions disclosures
Senate Bills 3456 and 3697, if approved, would mandate climate-related disclosures from large companies operating in the Empire State as early as 2027.
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Clean energy stakeholders descend on Capitol to lobby for IRA tax credits
Groups participating in the lobbying blitz in Washington, D.C. represent over 2,000 companies and hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
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Sephora boosts DEI with new documentary
As others back away from DEI initiatives, the retailer said its film “reaffirms its commitment to fostering a world of inspiration and inclusion.”
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ESG encountering widening ‘gulf’ between US and European investors: Morningstar
“We are definitely seeing a widening gap … between asset manager support for environmental and social-related voting initiatives," Morningstar Sustainalytics’ director of investment stewardship research said.
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Companies reduce philanthropy aimed at boosting racial, gender equality
Change in “corporate citizenship” initiatives coincide with a federal backlash against efforts to promote sustainability in the private and public sectors.
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Vanguard dilutes diversity guidelines for US board proxy voting
The updated policies exclude a recommendation that boards “at a minimum, represent diversity of personal characteristics, inclusive of at least diversity in gender, race and ethnicity.”
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Senate confirms Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright as DOE secretary
Wright aims to expand U.S. power supplies — including renewable energy — to help lower electricity prices, he said during his Senate confirmation hearing.
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Meta’s HR changes reflect widely touted aspirational approach to DEI
Eliminating hard inclusivity goals won’t protect against reverse discrimination complaints but it will help, legal specialists say.
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Deep Dive
Why climate alliance memberships are no longer ‘en vogue’ for Wall Street
Financial institutions have increasingly departed groups like the Net-Zero Banking Alliance and Climate Action 100+, but experts say banks are still committed to sustainability.
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Republican officials urge SEC, DOL to adopt anti-ESG, DEI rules
The letter signed by 22 Republican state finance officials cited American Airlines’ recent legal loss as evidence that fiduciaries are breaching their duty to loyalty with regards to ESG and DEI.
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Treasury Department exits global regulatory climate coalition
The Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office withdrew from the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System last week to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
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Trump’s executive orders cause hesitation, confusion for clean energy developers
“There are daily developments, and I think people are just doing the best they can with the limited information we have at the moment,” said Felisa Sanchez, a partner with law firm K&L Gates.
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Banks improving clean energy finance ratios, still well-short of net-zero pace: report
“The ratio isn’t evolving at the pace needed to hit the 4:1 level required this decade under commonly referenced scenarios to limit climate change to 1.5 [degrees Celsius],” according to BloombergNEF.
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Target ends some DEI initiatives, reiterates commitment to belonging and inclusion
Chief Community Impact and Equity Officer Kiera Fernandez cited “the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape.”
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Zeldin is confirmed as the new EPA administrator. What’s next?
The former New York representative will helm the agency as it navigates executive orders pausing climate programs and reviews pending regulations that could affect the waste and recycling industries.
Updated Jan. 30, 2025