Climate Change Risks Surge in Companies’ Annual Reports to SEC

Big public companies’ disclosures about climate change risks in their annual reports surged last year, amid growing pressure from regulators and investors.

The number of current S&P 500 members citing climate change or greenhouse gas under risk factors in their annual 10-K filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission almost quadrupled in one year, from roughly 60 companies in 2019 to at least 220 companies in 2020, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis.

The universe of companies now making climate disclosures is almost as diverse as the S&P 500 itself and includes firms like AT&T Inc., Chevron Corp., ...