May. 13, 2022
I support the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed rule to require publicly-traded companies to disclose climate-related financial risk information (S7-10-22). Climate change is impacting every region of the world, and its effects—including extreme weather and related climate-fueled disasters—are accelerating. Humans and wildlife alike are suffering the consequences of an unstable climate and environmental degradation perpetuated by polluters. As climate-related disasters continue to increase in frequency and severity, the death and destruction left in the wake are becoming harder to grapple with. The promise of a stable financial system that can support the American economy is becoming more challenging to ensure, especially while investors and other market actors don’t have all the necessary information to make smart, climate- and community-forward investment decisions. I would like to see a sustainable American market that gives investors and other market actors the choice to support companies that try their best not to harm the environment, and those that actively try to address climate change and related issues. Other countries are already requiring these types of climate-related disclosures from companies, so it is time for the U.S. to step up and do the same. The environment and all that it provides us is priceless—we enjoy national and state parks that offer us inspiring views and exciting glances at wildlife, and the biodiversity found across this nation provides life-sustaining ecosystem services. With global average temperatures on the rise causing large losses in biodiversity, we are quickly losing all that is precious to us. We need transparent information about climate-related investment risks. Thank you for proposing this rule, and I urge the SEC to finalize it as quickly as possible. Kathryn Elalouf