Climate change expertise lacking in Canadian boardrooms, says report
CALGARY — Canada’s biggest oil and gas producers and utilities appear to lack expertise in climate change at the board level despite their dependence on selling energy products linked to the issue, says an institutional shareholder advisory firm.
The Shareholder Association for Research and Education said in a report Tuesday that none of the 39 producers or 13 utility companies, whose recent disclosure documents it reviewed, lists climate change as an area of knowledge for any board member.
“We are seeing increasing momentum on climate change here in Canada and it’s clear to us that companies specifically need to be paying attention to their climate risks and opportunities,” report author and SHARE analyst Laura Gosset said.
“The specific goal of this report was to take stock of the current state of disclosure on climate competency at the board level of companies.”