The SEC’s Time To Act
A New Strategy for Advancing U.S. Corporate and Financial Sector Climate Disclosures
February 19, 2021, 5:00 am
Getty/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Bill Clark
A flag flies outside of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission building in Washington, D.C., July 2020.
Julia Cusick
Introduction and summary
Climate change poses major risks to U.S. companies, the domestic economy, and the planet. Those risks include the loss of jobs. The 2008 financial crisis resulted in the loss of more than 8 million jobs,
1 and the cumulative job losses from future climate-driven financial impacts could be even larger.
2 With many climate risks—such as hurricanes and wildfires—already materializing, investors, regulators, and the public need better information to evaluate the risks to companies and the financial system and take appropriate action in response.