Surveillance Capitalism

BlackRock Supports Climate Risk Disclosure

March 28, 2017

Reuters reports that asset manager BlackRock, facing pressure from environmental and human rights NGOs for not backing activist shareholder resolutions, has taken up the agenda of the Group of 20's (G20) Financial Stability Board by including among its top "engagement priorities" in 2017 disclosure of climate change risks and boardroom diversity.
FIFA Establishes BHR Advisory Panel

March 24, 2017

Under pressure from human rights activists who say it has done little to implement the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has established a panel comprising businesses, NGOs, UN officials, and others to advise the organization on BHR priorities ranging from labor standards to freedom of expression.
BHR Activists Question Business Collaboration on Agenda

March 20, 2017

An article by former human rights consultant Michael Hobbes profiling the most recent UN Forum on Business and Human Rights (BHR) illustrates the growing disillusionment of some environmental and human rights activists with a strategy of collaboration with multinational corporations on implementing the BHR agenda.
Insurer Warns of Assets "Stranded" by Climate Change

March 17, 2017

The insurance company Lloyd’s of London has published a report in cooperation with researchers at the University of Oxford arguing that insurers must consider divesting from assets that will become "stranded" by government policies responding to global warming and calling for companies to participate in the development of climate policies and regulations.
Companies Face BHR Complexities in Climate Adaptation

March 17, 2017

An article on the website Raconteur highlights the complexities involved in the corporate adoption of the global climate change agenda, as business and human rights (BHR) activists increasingly scrutinize corporate environmental efforts for human rights impacts on communities and call for stakeholder consultation and transparency to prevent BHR violations.
Shipping Industry Prefers UN to EU Emissions Solution

March 16, 2017

The website Climate Home reports that the maritime industry is criticizing the European Parliament's call to include ships in the EU's regional Emissions Trading System beginning in 2023 to reduce emissions from the shipping sector, advocating instead for a global solution regulating emissions from the UN's International Maritime Organization.
Businesses Face Pressure to Promote Rights Agenda

March 14, 2017

An article in The Washington Post explores the impacts of social media platforms and other factors in increasing public pressure on business leaders to take a position on issues involving "human rights," particularly when activists perceive businesses as having a stake in these rights.
Investors Seek Retention of SEC Minerals Rule

March 14, 2017

Signaling the impact activists are having on investors and banks over the social and environmental impacts of their finance decisions, a group of investors has published a letter to the US Securities and Exchange Commission calling for the continued enforcement of the agency's rule requiring reporting on businesses' use of "conflict minerals" from Africa.
NGO Promotes Climate Pressure on Banks

March 13, 2017

The nongovernmental organization ShareAction has produced a set of global guidelines instructing investors how best to place pressure on banking institutions to move investments from the fossil fuel industry to low-carbon alternatives in line with the UN's climate change deal agreed in Paris in 2015.
European Businesses Split on Carbon Tax

March 02, 2017

An article in Bloomberg reveals a split between some European utility and energy companies on the need for European leaders to pursue a global trend, urged on by the UN and environmental activists, to set a minimum tax on the price of greenhouse gas emissions to encourage the development of alternative energy sources.