In this episode, we investigate corporate climate commitments and how to make them stronger. We get to the root of zero-emissions pledges and greenwashing — specifically in the oil and gas industry.
Dr. Paasha Mahdavi, associate professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joins us to report this story. Paasha talks with Louise Rouse, a consultant who teams up with investors to push corporations for climate accountability. He also speaks with The Science Based Targets Initiative’s head of standards, Emma Watson, and Jill Courtenay, director of communications and project management at the shareholder advocacy nonprofit, As You Sow.
Leah, Katharine, and Paasha look at how we can get to a decarbonized economy through policy and shareholder activism — a tool that can be used by anyone with a retirement account. They learn about the SEC’s proposed mandatory disclosure rules, shareholder resolutions, and the difference between buzzwords like “carbon neutral” and “net zero.” Paasha also mentions three different categories, or “scopes,” of corporate emissions. You can read about scope one, “burn,” scope two, “buy,” and scope three, “beyond.”
Corporations that keep this info hidden can face serious blowback from their investors. Check out this earth-shaking vote by ExxonMobil shareholders to reshape the company’s board of directors in 2021 (which Jill Courtenay mentions in the episode).
Next time, we’ll enter the worlds of three activists working across the country to fight petrochemical pollution within their communities. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and don’t miss a single episode this season!
Live Episode: A Climate Book Talk with Rebecca Solnit
The Tongass: A Way Forward For The Forest
The Journey of Justice40
The ‘Darth Vader’ of Electric Utilities
The Case of the Killer Heat
New Year’s Reflections, Resolutions, and Inspiration from Sherri Mitchell
Petrochemicals and Plastics: A Fossil Fuel Lifeline?
Crypto Has a Climate Problem
How To Cope with All the Climate Feels
Live Episode: Vice President Kamala Harris on Climate Leadership, Justice, and Solutions
“What Can I Do?” Part 3 — The Political
“What Can I Do?” Part 2 — The Professional
“What Can I Do?” Part 1 — The Personal
Welcome to Season 3 of A Matter of Degrees
This is a Big (Climate) Deal: What’s in the Inflation Reduction Act?
How Gender Equality Can Save The Planet
Paid in Blood
The ‘Win-Win-Win’ Strategy To Retire Coal
The ‘Bond Vigilante’ Exposing Fossil Fuel Risk
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