Day 28: Same Ol’, Same Ol’

Stimulated by the recently announced decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission that:

Companies must consider the effects of global warming and efforts to curb climate change when disclosing business risks to investors…

I thought I’d dash off a little missive to the Boston Globe saying what an excellent idea I thought it was.

Yesterday the business community got a good dose of realism when the SEC approved new guidelines requiring companies to include information on the impact of climate-change regulation in corporate filings. This is a message that the current administration is more serious about enforcing environmental-protection laws; under Bush, those laws were pretty universally ignored, leaving companies free to pollute. However, climate denialism is still very much a growth sector. Cynical and mendacious people eager to misrepresent an overwhelming scientific consensus are heavily funded by big oil and coal companies. It is time for the business sector to recognize the reality of global climate change and begin marshaling the resources of the private sector to help the world’s population prepare for the devastating effects of climaticide. Yesterday’s SEC ruling was a good step in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.

Warren Senders