A research project sampling 428 wind farms and around 500,000 property sales within 5 miles of the farms have found that property values do in fact decline when in close proximity to a wind farm. However, this study does not factor in the social and economic benefits that wind farms bring to a community.

A lack of US climate reporting regulation may pose negative side effects to US companies in the long run as they will have to adhere to stronger EU compliances.

A historic agreement where over 200 nations agreed upon the transition away from fossil fuels, tripling the amount of renewable energy, halting deforestation, and curbing the release of methane by 2030.

As Cop28 is halfway done there has been massive discussion over urgent climate policies. A discussion over a loss and damages fund as well as a fossil fuel reduction plan that mirrors the Paris Agreement.

The EU recently passed a new “eco-design” framework that will redefine the sustainability within product development for the future.

The World Resources Institute recently published, “The State of Climate Action 2023”. This report provided insight into a roadmap that the world can follow to reach the agreed-upon 1.5℃ degree target in each high-impact area of the market.

On November 20th, the United Nations released its 2023 Emissions Gap Report with an eye-catching headline, “Broken Record; Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again)”. This report is the 14th annual edition in a series written by the world’s top climate scientists to look at future trends in global warming.

PWC recently released its third annual “Global Investors Survey”. The report surveyed 345 investors and also completed in-depth interviews with 15 investment professionals across 30 countries.

Brazil's Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) and Ministry of Finance recently declared that public companies in Brazil will be mandated to report on sustainability and climate-related disclosures starting in 2026. The CVM stated that the new reporting requirements will align with the latest standards released by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and will follow a phased approach, commencing with voluntary reporting in 2024.

In a recent development, 40 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) proposed a motion to reject the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). These MEPs advocated for simpler, less burdensome sustainability disclosure rules. The Parliament ultimately voted against this motion, with 359 votes against out of the 631 MEPs. On the same day however, the European Commission did announce plans to delay the ESRS implementation timeline.

The Task Force on Climate-Related Disclosures (TCFD) recently published its sixth and final status report, shedding light on both the progress in corporate climate reporting and the persisting data collection challenges. The TCFD, formed in 2017, aimed to enhance consistency and comparability in climate-related financial information among companies.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a significant investment of $7 billion to establish seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) across the nation as part of President Biden's "Investing in America'' agenda. These hubs are a central component of the Bidenomics strategy and will accelerate the large-scale deployment of clean hydrogen, playing a crucial role in achieving the President's climate and energy security goals.

On October 7, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom made a significant move in the fight against climate change by signing into law two landmark bills - SB-253, the "Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act," and SB-261, "Greenhouse Gases: Climate-Related Financial Risk." These laws represent the first industry-agnostic climate regulations in the United States, and mandate the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks by large public and private companies operating in California.

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, is introducing a new fund to the private credit market that embraces the burgeoning trend of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing in the US. Known as the Climate Transition-Oriented Private Debt (CPD) Fund, this initiative is part of BlackRock's extensive investment platform, valued at over $100 billion.

The EU took a pioneering step on October 1st by launching the world's first Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a system designed to impose CO2 emissions tariffs on carbon-intensive goods imported into the EU.

A recent KPMG survey found that just 25% of surveyed business leaders express confidence in meeting future ESG reporting requirements, despite an increasing reliance on ESG strategies for added business value. The "KPMG U.S. ESG Survey" involved over 200 business leaders responsible for their companies' ESG strategies, primarily from North American companies with revenue exceeding $1 billion across diverse industries.

Yesterday, The European Commission adopted a detailed set of reporting regulations for the transitional phase of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Set to begin on October 1, 2023 and extend through the year 2025, this transitional phase aims to lay the groundwork for the CBAM's full implementation.

In efforts to combat climate change, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced an investment of $1.2 billion dedicated to launching the nation's first-ever Direct Air Capture (DAC) program. This program will launch two new demonstration projects in Texas and Louisiana to essentially vacuum carbon dioxide out of the air. Once captured, this carbon dioxide will be stored underground or used in industrial materials such as cement. This initiative, unveiled on August 11th, 2023 truly highlights the Biden administration's unwavering commitment to innovative solutions aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions and preserving our planet for future generations.

Sustainability and ESG across the globe has become a massive priority to businesses. KPMG recently released their 2022 EMA ESG Due Diligence Study where they shared the results of their survey to find out what Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) due diligence (DD) means for dealmakers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. After surveying more than 150 active dealmakers the insights were profound. From struggling to define ESG DD, to division on how to integrate ESG DD into existing frameworks and strategy, all the way to seeing very clearly that ESG DD is a key priority, KPMG provides EMA dealmakers and strategy leaders with new ideas and motivation to drive forward their ESG DD capabilities. Today, Sustaira summarizes these findings for you!