The ESG Era: Progress, Pushback, and the Path Ahead
From Environmental Law Explored: A Podcast SEERies by ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources
June 30, 2025 · 19 min
About this episode
The episode discusses significant legal and regulatory changes in the ESG landscape across multiple regions in 2024.
In 2024, key legal and regulatory shifts transformed the ESG landscape across the U.S., Canada, U.K., and EU. In the U.S., the SEC adopted—and later stopped defending—climate disclosure rules, while the Department of Labor's ESG rule faced litigation and Congress advanced anti-ESG bills. At the same time, the EPA began deploying $27 billion under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, and youth-led climate lawsuits saw major wins. California's climate reporting laws (SB 253, SB 261, AB 1305) faced challenges but remained in effect, and greenwashing litigation expanded to cover broad corporate ESG claims. Internationally, the U.K. introduced mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain rules, the EU implemented the CSRD and CSDDD, and Canada passed a new Modern Slavery Act. Together, these changes mark a global move toward greater corporate transparency and environmental accountability. Join Josh Galperin, professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, in conversation with Lauren Lynam and Morgan Martin as they unpack the year's most significant ESG legal developments across the U.S. and beyond.
People in this episode
Host: Josh Galperin
Guests: Lauren Lynam, Morgan Martin
Topics covered
- ESG developments
- climate disclosure
- corporate transparency
- environmental accountability
- legal shifts
- greenwashing litigation
Keywords
- ESG
- climate disclosure
- greenwashing
- corporate accountability
- environmental law
- Biodiversity Net Gain
- Modern Slavery Act
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: SEC, Department of Labor, EPA
Places: U.S., Canada, U.K., EU
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