More on the Push for More Climate Change Disclosure

One of the directors at Ceres was cited as a source in the Wall Street Journal article on the agreement by which Xcel Energy will increase the greenhouse gas data it provides to investors. Ceres reportedly has asked the SEC to require more disclosure regarding climate-change risks in financial reports.

What is Ceres? Pronounced "series," the group of investors, environmental organizations, and other public interest groups executes a mission of "integrating sustainability into capital markets for the health of the planet and its people." The organization's Web site, www.ceres.org, has plenty of information on the topic and is worth sifting through if your company is interested in getting a read on (and/or ahead of) climate-change disclosures.

A recent new release on the site, for example, reports that a "record 57 climate-related shareholder resolutions were filed with U.S. companies, of which nearly half were withdrawn after the companies agreed to positive climate-related commitments." The resolutions that did go on to a vote received record high average voting support of 23.5 percent, according to Ceres, "including 39.6 percent support for a resolution filed with coal company CONSOL Energy, the highest vote ever on a global warming shareholder resolution."

For those who are interested, Ceres is also a dwarf planet/asteroid and (perhaps more germane to the group discussed above) the Roman goddess of agriculture.