The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) voted against the board of directors at a record 2,035 global companies for not providing adequate climate risk disclosures this proxy season. Aeisha Mastagni, a portfolio manager on CalSTRS’ Sustainable Investment and Stewardship Strategies Team, said: “We voted against boards that didn’t meet the most basic disclosure expectations. These public disclosures are an important step toward reaching net zero because companies cannot be held accountable for reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions without them.” At a minimum, CalSTRS, which manages around US$315 billion in assets, expects its portfolio companies to report their direct GHG emissions (also known as scope 1 emissions), indirect emissions (scope 2), and climate reports based on the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. These companies are also expected to curb—or at least have a credible plan for curbing—their GHG emissions. “We need to make informed decisions to manage our portfolio on behalf of California’s educators, but that job is made more difficult if companies aren’t fully measuring and tracking their emissions,” said Mastagni. “Fortunately, we believe mandatory GHG emissions reporting is on the horizon.”
News release: CalSTRS escalates efforts to hold global companies accountable for not adequately disclosing climate change risks; votes against 2,035 boards of directors in proxy season 2023. https://t.co/5VjnXYpDW0 pic.twitter.com/98TuMoyUec
— CalSTRS (@CalSTRS) August 10, 2023
