House Republicans released a report accusing major investment firms of colluding with climate groups to push for environmentally friendly investing, sparking a new controversy over ESG practices.
House Judiciary Committee Republicans claim BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard are part of a “climate cartel.”
The report targets activist group Climate Action 100+ for allegedly pressuring asset managers to adopt climate-focused investments.
The GOP criticizes the Biden administration for not investigating these alleged collusions.
Key quote:
“Investors who undertake investor stewardship on climate change are pursuing a common-sense approach driven by the pursuit of delivering the best long-term returns for their clients and beneficiaries.”
— Climate Action 100+ spokesperson
Why this matters:
This controversy highlights the political tension over ESG investing, which influences how major firms allocate resources and address climate change. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe, the urgency for sustainable solutions has never been greater. Advocates argue that the financial sector must play a pivotal role in this transformation by redirecting capital towards projects and companies that support a low-carbon future.
Big banks want multilateral development institutions to act like insurers, reducing the risk for private investors to finance climate-friendly projects.
The insurance firm Swiss Re projects climate disasters would cost the world as much as $23 trillion by 2050, bigger than the impact from the pandemic and the Great Recession of 2009 combined.
