SEC acting Chair Allison Herren Lee has directed the commission's Division of Corporation Finance to enhance its focus on climate-related disclosure in public company filings.
She is asking SEC staff to review the extent to which public companies address topics identified in the commission's 2010 guidance concerning climate change disclosure and comply with current disclosure obligations under the federal securities laws, according to a statement.
"Now more than ever, investors are considering climate-related issues when making their investment decisions," Lee said in her statement on this initiative. "It is our responsibility to ensure that they have access to material information when planning for their financial future."
SEC staff will use insights from their reviews and from engagement with companies on those issues to begin updating the commission's 2010 guidance, taking into account also developments over the past decade, according to Lee's statement.
