Activist investors will put forward a record 142 shareholder
resolutions during the upcoming proxy season asking corporations to
strengthen their environmental commitments in areas ranging from
greenhouse gas reductions and energy efficiency to deforestation
and water use.
A nonprofit group, Ceres, released a list that covers a broad
range of topics and industries. A common thread is a demand for
greater transparency about the risks associated with the production
and use of carbon-based fuels and the resulting greenhouse gas
emissions. For a number of targeted companies, especially those in
the energy sector, such resolutions have become a perennial event,
and few of the climate change resolutions garner overwhelming, or
even majority, support from shareholders. Proponents of the
resolutions state that they have a positive effect, and shareholder
support has grown to upwards of 40%.
