AI Around the Globe: What to Know in 2024
Impact of environmental, social and governance agenda on tax
Suzanne Folsom & Christopher Burnham on Private Sector Lessons
Key takeaways - The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of UNCLOS (Implementation Agreement) established a general framework for Deep Sea...more
On January 20, US President Trump issued an executive order, “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements,” withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement and other climate-related financial...more
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations shall immediately withdraw from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Secretaries of State and Commerce and heads of other...more
In this article, we reflect on key trends in ESG over the second half of 2024 and look ahead at trends that may emerge in 2025. We analyze developments in the latter half of 2024, which were similar to those highlighted in...more
Even for the unpredictable world of business and human rights, 2024 was particularly volatile, including for sustainability more generally. The European Union’s (EU) Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)...more
We are pleased to share the November 2024 issue of Wilson Sonsini's Sustainability and ESG Advisory Practice Update. Each issue combines news, key legal developments, and resources related to sustainability and environmental,...more
The decarbonisation of the built environment is likely to be on the UK Government’s agenda as it looks to make good on its commitment at COP29 to cut carbon emissions by 81% from 1990s level by 2035. How will this be...more
The imminent decision by the European Union to postpone for a year its complex and multi‑faceted sustainability law, the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), is something of a surprise. The EUDR requires, among other things, due...more
The US has pivoted in its stance on the global management of plastic production and pollution, with significant potential impacts for industry. The shift comes amid ongoing negotiations toward a UN treaty aimed at addressing...more
In the quest for a sustainable future, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent goalposts, albeit lofty ones, that countries can aim for. These 17 interconnected goals address pressing global...more
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made enormous strides in recent years and has increasingly moved into the public consciousness. Increases in computational power, coupled with advances in machine learning, have fueled the...more
The 28th United Nations (U.N.) Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) wrapped up in Dubai in mid-December 2023. This Article summarizes key takeaways and describes the potential implications for businesses and...more
Akin is participating at COP28 and providing regular updates from the conference. COP28 - December 5, 2023 Recap - - A draft of the first Global Stocktake (GST), the document that assesses countries’ progress toward...more
Akin is participating at COP28 and providing regular updates from the conference. Friday, December 1, 2023 Updates: - On Thursday, a group of nations led by the UAE and several European countries agreed to establish a loss...more
The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has commenced this week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and will run through December 12, 2023. The UAE is...more
On December 10, 2023, in New York, the UN Human Rights Prize will be awarded to the Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements, and Local Communities for the Universal Recognition of the Human...more
As socially responsible investing has gone mainstream, regulators in Europe and the United States have stepped in and are now formalizing rules around disclosures pertaining to Environment, Social and Governance (“ESG”)...more
Methodology - For this report we used a definition of climate finance aligned with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Standing Committee on Finance, which states: “Climate finance aims at...more
The transition to a low-carbon, resilient, and just economy is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. Institutions that are well prepared to embark on Net Zero pathways will be able to take full advantage of...more
ESG is understood to be an acronym for “environmental, social and governance,” but the term can be challenging because it’s used to describe similar but distinct communities of practice, including corporate social...more
All Member States of the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) reached an agreement on March 4, 2023, regarding an international treaty governing...more
The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (“NZBA”), the UN-led coalition of global banks “committed to aligning their lending investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050,” is facing backlash from certain sustainability-focused...more
The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), a UN-supported network of investors, has announced the publication of its 2023 Reporting Framework along with an update on accountability. This development, according to the...more
The explosion of global business and human rights continued to resonate across the globe in 2022. Some of the business and human rights trends have been evident and growing for several years; others are relatively new. Many...more
The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2020. While much was discussed, there are four takeaways that may be of greatest interest to business...more