Article Reflection No. 68 (9/17/2023)

Article: “California’s Governor to Sign Landmark Climate Disclosure Bill”

Reflection:

In The New York Times article “California Governor to Sign Landmark Climate Disclosure Bill”, journalist Coral Davenport details a law that, if enforced, would require companies with over $1 billion annual income to fully disclose both indirect and direct contributions to greenhouse gasses, by 2027. Environmentalists claim that bills like these will ultimately decrease emissions as a whole, with investors discouraged by the amount of greenhouse gas contributions across corporations. For the companies themselves, this is a test of accountability that publicly measures whether or not they have maintained sustainability throughout production. The significance of this law also stems from the state that will enforce this disclosure policy—California itself. Given how California has one of the largest economies across the globe, it may encourage other states to take similar action, according to the article.

Given the global demonstrations, this decision is timely. Accountability may mitigate the negative side effects of greenhouse gas emissions, I agree with that.