AUGUST 17, 2021
Contact:
Elizabeth Fairchild
efairchild@businessfwd.org
202-861-1270
Washington, DC — The White House held a briefing on Friday to discuss the progress of President Biden’s executive order on climate-related financial risk, announced in May. Officials from the Biden Administration and relevant federal agencies — including the National Economic Council, White House Climate Policy Office, Office of Management and Budget, and Employee Benefits Security Administration — updated stakeholders on how and when they can engage to support the process.
Business Forward executive director Liz Fairchild released the following statement:
“We need to act now to protect workers, retirees, and families from climate-related risks to their life savings and pensions. Climate-aligned practices will ensure that financial institutions can reliably serve communities and preserve well-functioning markets, which are essential for economic growth and creating job opportunities.
The longer we wait, the more uncertainty U.S. consumers and families will face. In order to create a stable investing environment, we need to better account for and measure the risks to our physical assets and communities posed by extreme weather events, and prepare companies for the policy and regulatory changes associated with the transition to a clean energy economy.”
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Business Forward helps local business leaders make the “business case” for climate action, affordable healthcare, immigration reform, diversity and inclusion, sensible tax laws, criminal justice reform, infrastructure investment, and other pro-growth reforms. These leaders brief policymakers, work with local media, publish op-eds, submit testimony, advocate online, and organize their communities. We also promote their recommendations through issue briefs, survey reports, training manuals, and podcasts. More than 650 mayors, governors, members of Congress, and senior Administration officials have participated in our briefings.