Bidding Adieu to 2023 – On to 2024!

At this time of year, we’ll usually see a flurry of “looking back” and “looking ahead” perspectives shared, distributed by service providers, with focus on 2023 developments and 2024 forecasts. This issue of our newsletter focuses on a number of these types of news and opinions in the respective topic categories. 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2024 to all of our friends and colleagues!

Top Stories

• Final SEC climate disclosure rule pushed to April 2024 (ESG Dive)

• For 2024, Expect Investors to Stay Laser-Focused on Climate, Sustainalytics & Indexes Chief Says (Morningstar)

• COP28 ends with call to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels; UN’s Guterres says phaseout is inevitable (United Nations)

• What does the groundbreaking COP28 agreement mean for the US? (The Hill)

Sustainability Standard Setters & Policy Makers

SEC, SASB, GRI, IIRC, FSB-TCFD

• TCFD bids adieu at COP28 (IR Magazine)

• UK Sustainability Disclosure Framework FCA publishes final rules on Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and investment labels (Mayer Brown)

ESG / Sustainable & Responsible Investment

Asset Owners & Managers, Ratings Agencies

• ESG Critics Ultimately May Help Improve the Strategies (Institutional Investor)

• Investors should look to the Global South to scale climate solutions (GreenBiz)

• Greenhushing’ and ‘green bleaching’ blur sanctions targets – watchdog  (Reuters)

Corporate Sustainability / ESG

Disclosure, Reporting, Corporate Initiatives

• In 2023, We Placed Too Much Emphasis on EVs  (GreenBiz)

• Air France, Etihad, & Lufthansa Adverts Banned In UK For ‘Misleading’ Sustainability Claims (Simple Flying)

• Ethnicity pay gap ‘a crucial first step to raising workforce standards across the sector’  (ESG Clarity)

Stakeholders That Matter

Developments, Trends, Corporate Actions Affecting Stakeholders

• CFOs Respond to the Call for Greater Private Sector Investment in Climate Action at COP28  (UN Global Compact)

• COP28 Presidency unites the world on Loss and Damage (United Nations)

Global Sustainability News: Forward Momentum!

News & Developments of Note

• COP28 plan to triple renewables is doable, but not easy, companies say  (Reuters)

• More than half of the world’s largest companies don’t have a chief sustainability officer. Here’s the proof they’re missing out (Fortune)

• UK Eliminates Cap on Penalties on Polluting Companies (ESG Today)

Sustainability Data in Focus

Developments in Data, Research, Trends

• Sustainability and Climate Trends to Watch for 2024 (MSCI)

• Nature risk reporting lags far behind climate disclosures, CDP finds (GreenBiz)

• A Cross-Continental Review of Sustainability-Linked Executive Incentives (Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance)

U.S. Climate Actions

Updates from and about Washington D.C.

• Biden administration announces policy to decarbonize federal work travel  (GreenBiz)

• U.S. Grants $890 Million for Carbon Capture Projects at Coal and Gas Power Plants  (ESG Today)

Eyes on Europe

ESG Regulations

• European Commission Confirms ‘Premature’ ESG Benchmark Label on Hold  (Responsible Investor)

• EU Lawmakers Reach Deal on New Environmental, Human Rights Sustainability Due Diligence Law (ESG Today)

These feeds are provided for G&A Institute in partnership with 3BL. 3BL distributes press releases, blogs, videos, podcasts, reports, newsletters and more to the growing audience of stakeholders interested in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability. Visit 3BL.com for more.

• Lighting Up the Holidays for D.C. Families (Article from: Pepco)

• “Catastrophic” Hunger Crisis Declared in Gaza by International Food Security and Nutrition Experts (Article from: Action Against Hunger)

• Fifth Third’s 2022 Sustainability Report Earns Four MarCom Awards (Article from: Fifth Third Bancorp)