Archives: GHG

Net Zero Pledge Standards for Business Released at COP27

Much has been written in the media about the just concluded UN Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, most of it focusing on the agreement to agree on reparations or more correctly stated, on providing “loss and damage” funding in the future for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters. But the biggest takeaway for … Continue Reading

Low Embodied Carbon Concrete is Here

By Stuart Kaplow on November 20, 2022 Posted in Climate Change, ESG, GHG, State

The golden opportunity in ESG may be in concrete. Embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with materials’ manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal. In a building, there is “upfront” embodied carbon in construction and then operational carbon largely from energy consumption. Embodied carbon is particularly important because it contributes more climate changing … Continue Reading

Scope 4 GHG Emissions

By Stuart Kaplow on November 6, 2022 Posted in Climate Change, ESG, GHG, Green Building, Green Washing

Scope 4 greenhouse gas emissions are not new. They date to 2013 when the Greenhouse Gas Protocol identified “avoided emissions” as emission reductions that occur outside of a product’s lifecycle or value chain, but as a result of the use of that product. It was actually a decade ago that the GHG Protocol released “a survey to … Continue Reading

The “Social Cost of Carbon” is Back

By Stuart Kaplow on October 30, 2022 Posted in Climate Change, Codes and Regulations, ESG, GHG, greenhouse gas

On November 11, 2022, shortly after this blog was posted EPA proposed a rule to regulate emissions of methane. While the proposed rule is itself worthy of discussion, readers of this blog may be particularly interested in a key technical feature of the announcement, that EPA has introduced a new approach to estimating the social cost … Continue Reading

Webinar: Are You Ready to Measure and Report Your Building GHG Emissions?

By Stuart Kaplow on August 14, 2022 Posted in ESG, GHG, greenhouse gas

You are invited to join Stuart Kaplow and Nancy Hudes for a live webinar we are presenting this Tuesday, August 16 from 9 to 10 am EST that will provide you with all the information you need to reply to the question “Are You Ready to Measure and Report Your Building GHG Emissions?” Our webinar … Continue Reading

Reducing Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions

By Stuart Kaplow on August 7, 2022 Posted in ESG, GHG, greenhouse gas

As governments enact mandatory greenhouse gas emission laws and as businesses voluntarily make “net zero” pledges, we are increasingly working with organizations, first to understand and calculate their GHG emissions, then to implement strategies for efficacious yet frictionless reductions. An example of what businesses are reacting to is Maryland’s new statutory mandate that buildings, commercial, … Continue Reading

Supreme Court Rules Against EPA Reining in Power of Agencies

By Stuart Kaplow on June 30, 2022 Posted in Climate Change, Federal, GHG, greenhouse gas

In a decision that will rein in agency power across the federal government, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that Congress did not clearly authorize the EPA to adopt broad rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electric utility power plants. Specifically, the high court held, “Congress did not grant EPA in Section 111(d) of … Continue Reading

SEC Proposes Two Rules as Cairns to Prevent Misleading ESG Claims

By Stuart Kaplow on June 19, 2022 Posted in Codes and Regulations, ESG, Federal, GHG

On October 7, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reopened the public comment periods, for 14 days from the day the notice is published in the Federal Register, for 11 of its rulemaking releases, some of them viewed as controversial including the rules discussed in this blog post, due to a technical glitch that … Continue Reading

Glossary of Greenhouse Gas Terms

By Stuart Kaplow on June 5, 2022 Posted in Climate Change, GHG, greenhouse gas

With proposed federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions by the Securities and Exchange Commission requiring GHG disclosure and new state statutes, including a new Maryland law that requires not only disclosure, but also a mandated reduction in GHG emissions, a greater appreciation of the subject of GHG appears in order. This short glossary is an … Continue Reading

SEC Extends Comment Period for Proposed Rules on ESG Related Disclosures

By Stuart Kaplow on May 22, 2022 Posted in ESG, GHG, Sustainability

On October 7, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reopened the public comment periods, for 14 days from the day the notice is published in the Federal Register, for 11 of its rulemaking releases, some of them viewed as controversial including the rule discussed in this blog post, due to a technical glitch that … Continue Reading

A Quick Science Refresher on Greenhouse Gas

By Stuart Kaplow on May 1, 2022 Posted in Climate Change, Federal, GHG, State

With the federal government and state of Maryland each having announced within days of each other, the mandated disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, we have received, maybe not surprising, many calls in the last two weeks inquiring “what are GHGs?” and “what are Scope 3 GHG emissions (.. which are proposed to be a … Continue Reading

You Should Comment on the SEC’s Transformative Proposed ESG Rule

By Stuart Kaplow on April 24, 2022 Posted in Codes and Regulations, Federal, GHG

Note, after this was posted, the SEC extended the public comment period on the proposed rulemaking to enhance and standardize climate related disclosures from the originally scheduled close date of May 20, 2022 until June 17, 2022. We posted some weeks ago when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a long awaited proposed new … Continue Reading

Maryland Resets the Trajectory with Greenhouse Gas Reduction Law

By Stuart Kaplow on April 17, 2022 Posted in ESG, GHG, State

With legislation that became law last week, without the Governor’s signature, Maryland has enacted the most rigorous state law in the country reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and otherwise addressing ESG stewardship including climate change. Businesses can and should treat this as the greatest opportunity and responsibility of our time. Literally resetting the trajectory of … Continue Reading

SEC Climate Risk Rule is Transformative At a Cost

By Stuart Kaplow on March 27, 2022 Posted in ESG, GHG, greenhouse gas

Last Monday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted 3 to 1 to issue a long awaited proposed new rule to mandate climate risk disclosures by public companies and other businesses in their supply chains. The 510 page proposed rule will require public companies to include climate related disclosures in their registration statements and periodic … Continue Reading

Supreme Court to Hear Climate Change Regulation Case

By Stuart Kaplow on October 30, 2021 Posted in Climate Change, ESG, GHG, Paris Accord

If there was any question that the judiciary was a coequal and political branch of government, last Friday after President Biden was wheels up to attend the COP26 Glasgow climate conference, the Supreme Court agreed to review the Environmental Protections Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. This litigation over the EPA’s scope of authority … Continue Reading

Green Building Law Update

Environmental Law and Sustainability for Business