Climate Change Archives - Americans for Financial Reform

In The News: How Can We Reform Property Insurance to Adapt to Climate Change? (Shelterforce)

The climate threat is growing. So is the cost of protecting our homes from its damage. Two weeks ago, Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified in Florida, demonstrating the terrifying magnitude that climate change-fueled extreme weather events can reach. Across the country, the growing frequency and intensity of wildfires, hurricanes, and even thunderstorms will require a new approach to insuring homes and communities.

NEWS RELEASE: New Yorkers, Frontline Leaders, Climate Groups React to NYC Comptroller’s Groundbreaking Private Equity Commitment

NEW YORK – Today, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced a commitment to exclude new pension investments in private equity-backed fossil fuel midstream and downstream companies and projects, addressing a significant loophole in the funds’ Net-Zero Implementation Plan. This makes NYCERS, NYCTRS, and NYCBERS – three of New York City public pensions representing $207 billion in assets – the first-in-the-nation to make such a commitment, setting precedent for funds across the country and around the world to follow suit.

NEWS RELEASE: U.S. Must Play a More Active Role in Regulating Climate Finance to Protect Global South

New report recommends financial and trade reforms to improve data and accountability on financial flows and help close the climate finance gaps in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

AFREF Supports Campaign to Lower Home Energy Costs through FHFA Adoption of Energy Efficiency Standards

Since fall 2023, AFREF and partners have been part of an ongoing Campaign for Lower Home Energy Costs. The goal is for The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to require new homes with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to be built to

Memo to Banking Regulators Recommending Further Guidance on Climate-Related Financial Risk Mitigation, Fair Lending, & Climate Investment Opportunities

AFREF authored a memo endorsed by nine partner organizations, which highlights opportunities for financial institutions to mitigate climate-related financial risk in a way that doesn’t violate fair lending and supports communities while building resilience through Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) opportunities.

News Release: Private Equity Holdings in Fossil Fuels Spew Gigaton of Carbon Annually

The 2024 Private Equity Climate Risks Scorecard studied 21 private equity firms that manage $6 trillion worth of companies, and found that two-thirds of the energy companies in their portfolios are invested in fossil fuels, using hundreds of millions of dollars from pension funds. Their gigaton of carbon emissions is over three times as much as from the energy used to power all the homes in America and exceeds those of the global aviation industry.

News Release: SEC Approves Updated General Responsibilities of Auditors

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a new standard from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) that clarifies the “General Responsibilities” of an auditor in conducting a public company audit. AFREF and Public Citizen submitted a comment to the PCAOB on the proposed standard.

Letter to California Legislature: Support SB 219 Timeline for Climate Risk Disclosure

Americans for Financial Reform joined a coalition letter to the California Assembly Natural Resources Committee supporting the passage of SB 219 offering technical amendments to the recently passed historic Senate Bill 253, the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, and Senate Bill 261, the Climate-related Financial

Amicus Brief: State of Iowa v. Securities and Exchange Commission on Climate Risk Disclosure Rule

Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund filed an amicus brief in the 8th Circuit. View or download a PDF of the brief here. Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund joined Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Sierra Club Foundation in an

News Release: Public Interest Groups Defend SEC’s Climate Risk Disclosure Rule

Today, a coalition of public interest organizations filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit defending the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against challenges to its final rule requiring public companies to disclose climate-related risks to their businesses and plans to manage or mitigate them. The SEC rule aligns with the growing consensus among investors and financial regulators in the U.S. and around the world that climate change poses significant risks to financial systems, and that securities regulators have an important role to play in mitigating those risks.