Elizabeth Meager

Critics see the ExxonMobil and Santander-backed Carbon Measures initiative as politically timed and a risk to transparency Companies and investors have spent more than 10 years arguing about how to measure carbon emissions. Consensus has over time converged around the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which is embedded in reporting frameworks — slowly becoming mandatory — around the world.

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Commitments include plans for a ‘near zero methane intensity’ marketplace that could exclude major emitters such as the US Methane topped the agenda as COP30 kicked off, with governments, philanthropies and campaigners pledging a series of measures to reduce it.

Financial institutions are waking up to the regulatory and legal risks tied to oil and gas-based methane, but few yet treat it as a serious investment factor From 2026, the EU’s Methane Regulation will for the first time impose monitoring and reporting obligations on oil and gas companies importing into the bloc. It will eventually result in financial penalties for those that fail to meet its standards.

As the federal government remains shuttered, critics say the administration is exploiting the crisis The US federal government has been shuttered since October 1. But what began as a disagreement on healthcare subsidies has become something more deliberate: a strategy that allows the administration to continue dismantling the federal state under the convenient cover of crisis, critics say.

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Sophisticated companies are learning to ground their work in strategy, not symbolism Firstly, those disheartened by political shifts should remember that markets are cyclical and a sustainability downturn will probably be followed by a reignition of interestTo drive meaningful change, companies should be publicly advocating for policies that price externalities such as greenhouse gas emissionsCompanies should focus on solving problems that connect naturally to their business model

Investor powers are eroded as the regulator backs corporations on voting, litigation and climate reporting A pattern is emerging at the US Securities and Exchange Commission. In a series of moves announced in recent months, it appears to be abandoning its long-standing tradition of protecting investors, tipping the power balance back towards companies.

Companies are splitting into two camps: those holding steady, while others are quietly retreating Politics has become the dominant force reshaping corporate sustainability, giving some companies an excuse to back away from their formerly ambitious targets, Sustainable Views research has found.

The latest edition of our Sustainable Views newsletter Dear reader,

The latest edition of our Sustainable Views newsletter Dear reader,

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin called the move the ‘biggest deregulatory action in US history’ The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced it is seeking to roll back one of the country’s oldest environmental laws, upon which all emissions regulation in the country is based.

Extreme weather is undermining the viability of coverage, which is worrying investors

Texas floods reveal climate blindness in the US

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Lawsuits and Trump’s anti-climate agenda will not derail 2026 reporting rules, lawmakers say At a glanceCalifornia’s climate disclosure laws, requiring companies to report emissions and climate risks from 2026, remain on track despite lawsuits and political pushback from the federal governmentKey business groups are challenging the rules in court, but state officials are confident they will withstand legal scrutiny — one claim has already been dismissedCorporate leaders and state regulators say disclosure is essential to managing business risk, and warn that non-compliance could carry serious consequences

US fossil fuel companies have stepped up their campaign to block EU climate legislation

Forcing corporate behaviour change is the clearest measure of investor impact that would lead to real-economy emissions reductions, says a report from Sierra Club At a glanceThe Sierra Club says traditional ESG tactics — such as stockpicking, decarbonisation and disclosure demands — are insufficient to address climate-driven financial threatsForcing corporate behaviour change is the clearest measure of investor impact that would lead to real-economy emissions reductionsConcerns around stranded asset risk are overblown compared with the broader risks to economic stability if fossil fuel assets remain in use by mid-century, it says

The latest edition of our Sustainable Views newsletter Dear reader,

The latest edition of our Sustainable Views newsletter Dear reader,