skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

American Airlines is boarding flights again, and the FAA lifts its nationwide ground-stop; Santa Cruz, CA wharf collapses in storm, tossing three people into water; Toxic 'forever chemicals' taint rural CA wells. Has Ohio lost its battleground state status? Opponents of factory farms regroup after mixed election results.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Biden commutes the sentences of most federal death row inmates, the House Ethics Committee says former Rep. Gaetz may have committed statutory rape, and the national archivist won't certify the ERA without congressional approval.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Investors, activists both work to shape companies' climate goals

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 13, 2024   

The food we consume is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, with beef production -- key to the fast food industry -- among the leading sources.

Pressure on major fast-food chains to set measurable climate goals has begun to build, not only from environmental groups but from a somewhat unexpected source: shareholders.

Kevin Chuah, assistant professor of international business and strategy at Northeastern University in Boston, said the shift reflects a broader trend in shareholder activism.

"The public campaigns tend to be those that include shareholder proposals, can involve litigation," Chuah pointed out. "It could be as simple as writing a public letter to a company or to a group of companies asking for a demand."

He noted the strategies have led companies like Jack in the Box and Wingstop to set broad climate goals, driven by nonprofits focused on environmental accountability. He acknowledged to avoid resistance from large investors, the goals tend to stay general, allowing companies some discretion in defining their environmental commitments.

In addition to fast food chains, shareholder activism extends across other industries, from agriculture to fossil fuels. The goals may be to influence corporate practices on issues like climate goals, diversity and equity. Chuah emphasized the activism is part of a broader system, where not only shareholders but also regulators and financial entities play a role in urging greater corporate responsibility.

"There have been many instances of nonprofits and religious groups being quite influential," Chuah observed. "They've done it either because of persistence, because they've brought these issues back to companies over time. Another has been where they're collaborating with others, approaching the company with a larger group."

He added shareholder influence has managed to boost corporate climate responsibility efforts. Many hope growing such efforts, through private talks or public proposals, will lead to real emission reductions, especially in high-impact sectors like food production.

This story is based on original reporting by Grace Hussain for Sentient.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Juana Valle's well is one of 20 sites tested in California's San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions in the first round of preliminary sampling by University of California-Berkeley researchers and the Community Water Center. The results showed 96 parts per trillion of total PFAS in her water, including 32 parts per trillion of PFOS - both considered potentially hazardous amounts. (Hannah Norman/KFF Health News)

Environment

play sound

By Hannah Norman for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Ser…


Environment

play sound

Animal rights organizers are regrouping after mixed results at the ballot box in November. A measure targeting factory farms passed in Berkeley but …

Environment

play sound

Farmers in Nebraska and across the nation might not be in panic mode anymore thanks to another extension of the Farm Bill but they still want Congress…


Immigration law experts say applying for asylum status can be very lengthy, and that programs such as Temporary Protected Status can fill the void for people fleeing violence elsewhere in the world. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

With 2025 almost here, organizations assisting Minnesota's Latino populations say they're laser focused on a couple of areas - mental health-care …

Social Issues

play sound

A new report found Connecticut's fiscal controls on the state budget restrict long-term growth. The controls were introduced during the 2018 budget …

As of August, enrollment in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System had reached 66,114 students, representing an increase of 8.4%, according to state data. (Adobe Stock/AI generated image)

Social Issues

play sound

Nearly a dozen changes could be made to the Kentucky Community and Technical College system, under Senate Joint Resolution 179, passed by lawmakers …

Social Issues

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for Arkansas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collab…

play sound

By Julieta Cardenas for Sentient.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021