Climate Talk on S&P 500 Earnings Calls Drops by Three-Quarters

In boardrooms across America, mentions of sustainability and related terms on earnings calls have dropped steeply as public companies see less to gain from associating themselves with environmental goals.

Bloomberg Green analyzed transcripts of S&P 500 company earnings calls going back to 2020, tracking mentions of more than a dozen terms including climate change, global warming, ESG, clean energy and green energy. On average, companies are talking about the environment 76% less than they were three years ago.

Green chatter on quarterly calls peaked at the beginning of 2022, months before passage of then-President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law, the ...