美国国家公共电台 NPR--House GOP likely to begin inquiries into environmental, social and governance issues

House GOP likely to begin inquiries¹ into environmental, social and governance issues

Transcript²

Republicans plan to use their majority in the House to probe environmental, social and governance investing, which are at the center of a debate over how businesses should respond to climate change.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Republicans are going to control the House of Representatives in 2023. They plan to use their majority to investigate environmental, social and governance investing. It's known as ESG, and it's at the center of a debate over how businesses that control trillions of dollars should respond to climate change. Michael Copley is with NPR's climate desk, and he's following the issue.

Hi, Michael.

MICHAEL COPLEY, BYLINE³: Hey, Leila.

FADEL: OK. So I think people have started to hear this acronym⁴, ESG, more and more. But what exactly are we talking about here?

COPLEY: Yeah. I think it gets misunderstood or mischaracterized by supporters and opponents. And what we're talking about is the practice of evaluating risks and opportunities related to environmental, social and governance issues that companies face. The big one right now is climate change. And so the idea is if you can identify the risks and opportunities related to climate change that different companies face, you can find better long-term investments.

FADEL: OK. So what does that look like in practice?

COPLEY: Example I hear a lot is if you're investing in beachfront property in South Florida, what are you doing to deal with the threat of rising sea levels? If you're investing in a fossil fuel company, what is it doing to deal with the risk of stricter environmental regulations or competition from stuff like electric vehicles and renewable energy? Now, supporters will say ESG isn't perfect, that investors⁵ need better data and that some companies have overpromised and underdelivered on their commitments but that at its core, it's about putting a price tag on risk to help investors decide whether they think companies are making good decisions.

FADEL: OK. So Republicans don't think investors should be making those sort of calculations.

COPLEY: I think what we're seeing is that Republicans will often characterize ESG as an attempt to impose liberal or so-called woke policies with the main goal of kind of killing⁶ off the fossil fuel industry. Lawmakers in Texas held a hearing on ESG investing in December. Texas has been leading the charge against ESG, and so the hearing did feel like a preview of what we might see from Republicans in Congress.

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BOB HALL: I think this issue of ESG is something that has floated underneath⁷ the radar⁸ way too long. And I think it's probably one of the existential threats to our economy here in Texas and to the U.S.

COPLEY: That's Bob Hall, a Republican state senator in Texas. And, you know, we've heard similar comments from Republicans in Congress. ESG has been described as this cancer within the U.S. economy.

FADEL: I mean, that's really strong words. Are the political attacks having an impact on where money is being invested or the questions investors are asking?

COPLEY: You know, I think a lot of big investors genuinely see climate change as a real financial threat. And I don't think these attacks have changed that. Now, what it could do is have a chilling effect on the kinds of positions that companies are willing to take publicly. I spoke⁹ to Witold Henisz, the faculty¹⁰ director of the ESG initiative at the Wharton Business School.

WITOLD HENISZ: I think there is a risk of less vocal¹¹ leadership, and that can have real-world and tangible¹² impacts, particularly on something that is, you know - existential threat like climate.

COPLEY: Henisz says leadership is important here because dealing¹³ with climate change is going to require bold action, and the threat of political blowback could make companies less willing to do big, ambitious stuff to deal with this complicated problem.

FADEL: So how are supporters of ESG responding?

COPLEY: Some want to see companies' investors do a better job of explaining just what it is. They think if ESG is explained in concrete terms, voters will see it as a reasonable way to approach investing. They're also trying to show that these attacks are part of a long-running effort to keep the U.S. from taking action to deal with climate change.

FADEL: NPR climate correspondent Michael Copley, thanks.

COPLEY: Thanks, Leila.

(SOUNDBITE OF MAMMAL HANDS' "FLOATING WORLD")

1 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

8 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

11 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

12 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

13 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。