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upstart writes:

How will climate change impact American companies? The SEC thinks you have a right to know:

Groundbreaking federal regulation expected to be unveiled Monday could change how Americans—and American companies—think about climate change. The Securities and Exchange Commission will meet to discuss whether public companies must disclose the risks they face from global warming.

Much as homebuyers are protected by rules requiring a seller to disclose problems, the new SEC rule would allow investors to judge how well or poorly a company is prepared for the future costs of a warming planet.

The anticipated rule would require publicly traded U.S. companies to tell investors about their greenhouse gas emissions and how they manage risks related to climate change and future climate regulations.

"There's increasing concern that investors are not fully informed of the climate risks companies face," said Michael Gerrard, faculty director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. "These disclosures will shine a harsh light on companies that have climate exposure who maybe would rather lurk in the dark."

The SEC, which ensures investors get accurate and transparent information about stocks, bonds and corporate profitability, was created by Congress after the 1929 stock market crash. Many Americans had invested in companies that had not been truthful about the risks they faced.

"The SEC was created to ensure it would not happen again. Climate change is a huge risk," said Paula DiPerna, a special adviser to CDP, a nonprofit that runs a voluntary climate disclosure system for companies.

[...] It is the SEC's job, however, to make sure companies are being honest about their claims. If well-defined reporting becomes mandatory, some companies will be shown to not be as green as they claim, said Gerrard. That's where the rule would have teeth.

"If you're found to be lying to the Securities and Exchange Commission," said DiPerna, "it's securities fraud."

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