Top Stories
Reuters on 03/10/10: Time for Next Stage of Sustainable Business
Corporate America needs to track its use of energy and resources as closely as it does its hiring and cash flow if it wants to keep pace with social concern about climate change and other sustainability issues, an activist U.S. investor group argues in a new report. Read More
Financial Times on 3/4/10: Investors Increasingly Concerned About Climate Change
One way of judging investor sentiment is through the types of investor resolutions filed each year. This year, a record of 95 resolutions involving climate change have been filed. Read More
HuffingtonPost on 3/1/10: The Color of Money: Green is Green in Colorado
Mindy Lubber of Ceres blogs about the ‘Race for American Jobs’ event held last week in Denver, Colorado. Read More
Huffington Post on 2/18/10: Banks Should Finance Energy Efficiency Loans, Not Subprime Mortgages
Mindy Lubber of Ceres blogs about how banks and financial institutions can refurbish their tarnished reputations by innovating new financial products that actually help average Americans. Read More
OregonLive.com on 02/16/10: Nike, Starbucks, other Northwest Businesses Push Congress for ‘Clean Energy Economy’
Just pass it? Nike and other businesses, including Starbucks and Portland's Gerding Edlen development firm, called on Congress to approve comprehensive climate change legislation this year and said a "clean energy economy" is the next great economic boom. Read More
IPS on 02/16/10: Q&A: “Sustainability Issues Are Economic Issues”
Fresh from a whirlwind tour of non-stop meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos and a U.N investor summit on climate risk attended by George Soros, Al Gore, and 500 of the world's most powerful institutional and private investors, Mindy Lubber has a full plate. Read More
MarketWatch on 02/12/10: Climate Change Debate Crowded With Ignorance, Thomas Kostigen’s Ethics Monitor
Both global warming skeptics and climate change believers are using the snowstorms pounding the East Coast of the United States as fodder to further their debate. Read More
BusinessWeek on 02/11/10: Companies Vague on Water-Scarcity Risk, Investors Say (Update 1)
Companies in water-intensive industries including utilities and computer-chip makers aren’t providing enough information about the potential business risks of falling water supplies. Read More
The Hill on 02/08/10: Disclosing Financial Climate-Change Risks
Legendary House Speaker Sam Rayburn ushered in the 1933 Truth in Securities Act in the grim depths of the Great Depression. It was based on the principle that the purchase and sale of securities should be an honest bargain, and disclosure its cornerstone. Read More
New York Times on 01/30/10: Climate Change and the S.E.C.
There were predictable howls after the Securities and Exchange Commission told publicly held companies they should warn investors of any potential effects from climate change on their bottom lines. More
New York Times on 01/27/10: S.E.C. Adds Climate Risk to Disclosure List
The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday for the first time that public companies should warn investors of any serious risks that global warming might pose to their businesses. More
Business Week on 01/27/10: SEC Sets Corporate Climate-Change Disclosure Standard (Update1)
Companies must consider the effects of global warming and efforts to curb climate change when disclosing business risks to investors, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said. More
BusinessGreen.com on 01/27/10: Davos Business Leaders Urge Global Support for Copenhagen Accord
Some of the world's most powerful businesses have today called on world leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos to embrace the Copenhagen Accord and use it to spur a "race to the top" that would see national, state and municipal governments compete to take more ambitious action to tackle climate change. More
TIME on 01/15/10: After Copenhagen, Getting Business into Green Tech
This was the fourth Investor Summit on Climate Risk, occurring after Copenhagen, before the
U.S. Senate begins its real work on climate legislation this year and
just as investors begin to climb out of the recession. Investors, especially large-scale
institutional funds that need to worry about the long term, are ready
to bet on cutting carbon — but impatient. More
CNBC (via UN Dispatch) on 01/14/10: Ted Turner and Sen Tim Wirth at the UN Today for Investors Summit on Climate Risk
Haiti has justifiably been taking up alot of energy and focus of the United Nations over the last two days. But it is worth noting that there has been a long scheduled meeting of entrepreneurs and investors concerned about climate change at the UN today.Earlier this morning, UN Foundation President Tim Wirth and Board Chair Ted Turner discussed both Haiti and today's summit on CNBC. Watch
The Guardian on 01/14/10: Investors urge governments to take immediate action on climate change
Over 450 investors controlling $13tn of assets yesterday urged world governments to pre-empt an international climate change
treaty and take immediate action on global warming, or risk losing the
opportunity to establish a clean and sustainable low-carbon economy. More
The New York Times on 01/14/10: White House Will Press Ahead With Climate Bill, U.S. Negotiator Tells Investors
U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern today urged nations that signed the
Copenhagen Accord to submit their greenhouse gas emissions-reduction
targets and to hammer out details critical to implementing the broad
agreement. More
The Wall Street Journal on 01/14/10: Clean Economy Investors At UN Conference Seek Market Clarity
Investors representing $13 trillion in assets Thursday said they are
eager to invest in a low-carbon economy, but they need the certainty
and transparency of a legally binding agreement "with ambitious
greenhouse gas emission-reduction targets." More
The New York Times on 01/07/10: Does Your Money Manager Worry About Climate Change Risk? The Odds Are 50-50
Most money managers overseeing trillions of dollars in investments are
ignoring many risks that climate change poses to the assets they
operate for corporations, governments and other institutions, according
to a new analysis. More
Bloomberg on 01/06/10: Most money managers ignore climate risk to profit
In a survey of asset managers, almost three quarters said they don't
take into account global warming when analyzing a company, Ceres, whose
investors have $8.5 trillion under management, said today in a report.
Almost half said climate change isn't relevant to their investment
decisions. More
Boston Herald on 01/01/10: Adding Sustainability into the Bottom Line is Mindy Lubber’s Mission
As president of Ceres, the national network of investors, environmentalists and other public interest groups working to build sustainability into the corporate bottom line, Lubber is a strong advocate for tying environmental consideration, policy and regulation to business economics. More
Environmental Leader on 12/22/09: Energy Efficiency and Real Estate Profits Go Hand in Hand
Commercial real estate managers have much to gain from investing in
energy efficiency in their properties, according to a new report from Ceres and Mercer. Read More
ClimateBiz on 12/17/09: It’s All About the Money in Copenhagen
Mindy Lubber of Ceres blogs about the key question being asked in the Danish capital: How on earth do you build and finance a robust and credible global carbon market? Read More
Politico on 12/15/09: Microsoft, Nike, Dow Urge Obama to seal C’hagen Deal
About 40 major corporations -- led by Microsoft, Dow, Nike and Duke Energy -- have written to President Obama, urging him to do everything he can to pull out some kind of climate deal in Copenhagen. Read More
Politico on 12/14/09: The Arena: Copenhagen Climate Conference Edition
Mindy Lubber of Ceres blogs about why U.S. businesses want strong climate action in Copenhagen. More
Huffington Post on 12/14/09: Drive Less, Pay Less: Win-Win for Consumers & Climate
Mindy Lubber of Ceres blogs about the benefits of a car insurance based on the miles you drive. Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) was a hot topic at the National Association of Insurance Commissioner's Climate Risk Summit in San Francisco last week. Read More
Politico on 12/11/09: The Arena: Copenhagen Climate Conference Edition
Mindy Lubber blogs about the role of private investors in solving the climate crisis at the COP15 UN Climate Change Conference. Read More.
WSJ on 12/10/09: The Business of Climate Change
World leaders are gathering this week at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen. Many hope that this meeting will be the first step toward an international treaty to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Read More.
CGI Members Fight For Strong Climate Policy In Copenhagen
As the United Nations conference on climate change opened in Copenhagen on Monday, Dec. 7, representatives of 192 nations came together in the hopes of negotiating a pact to reduce emissions. It’s a colossal task, and Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) members are stepping up to help. Read More.
MarketWatch on 12/09/09: Insurers At Core of Climate Change Fallout
With the number of extreme weather events continuing to grow around the world the insurance industry is finding itself at the very center of efforts to avert the worst effects of climate change. More
New York Times on 12/09/09: Investors Ask SEC for Climate Reporting
Should companies be forced to disclosure the financial risks they face from climate change to the Securities and Exchange Commission? A group of investors believes that the answer is yes. More
Wall Street Journal on 12/07/09: Cutting Energy Use Can Also Lower Your Insurance Premiums
Going green has lots of well-known benefits, such as potentially lower energy bills and the satisfaction of knowing that you're helping the environment. But here's a benefit you may not be aware of: It can reduce your insurance premiums. More
Financial Times on 12/06/09: Obama at the Copenhagen endgame: Climate experts’ forum
Mindy Lubber of Ceres answers the question, 'What do you think the impact will be of US President Barack
Obama’s decision to attend the summit at the end of the conference
rather than the early stages?' More
Mindy Lubber Interview with BoardMember.com: "Sustainability: A Risk—and an Opportunity Issue"
Mindy S. Lubber, Ceres’ president, believes sustainability isn’t merely about mitigating risk, it’s about increasing opportunity. She spoke with Corporate Board Member about Ceres’ coalition of corporate companies, its work influencing the SEC to set new reporting standards, and its goal for a sustainable economy by 2020. Read More.
Calgary Herald on 12/01/09: Ethical Fund Roasts Oilsands’ Disclosure
A West Coast ethical investment fund is taking the oilsands industry to task for reporting practices it says expose investors to undue risk in the areas of aboriginal consultation and environmental performance. Read More.
Seattle Times on 11/28/09: Federal Agency Reclassifying More Property At Risk For Flooding
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, four years into a flood-map modernization process that wraps up in 2010, reports an increase in properties identified at risk of flooding, and this upsurge presents landowners with new decisions. Read More.
Environmental Finance on 11/26/09: SEC Should Reflect New Realities on Climate Disclosure
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) should provide guidance to companies on climate change disclosure, given recent “regulatory, legislative and scientific developments” on the issue, according to investors managing $1 trillion in assets. Read More.
Fox Business on 11/25/09: Business Leaders Applaud President Obama’s Decision to Attend Copenhagen Climate Talks
CEOs from Nation's Leading Electric Utilities, Consumer Giants, Manufacturers and Clean Energy Companies Applaud Administration's Announcement and Commitment to Lay the Foundation for a New, Clean Energy Future. Read More.
Reuters on 11/23/09: Investors Push SEC on Climate-Risk Disclosure
Pension funds and other investors holding more than $1 trillion of assets renewed their call to U.S. regulators on Monday to require companies to disclose climate-related risks. Read More
San Francisco Chronicle on 11/17/09: U.S. Airlines Avoiding Role in Climate Change
As the Congress considers historic climate change legislation and diplomats prepare for December's U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, it is time that the domestic airline industry stops trying to fly above the debate over how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read More
The Boston Globe on 11/15/09: Bringing Big Businesses Into the Climate Fight
Not quite sure how the corporate world is connected to climate change? Mindy Lubber is here to educate you. She is the president of Ceres, a Boston-based coalition of investors and environmental groups working to address that issue, and others. Read More
The Daily Green on 11/06/09: Wall Street is Bullish on Electric Cars
The car magazines are stuck in the past with high-performance dinosaurs, but most of the cars that attract buzz in the financial media today are green. From Tesla to Fisker Karma, the Chevy Volt and many more brands, electric vehicles are coming on strong. Read More
Dow Jones on 10/27/09: SEC Guidance May Lead CO2 Policy Risk Disclosure
U.S.-traded companies may be under greater pressure to disclose their exposure to the potential cost of climate policies under a new U.S. Securities Exchange Commission staff guidance issued Tuesday. Read More
E&ETV's OnPoint on 10/08/09: Ceres' Lubber discusses investor community's role in Senate climate debate
As the Senate moves forward with the cap-and-trade debate, what role is
the business community playing in lobbying efforts? Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, explains how her group is trying
to influence the Senate's climate debate.Watch
The New York Times on 10/07/09: Clean-Energy Execs Take Pitch for Climate Bill to White House
Clean-energy company executives and investors met with White House
officials today to make their case for a federal cap on emissions of
carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases. More
Marketplace Radio on 10/06/09: Biz Execs Push Govt on Climate Change
Today and tomorrow, more than 150 business executives will be up on Capitol Hill as
environmental advocates. They want Congress to pass a new law cutting
greenhouse gases. More
WSJ on 10/02/09: SEC May Require Disclosure for Cos Hit By New CO2 Policies
U.S. companies may soon have to start providing investors with guidance on their exposure to the potential cost of climate policies, said Commissioner Elise Walters of the SEC. More (pdf)
POLITICO on 10/05/09: Big Business Pushes For Climate Action
Two coalitions of top U.S. corporations are using Washington visits and more than $1 million in advertising to prod the Senate and White House to accelerate work on an energy and climate bill. More
| | Press Releases
A Race Toward Sustainability and Profits:
New Report Delivers Powerful Message and Roadmap for Companies
March 11, 2010 - Companies must make immediate and meaningful social and environmental improvements if they are to win in the resource-constrained 21st century. More
NH Business Leaders United With Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce in
Nationwide ‘Race’ for American Jobs and Innovation
March 9, 2010 - As Senator Judd Gregg met with President
Obama today to discuss national energy and climate legislation, executives from
consumer and clean energy businesses rallied at the University of New
Hampshire’s Manchester campus here to express their support for such
legislation for its potential to create jobs and protect American
competitiveness. More
Investors File a Record 95 Climate Change Resolutions: a 40% Increase Over 2009 Proxy Season
March 4, 2010 - Leading U.S. investors today announced that they have filed a record 95 climate change shareholder resolutions with 82 U.S. and Canadian companies that face far-reaching business challenges from climate change. More
Investors Managing $2.1 Trillion in Assets Praise SEC for Climate Disclosure Guidance
March 3, 2010 - More than 50 leading investors today sent a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission re-affirming their support for the SEC's recent issuance of interpretive guidance clarifying what publicly-traded companies need to disclose to investors in terms of climate change-related material risks and opportunities they face. More
Ohio Business Leaders Unite at OSU to Drive Home Message of Economic Benefits From Strong Energy/Climate Legislation
March 2, 2010 - Members of the business community from across Ohio gathered today at Ohio State University’s Gateway Film Center to call on Congress for action on comprehensive energy and climate legislation. More
Clean Energy, Ski Industry, Green Job Leaders Join Forces in Nationwide ‘Race’ for American Jobs and Innovation
February 24, 2010 - Clean energy and skiing industry executives joined veteran leaders and green building advocates at the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado Center today for the second leg of Race for American Jobs & Clean Energy Leadership. More
BICEP Statement: U.S. Business Wants Action Now on Strong Energy and Climate Legislation
February 24, 2010 - As the U.S. Senate considers a final push on climate legislation, BICEP – Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy – released a statement today urging Congress to move quickly to enact strong climate and energy legislation. More
Best Buy Joins BICEP Coalition Advocating for Strong Climate and Energy Policy in the United States
February 24, 2010 - Best Buy, a U.S.-based global retailer of consumer electronics, has joined Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), a coalition of major consumer companies advocating for strong U.S. climate and energy policy. More
EMC Corporation Joins Ceres Network of Companies
February 19, 2010 – EMC Corporation, a leader in information infrastructure solutions, has joined the Ceres’ Corporate network. EMC describes its approach to sustainability as “looking inward, outward, and ahead,” and has established a structure to ensure that the sustainability strategy is integrated across the global enterprise. More
Nike, Starbucks, and Clean Energy Companies Join Forces to Launch Nationwide “Race for American Jobs and Innovation”
February 16, 2010 - Dozens of company executives joined union leaders, youth organizations and Congressman Earl Blumenauer today to kickoff the Race for American Jobs & Clean Energy Leadership, a coast-to-coast race to drive home the economic benefits of national climate and energy legislation. More
Clean Energy, Ski Industry, Green Job Leaders Join Forces in Nationwide ‘Race’ for American Jobs and Innovation
February 24, 2010 - Clean energy and skiing industry executives joined veteran leaders and green building advocates at the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado Center today for the second leg of Race for American Jobs & Clean Energy Leadership. More
New Report: Largest Companies Fall Short in Managing, Disclosing Water Scarcity Risks
February 11, 2010 - Despite growing water-scarcity risks in many parts of the world, the vast majority of leading companies in water-intensive industries have weak management and disclosure of water-related risks and opportunities, according to a first-ever report issued today by Ceres, UBS and Bloomberg. More
Ceres and Trillium Announce Third-Annual Joan Bavaria Awards
February 9, 2010 - In honor of socially responsible investment pioneer Joan Bavaria, Ceres and Trillium Asset Management Corporation are inviting nominations for the third-annual Joan Bavaria Awards for Building Sustainability into the Capital Markets. More
SEC Issues Ground-Breaking Guidance Requiring Corporate Disclosure of Material Climate Change Risks and Opportunities
January 27, 2010 - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today issued new interpretive guidance that clarifies what publicly-traded companies need to disclose to investors in terms of climate-related ‘material’ effects on business operations. More
More than 80 U.S. Companies Call on President Obama & Congress To Enact Comprehensive Climate and Energy Legislation
January 21, 2010 - More than 80 leading CEOs from U.S. businesses, including Exelon, Virgin America, NRG Energy, eBay and PG&E, sent a letter to President Obama and members of Congress today calling on them to move quickly to enact comprehensive climate and energy legislation that will create jobs and enhance U.S. competitiveness. More
Investors Representing $13 Trillion Call on U.S. and Other Countries to Move Quickly to Adopt Strong Climate Change Policies
January 14, 2010 - On the heels of international climate treaty talks in Copenhagen, the world’s largest investors today released a statement calling on the U.S. and other governments to move quickly to adopt strong national climate policies that will spur low-carbon investments to reduce emissions causing climate change. More
New Report: Investment Managers Lagging in Response to Climate Change Risks and Opportunities
January 06, 2010 - Although there is overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is underway and governments are imposing regulations to curb greenhouse gases, the vast majority of the world's largest investment managers are not factoring climate-related trends into their short- and long-term investment decision-making. More
Note to Investors: Energy Efficiency Measures Can Enhance Value of Real Estate Portfolios
December 21, 2009 - A new report from Ceres and Mercer highlights energy efficiency’s importance for both real estate investing and climate change. The report also flags potential risks to real estate portfolios that don't embrace energy efficiency measures. More
Drive Less, Pay Less: Environmental and Transportation Groups Unveil Performance Standard for Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance
December 9, 2009 - Today at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Winter Meeting, Ceres and a diverse group of transportation and environmental organizations unveiled a proposed performance standard to rate Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) auto insurance policies in the U.S., which save consumers money when they reduce their vehicle travel. More
Canada’s Oil Sands: More Questions Than Answers For Investors
November 30, 2009 - Oil and gas companies spending billions per year to extract petroleum from Canada’s oil sands region are doing a poor job disclosing to investors on environmental, social and governance issues that could threaten the companies’ long-term financial performance. Read More.
Major Investors Call for SEC to Require Disclosure of Companies’ Climate Risks and Opportunities
November 23, 2009 – A supplemental petition, submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission today by a broad coalition of 20 institutional investors, asks the SEC to provide interpretive guidance outlining climate-related 'material risks'. More
First-Ever Survey Shows Emerging Market Banks Growing Interest in Climate Change
September 17, 2009 - Amid growing pressure on developing countries to join an international climate treaty later this year, a new Ceres report released today shows that emerging market banks are beginning to integrate climate change considerations into lending and other business decision-making, but that significantly more attention is needed. More
Investors Achieve Major
Company Commitments on Climate
Change
August 24, 2009 - A record 68 climate-related shareholder resolutions were filed by investors this year, of which 31 were withdrawn after the companies agreed to positive climate-related commitments. More
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