Business & Human Rights

Court Orders SEC to Either Defend, Change or Repeal Climate Reporting Rules

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 05:50:00 -0400

The U.S. Court of Appeals has told the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it will not issue a ruling on the legality of its climate disclosure rules, as requested by the SEC, leaving the agency on its own to decide on the fate of the rules requiring climate-related reporting by public companies.

Impact of ICJ and IACTHR Advisory Opinions on the Oil and Gas Sector

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 01:17:00 -0400

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice have both recently issued landmark advisory opinions addressing state obligations regarding climate change. Although directed at state actors, these opinions may have a ripple effect across the private sector.

Bank of America Finally Axes Rule that Sparked ‘Debanking’ of Conservative Religious Groups

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 17:20:00 -0400

Bank of America has finally scrapped a controversial rule that critics say had sparked the “debanking” of charities and businesses associated with conservative religious groups.

Texas Judge Greenlights Multi-State Lawsuit Accusing BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street of Using Climate Initiatives to Manipulate Energy Markets

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:31:00 -0400

Eleven State Attorneys General filed a lawsuit claiming that the asset managers engaged in anticompetitive behavior by using sustainable development initiatives to manipulate coal markets.

UBS Exits Net Zero Banking Alliance

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 10:10:00 -0400

Swiss banking and financial services group UBS announced today that it has decided to withdraw from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, becoming the first major European bank outside of the UK to exit the UN-backed coalition dedicated to advancing global net zero goals through their financing activities.

The ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: A Business and Human Rights Perspective

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 10:47:00 -0400

The International Court of Justice issued an Advisory Opinion holding that states are obliged under international law to prevent significant harm to the environment and regulate the conduct of private actors accordingly, irrespective of states being a party to treaties.

HSBC Exits Net Zero Banking Alliance

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 14:25:00 -0400

HSBC announced that it has decided to withdraw from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), following its North American peers.

GRI Releases New Reporting Standards

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 08:46:00 -0400

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") has released new Climate Change and Energy Standards, which are developed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board ("GSSB"), and are one of the "most commonly accepted global standards for sustainability reporting by companies."

The Political Nature of ESG

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:52:00 -0400

Andrew Stuttaford in his recent National Review article shows how Environmental Social Governance ("ESG") has never been neutral, but has always had political underpinnings.

SEC Abandons Defense of Climate Disclosure Rules

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 09:28:00 -0400

The United States Securites and Exchange Commission ("SEC") is withdrawing proposed rules that would require "disclosures by investment managers marketing ESG-focused funds aimed at providing consistent information to investors and to avoid greenwashing risk."