The letters SEC and an image of a columned building above it.

SEC moves to halt climate disclosure rule, signaling potential rollback

The Securities and Exchange Commission is pausing its legal defense of a rule requiring public companies to disclose climate-related risks, a move that could lead to its repeal.

Matthew Goldstein reports for The New York Times.

In short:

Acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda directed the agency to stop defending the climate disclosure rule in court, citing concerns over its legality and economic impact.
The rule, enacted under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, requires companies to report greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks to investors.
Business groups and 19 Republican-led states challenged the rule, arguing it is unnecessary and exceeds the SEC’s authority.

Why this matters:

The decision to halt the rule designed to increase investor transparency on climate risks is a setback for those pushing for corporate accountability on environmental issues. Without such regulations, companies face fewer obligations to disclose how climate change could affect their bottom lines, leaving investors with limited insight into potential financial risks. Critics argue that reversing course primarily benefits industries with heavy carbon footprints while undermining long-term financial and environmental stability. The move comes at a time when extreme weather events and shifting consumer expectations are putting pressure on businesses to take climate-related risks more seriously.

Learn more: Oil and gas firms hide climate impacts in investments

www.nytimes.com

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

SEC moves to halt climate disclosure rule, signaling potential rollback

Community activists plead to be heard through “closed doors” outside nation’s top energy conference

“It is our communities that are being harmed and hurt.”

EPA faces legal pushback over canceled climate grants

Bill Gates' climate group cuts staff as focus shifts under Trump

Virginia court delays state’s return to carbon market as Youngkin fights ruling

EPA moves to further limit protections for wetlands

Wildfire survivors face hidden risks from lingering toxic pollution

Solar power surges ahead despite political opposition

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

LISTEN: Reflections on the first five years of the Agents of Change program

The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.

Study shows $1 billion in lost tax revenue in Houston area from industry tax breaks

Top polluters are benefiting the most from tax breaks.