2020 Volume 85 Issue 2 Pages 101-105
Climate policies at a national level and private sector initiatives are becoming important. Climate actions are of paramount importance as a policy priority for the EU and the Democrats/Democratic-leaning independents in the United States. In the EU and the United States, climate policies, and trade and financial policies are being linked. European Commission President von der Leyen considers introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism, and in the United States both Democrats and Republicans also consider imposing a border carbon adjustment for the presidential election. In the EU, a unified classification system （ʻtaxonomyʼ） on what can be considered an environmentally sustainable economic activity is discussed in order to facilitate sustainable investment. In the United States, on the other hand, there is a discussion on whether ESG finance hinders energy infrastructure investment. Behind long-term strategies of global energy companies towards a low carbon economy lie the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure and institutional investors groupsʼ move over shareholder resolutions. Against this background, some upstream energy and utility companies have sold coal assets, strengthened natural gas assets or switched to renewable energy and energy efficiency businesses, while others sold natural gas assets from a longer-term perspective. In addition, several upstream energy companies, especially the US companies, recently invested in technologies such as CCUS.
