Climate-Related Financial Risk: (Net) Zeroing In On Key Private Equity Considerations Under The Biden Administration's Executive Order

On May 20, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Climate-Related Financial Risk, which outlines various initiatives to promote policies related to physical and transition risks associated with climate change and to prioritize federal investments in support of those policies.  In this alert, we focus on key aspects of the order that could have implications for private equity funds and areas of consideration for asset managers as a whole. 

The Executive Order addresses five broad priorities:

1. develop a government-wide strategy for mitigating climate-related financial risk;
2. encourage financial regulators to assess climate-related financial risk;
3. encourage consideration of climate-related financial risks related to life savings and pensions;