Environmental Law Matters

The U.S. Climate Finance Working Group released its February 18, 2021 policy statement, “Financing a U.S. Transition to a Sustainable Low-Carbon Economy.”  The Working Group comprises eleven of America’s leading financial-services industry associations, broadly representing “Wall Street.”

With climate-change initiatives among the top priorities announced by the new Biden administration, the Working Group

“seeks to engage with incoming leaders and members of Congress on a bipartisan basis to help establish a shared vision for U.S. climate policy. By so doing, we hope to inform the policymaking process and demonstrate our willingness and capacity to support a pragmatic approach to transitioning to a more sustainable, and inclusive, low-carbon economy.”

The Group has staked its position in the policy debate on a series of principles:

• Set science-based climate policy goals that align with the Paris Agreement
• Increase and strengthen U.S. international engagement
• Provide clear long-term policy signals that foster innovation in financial services
• Price carbon and leverage the power of markets
• Minimize costs and support jobs in the transition
• Foster international harmonization of taxonomies, data standards, and metrics
• Promote more robust climate disclosure and international standards
• Ensure climate-related financial regulation is risk-based
• Build capacity on climate risk modeling and scenario analysis
• Strengthen post-disaster recovery, risk mitigation, and adaptation

The U.S. Climate Finance Working Group comprises American Bankers Association, Bank Policy Institute, CRE Finance Council, Financial Services Forum, Futures Industry Association, International Capital Market Association, Institute of International Bankers, Institute of International Finance, International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Investment Company Institute, and Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.