美国国家公共电台 NPR--Activist investors press corporations to take action against climate change

Activist¹ investors² press corporations to take action against climate change

Transcript³

At publicly traded companies' annual meetings, shareholders⁵ are filing more resolutions about climate change than at the same point last year.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Over the next few months, shareholders in publicly traded companies will be gathering⁶ at annual meetings to weigh in on how companies are run. They'll vote on issues like executive pay and who sits on corporate⁷ boards. And a big focus again this year is climate change. Michael Copley joins us from NPR's climate desk to explain what's going on. Good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL COPLEY, BYLINE⁸: Hey. Good morning, Leila.

FADEL: So these are companies that millions of Americans are invested in through their retirement⁹ funds. So which issues are getting a lot of attention at these meetings?

COPLEY: Yeah, so every year, investors can submit what are called shareholder⁴ resolutions. It's just a way to ask a company to do something, and all the shareholders get to vote. According to one recent tally¹⁰, shareholders had filed more than 500 resolutions so far this year, asking companies to address environmental, social and corporate governance issues. Out of all those resolutions, almost a quarter focus on climate change. And more climate resolutions have been filed so far this year than at the same point in 2022.

FADEL: So why so many resolutions now?

COPLEY: You know, I've heard a couple explanations. One is just that more investors are worried about climate change. Scientists working for the United Nations recently said the Earth's on track for catastrophic warming that'll bring more extreme weather - stuff like hurricanes, floods and droughts - that can cause a lot of economic damage in addition to human suffering. The other thing is U.S. regulators have made it harder for companies to block certain kinds of shareholder resolutions.

FADEL: OK, so what kind of things are investors asking for?

COPLEY: You know, I think in general, investors are trying to understand how companies are contributing to climate change and how they're dealing¹¹ with the problem. So they want companies to make plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions¹². Investors also want to know how companies are preparing for changes in the economy and new regulation - so shifting to more renewable energy and electric vehicles. I talked to Kirsten Snow Spalding at Ceres. It's a nonprofit that works on sustainability issues. Here's how she described it.

KIRSTEN SNOW SPALDING: In layman's terms, it's set targets. Issue plans. Give us clear disclosure. And all of it is about, how are you addressing the risks and moving forward towards the opportunities?

COPLEY: Investors also want to know what companies are doing behind the scenes, lobbying on issues related to climate change.

FADEL: So there's real concern here, and investors are pressing their case. Are we seeing big changes, though, in corporate policies?

COPLEY: Companies have made a lot of promises to cut emissions, and I think that's because of shareholder pressure. Investors are talking to these companies all year round, and these annual meetings are a good way for shareholders to sort of apply more pressure. Some proposals never go to a vote because the two sides strike a deal. But what we also know is that while the number of climate proposals is increasing, when it came time to vote at meetings last year, support on average fell. Some say that's because proposals by activist shareholders have just gotten more ambitious. So maybe the resolutions were more aggressive than mainstream¹³ investors could stomach. Others say some proposals were too heavy-handed, so there was concern that they might interfere¹⁴ with how companies are managed.

FADEL: While all this negotiation¹⁵ is going on, emissions are going up. So what's the outlook for the votes that are coming up?

COPLEY: You know, we've seen some activists¹⁶ have sort of tweaked their strategies. So instead of calling for banks to cut off funding for fossil fuels, they're asking to sort of set windows for phasing out funding to kind of give them more leeway. But I think there's still going to be tension between what scientists say we need to do to meet climate targets and what a lot of companies say is doable. You know, just recently, a big insurance company said it's going to require clients in the oil and gas industry to cut emissions of methane¹⁷. It's a potent¹⁸ greenhouse gas. A big shareholder group said, great, but it's not enough, and we're going to keep pushing for more aggressive action.

FADEL: NPR's Michael Copley, thanks so much.

COPLEY: Thanks, Leila.

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

5 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

8 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

9 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

10 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

13 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

14 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

15 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

16 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

18 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。