Strategic Focus: The Sustainability-Related Implications Of The 2024 Elections Go Well Beyond The Presidency

Report

Corporate Sustainability Leaders

Jessica Pransky

Kim Knickle

08 Oct, 2024

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Executive Summary

The 2024 US elections will profoundly impact all branches of the government, from the president down to state-led positions. Given the country’s polarized political landscape, many of these contests will significantly influence its approach to sustainability and climate-related issues. While the race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris has garnered the most attention, other down-ballot elections – including for the US Senate and House of Representatives – will also have short-term and lasting impacts on sustainability-related issues. This report emphasizes the critical role the 2024 elections will play in shaping the US’s sustainability policies, as well as key considerations for US firms moving forward.

Table of contents

Summary for decision-makers
The 2024 US elections will have significant impacts on sustainability progress and climate action
All eyes are on the presidential election
Down-ballot elections could shift balance in Congress and at the state level
Elections will have lasting impacts on the judicial system
Firms should not abandon or dilute their sustainability programmes

Table of figures

Figure 1. Modifications to major sustainability-related legislation under the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris administrations
Figure 2. Key sustainability-related Executive Orders issued by President Trump
Figure 3. Key sustainability-related Executive Orders issued by President Biden
Figure 4. How President Trump and Vice President Harris may act on certain sustainability-related issues
Figure 5. Where candidates in competitive congressional races fall on certain ESG topics
Figure 6. Key sustainability-related decisions made by the US Supreme Court, 2018-2024

Organisations mentioned

303 Creative, Arab Bank, Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, Loper Bright Enterprises, New York Times, Pew Research Center, Project 2025, Refinitiv (now LSEG), Ropes & Gray, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Congress, US Courts of Appeals, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Labor, US Department of State, US Department of the Army, US Department of the Interior (DOI), US Department of Transportation (DOT), US Energy Information Administration, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), US Forest Service, US House of Representatives, US Occupational Safety And Health Administration (OSHA), US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), US Senate, US Supreme Court, World Economic Forum

About the Authors

Jessica Pransky

Principal Analyst

Jessica is a Principal Analyst at Verdantix, specializing in providing insights to sustainability leaders and analysing ESG and sustainability reporting software. She advises ...

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Kim Knickle

Research Director

Kim Knickle is a Research Director at Verdantix, bringing more than two decades of analyst experience to the evolving world of sustainability. Her current research spans ESG a...

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