The Week in Sustainability

A recent study predicts a $38 trillion annual loss by 2049 due to climate change, disproportionately affecting poorer nations and regions like the southeastern United States and southern Europe. Meanwhile, legal scholars are proposing to hold oil companies accountable for climate-related deaths, akin to past cases against tobacco companies. These discussions highlight the urgent need for collective action to address economic forecasts and legal accountability in combating climate change.

Today is Earth Day, and with this special episode, we sat down with Ali Cammisa, senior director of sustainability at CRG Restaurant Group. CRG’s commitment to integrating sustainable practices, like composting programs, reflects a broader movement within the restaurant industry. Through storytelling and accessible communication, CRG aims to engage both customers and executives in their journey towards environmental stewardship, exemplifying the evolving significance of Earth Day beyond an annual event.

The Week in Sustainability

April 8–12, 2024

This week:

Our team dived into three crucial sustainability topics:

–The influence of financed emissions on businesses

–The importance of external assurance in emissions reporting

–The grid challenges brought on by a recent solar eclipse

This eclipse resulted in a significant drop in solar energy generation, forcing grid operators to increase their reliance on fossil fuels to maintain energy balance.

In this episode of The Week in Sustainability, we chat with Gehry Oatey, manager of ESG data and analytics at leading plumbing manufacturer Oatey. We cover the often-daunting challenges surrounding scope 3 emissions—indirect emissions that occur across a company’s entire value chain, including its suppliers and customers.

The Oatey’s experience serves as a valuable roadmap, not just for the plumbing industry, but for any organization looking to navigate scope 3 complexities and create a more sustainable supply chain.

As we continue to unpack the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) final Climate Disclosure rule, we look to bring you interesting expert perspectives. This week, we’re joined by special guest Mallory Thomas, a risk advisory partner at Baker Tilly, a leading advisory CPA firm, who brings additional perspective for companies looking to get an overview of what it will take to comply with the SEC rules.

–We discuss the release of the IEA 2023 report, highlighting the modest success in curbing CO2 emissions through clean energy growth despite challenges posed by weather patterns and the pandemic. The report emphasizes record emissions decline in advanced economies driven by clean energy technologies. Still, it warns of the persistent rise in global emissions, mainly from coal combustion in emerging economies. The report stresses the need for global proactive policy interventions and technological advancements to address the interconnected emissions issue and urges collective action to achieve sustainable goals.

As predicted, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved the long-awaited climate disclosure rule this week. The impact? Now, thousands of public companies will be required to disclose material scope 1 and 2 emissions. The disclosure law marks a significant milestone in corporate climate reporting, driving the imperative for strategic alignment and comprehensive risk management.

In this episode of The Week in Sustainability, we welcome Christopher McClure a partner and ESG services leader for Crowe LLP, a leading public accounting, consulting, and technology firm.