Stat Of The Week: A Dearth Of Boardroom Climate Expertise 

Also: 2020 tied the warmest year on record. 

As 2020 slowly fades into the rearview mirror and new data reveals the year was tied for the hottest on record, corporate boards appear ill-equipped to respond to risks stemming from the climate crisis.

Bloomberg noted Wednesday that only 6% of 1,188 directors at 100 of the largest U.S. companies had “relevant credentials” in environmental protection, citing a study by the Stern Center for Sustainable Business at New York University. 

NYU’s Tensie Whelan told the publication that almost all corporate boards lack expertise in “financially material ESG matters” like climate change, employee diversity, and supply chain scandals, later adding:

Without board members who have a strategic understanding of the issues, the board won’t know the questions to ask or even understand that the potential risks might exist.  

2020 Tied For Warmest Year On Record, NASA Analysis Shows [NASA]
Many US Corporate Boards Don’t Fully Understand The Climate Crisis [Bloomberg]
US Corporate Boards Suffer from Inadequate Expertise in Financially Material ESG Matters [NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business]


Jeremy Barker is the director of content marketing for Breaking Media. Feel free to email him with questions or comments and to connect on LinkedIn