The Paris Agreement established the international consensus on the need for universal goals to address climate change and will continue to aid in pushing forward international developments towards those goals. Working towards those goals have become economic and pragmatic realities, despite political winds. In Marrakesh, despite a quick entry into force of the Paris Agreement, we are seeing […]
Momentum in Marrakech – Leading Up to COP 22
On December 12, 2015, 195 nations spoke with one voice about the need to create a low carbon and climate resilient future and struck the historic Paris Agreement. This November 2016, delegates from around the world will gather again in Marrakech, Morocco for the Marrakech Climate Change Conference for the twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties to […]
Laura Zizzo Named Among Canada’s 2017 “Clean50 Leaders”
We are pleased to announce that Laura Zizzo (Founder and CEO) has been named as one of Canada’s “Clean50” for 2017! The Clean50 award recognizes sustainability leaders across Canada and their roles in advancing the low-carbon, clean economy. Laura was recognized for her leadership as a thought leader, lawyer and consultant focused on climate change-related risks and opportunities, and promoting climate-readiness […]
All U.S. Government Agencies Must Now Consider Climate Change in Decision-Making
On August 2, 2016, the White House Council on Environmental Quality released its final guidance for Federal agencies on how to consider the impacts of their actions on climate change in their National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. The guidance is the result of a six-year process exploring how to factor climate change into Federal decision-making. It […]
Financial Services Sector Uniquely Placed to Address Climate Risk
Industry leaders continue to urge companies to integrate climate change into business strategies, financial disclosures and risk management processes. Mark Carney opted to focus on climate risk when addressing the Toronto Board of Trade in July 2016. Moody’s will use national climate commitments in its analysis of the credit implications of carbon transition risk. And Global […]
Ontario Releases Ambitious Climate Change Action Plan
This morning, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne released Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan outlines how the proceeds of Ontario’s Cap and Trade Program – estimated at between $5.9B and $8.3B over the next four years – will be invested in a variety of carbon reduction initiatives to meet legislated GHG reduction targets […]
Obama Administration Pushes for Climate-Smart Acquisitions
The U.S. Federal Government just proposed a new rule that would drive greater disclosure of climate change information in the Federal Government’s supply chain. The proposed regulation, entitled the Federal Acquisition Regulation: Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals Representation, would require those who provide products or services to the Federal Government to report […]
Momentum for Climate Disclosure Continues as Investors Push
Major Canadian institutional investors including the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Bank of Montreal’s Global Asset Management group and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan have announced support for shareholders’ resolutions urging Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. to “stress test” their operations against a climate-adjusted future. While Exxon and Chevron both conduct their own analysis of climate […]
Climate Risk: Corporate Canada’s Blind Spot
Although the many risks and opportunities posed by climate change are increasingly understood and recognized, Canadian companies have only begun integrating this knowledge into their business models, strategic plans, policies, measurements and reporting systems. Recent weeks have seen numerous developments aimed at encouraging better disclosure of climate risks and enforcing transparency requirements. To help make sense […]
Enforcing Transparency on Climate Risk: Recent Developments
As climate-related concerns and disclosures continue to gain profile, recent weeks have seen numerous developments aimed at encouraging better disclosure of climate risks and enforcing transparency requirements. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that ExxonMobil’s (Exxon) shareholders are entitled to important climate change information. States across the U.S. are banding together to explore the […]