Coming soon (perhaps) a wave of litigation to compel businesses and others to be in line with the Paris Agreement, or with any other agreement or standard

Below is a link to a CNBC article about a Dutch Court holding that Shell must cut carbon emissions by 45% to be in line with the Paris Agreement. Shell is appealing the decision; however, the decision does raise a lot of issues and questions for United States businesses, entities, and people internationally, and for United States businesses, entities and people in the United States, not the least of which might be the following two multiple issues and questions:

  • To what extent might a court of another country have authority to order and compel a United States business, entity or person to reduce its carbon or any other emissions to be in line with the Paris Agreement or to be in line with any other climate agreement or standard?
  • To what extent might a United States court, United States regulatory agency, state court, state regulatory agency, or other entity or person in the United States have authority to order and compel a United States business, entity or person to reduce its carbon or any other emissions to be in line with the Paris Agreement or to be in line with any other climate agreement or standard?

The article indicates a possible wave of litigation, which would not surprise me. See the link to the article below.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/26/dutch-court-rules-oil-giant-shell-must-cut-carbon-emissions-by-45percent-by-2030-in-landmark-case.html

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Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only.

⁃  Litigation, disputes and trials (primarily in the following areas):

Commercial and business, and business owner, investor, shareholder, D&O, officer, director, governance, accountings, lost income, profits and royalties, and business-related;

Trust, estate, elder abuse, POA, conservatorship, contentious administrations, ethics, etc.;

Workplace and employment, and real property; and

Various other cases and areas (environmental contamination, accidents, insurance, etc.).

⁃  Boards and committees including audit and governance committees, investigations, independence, conflicts, governance, diligence, risk management, ESG, etc. – representation and advising re conduct, authority, duties and responsibilities, rights and liability.

⁃  Services as a mediator, and dispute resolution.

Forwarding from Cooley PubCo: BlackRock puts sustainability at the center of investment strategy

The following is a link to a Cooley PubCo post discussing BlackRock’s annual letter to CEOs.

https://cooleypubco.com/2020/01/15/blackrock-sustainability-investing-disclosure/

The Cooley PubCo post also includes a link to the annual letter. The annual letter significantly discusses climate change in the context of sustainability, but the ultimate conclusion is that BlackRock will be placing more focus of its evaluation on how a company and its board disclose sustainability

The following are a couple of quotes from the BlackRock annual letter. One question, as always, is how this will or will not change how people, businesses, organizations, governments and regulators, nonprofits, and other stakeholders act or don’t act, and possibly responsibilities and rights.

Here are a few quotes from the annual letter which you can also see by clicking this link https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/investor-relations/larry-fink-ceo-letter:

“We believe that all investors, along with regulators, insurers, and the public, need a clearer picture of how companies are managing sustainability-related questions. This data should extend beyond climate to questions around how each company serves its full set of stakeholders, such as the diversity of its workforce, the sustainability of its supply chain, or how well it protects its customers’ data. Each company’s prospects for growth are inextricable from its ability to operate sustainably and serve its full set of stakeholders.”

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“We recognize that reporting to these standards requires significant time, analysis, and effort. BlackRock itself is not yet where we want to be, and we are continuously working to improve our own reporting. Our SASB-aligned disclosure is available on our website, and we will be releasing a TCFD-aligned disclosure by the end of 2020.

BlackRock has been engaging with companies for several years on their progress towards TCFD- and SASB-aligned reporting. This year, we are asking the companies that we invest in on behalf of our clients to: (1) publish a disclosure in line with industry-specific SASB guidelines by year-end, if you have not already done so, or disclose a similar set of data in a way that is relevant to your particular business; and (2) disclose climate-related risks in line with the TCFD’s recommendations, if you have not already done so. This should include your plan for operating under a scenario where the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to less than two degrees is fully realized, as expressed by the TCFD guidelines.

We will use these disclosures and our engagements to ascertain whether companies are properly managing and overseeing these risks within their business and adequately planning for the future. In the absence of robust disclosures, investors, including BlackRock, will increasingly conclude that companies are not adequately managing risk.”

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only.

I am also the Chair of the Business Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Blogs: Trust, estate/probate, power of attorney, conservatorship, elder and dependent adult abuse, nursing home and care, disability, discrimination, personal injury, responsibilities and rights, and other related litigation, and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com; Business, D&O, board, director, audit committee, shareholder, founder, owner, and investor litigation, governance, responsibilities and rights, compliance, investigations, and risk management  http://auditcommitteeupdate.com