Cynthia Hanawalt

23 posts
Cynthia Hanawalt is the Director of Climate and Business Law at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.

Behavioral Effects of Corporate GHG Emissions Disclosures: A New Sabin Center White Paper

In recent years, roughly 30 nations have implemented regulatory regimes that mandate some type of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosure from corporations. As GHG emissions disclosure regimes continue to take hold, several key questions arise: will they prompt meaningful and sustained GHG emissions reductions, or will they merely serve to […]

State Anti-ESG Movement Evolves to Target Investor Access

With anti-ESG forces ascendant in national government, and federal agencies neglecting or outright reversing even modest regulatory efforts to address climate risks, fossil-fuel industry supporters have expanded their agenda at the state level. Through 100+ statehouse bills introduced this year, the anti-ESG agenda has moved beyond an initial targeting of […]

Fiduciary Duties White Paper: Varied Legal Parameters Shape Fiduciaries’ Ability To Act On Climate Risk

  Commentators who advocate either for or against corporate and asset managers addressing climate risks often refer to “fiduciary duty” as justification for their claims. Yet no field of corporate or asset management actually imposes one standalone fiduciary duty. Nor do any two business-law fields impose the same fiduciary regime. […]

Uncertainty on Climate Risk Disclosure as Trump’s SEC Abdicates Responsibility

For a second time, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has passed the buck on its landmark climate disclosure rule, entitled The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors. The rule, finalized just last year, remains in legal limbo, as neither the SEC nor the courts seem eager to […]

100 Days of Trump 2.0: The US Weakens Regulations Addressing the Financial Cost of Climate Change

Under new leadership appointed by the Trump administration, federal agencies have weakened key regulations meant to protect the economy from the financial harms of climate change. Some of the targeted regulations seek to manage climate risk; others constrain corporate actions or investment strategies on a range of environmental, social, or […]

Reflections from Columbia’s Forum on Climate-Related Fiduciary Duty

As the physical and economic harms of climate change accumulate, corporate managers have faced increasing pressure to reduce their companies’ greenhouse gas emissions and adapt their businesses to climate-related risks. In parallel, civil society organizations and activist investors have increasingly sought to compel private sector action on climate change, while […]

New Report: Upcoming Debates on the SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rule

What will happen to the SEC’s March 2024 climate disclosure rule under the new federal administration? A paper published by Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) seeks to contribute to the upcoming debates on this question. In their joint report, […]

The Anti-ESG Movement Has Not Fared Well in Court, but Critical Decisions Are Pending

The Republican-led “anti-ESG” (environmental, social, governance) movement over the last two years has largely been a legislative effort, comprised primarily of state-level bills that attempt to halt the consideration of climate risk and other commonplace factors in investment decisions connected with government funds, contracts, and pensions. Hundreds of these proposals […]