This article appeared in Business Crimes Bulletin, an ALM/Law Journal Newsletters publication that features the news and analysis you need to stay on top of the fast-changing, multi-faceted world of financial and white-collar crime.
At a time when climate change has been referred to by the President of the United States as our “existential crisis,” and investors are pouring trillions of dollars into green, sustainable funds, more and more companies and investment funds are touting their climate and environmental bona fides. In April of this year, Mastercard announced that it was going to link all employee bonuses to meeting ESG (environmental, social and governance) goals. See, “Mastercard (MA) to Tie All Employee Bonuses to Meeting ESG Goals,” Bloomberg (April 19, 2022). Similarly, in March of this year, Goldman Sachs announced that directors at companies in which Goldman invests who fail to provide sufficient climate risk disclosure are at risk of being voted out by Goldman.
