SEC, ESG and Climate Enforcement: Gearing Up, Winding Down or Business As Usual?

The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) launched its Climate and ESG Task Force focused on enforcement with great fanfare in March 2021. In response to “increasing investor focus and reliance on climate and ESG-related disclosure and investment,” the task force had a staff of 22 from across the agency to proactively identify misconduct related to environmental, social and governance (ESG).