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Jim Coburn
Senior Manager, Capital Markets Systems
- email: coburn@ceres.org
Jim Coburn directs Ceres’ efforts to improve mandatory climate and sustainability risk disclosure by corporations. Drawing from his legal background, Jim helps to develop rules and guidance on reporting that strengthen corporate risk management practices and improve investor decisions. He led the initiative that resulted in the SEC’s issuance of groundbreaking climate disclosure guidance for corporations in 2010.
In addition to leading regular engagements with members of Ceres’ Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR) and the SEC on disclosure issues, Jim also manages Ceres’ involvement in the Climate Disclosure Standards Board and work related to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.
Jim manages Ceres tools and reports on climate disclosure, including the SEC Sustainability Disclosure search tool. He co-authored Cool Response: The SEC & Corporate Climate Change Reporting, which outlines generally weak climate disclosure to date by businesses and steps the SEC can take to improve reporting.
Jim has organized Ceres webinars to educate investors and companies on best practices for disclosure. He often speaks to the media on disclosure-related issues, and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and New York Times and has served as a panelist at numerous events.
Before joining Ceres, Jim worked for Morgan Stanley, the American Civil Liberties Union and Green America. He holds a BA in Government from Cornell University and a JD from Boston College Law School. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
Recent Blog Posts
Ceres Responds to Climate Disclosure Task Force Recommendations
Information moves markets, but bad information hurts investors and companies alike. Investors need companies to disclose accurate information about today’s challenges, among the biggest being global climate change.
The SEC Must Improve Disclosure of Material and Emerging Sustainability Risks
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is starting to take sustainability risks—and corporate reporting of those risks—seriously.The concept is straightforward: climate change, water scarcity, human and workers’ rights, and the ongoing global transition to a low carbon economy pose significant risks and opportunities to companies and the investors who own them.
Chubb and Travelers still grappling with climate change post Sandy
Hurricane Sandy was a wake-up call for cities everywhere about the risks of unprecedented storms.
A closer look at Dow Chemical's climate change reporting
With the fourth anniversary of the SEC’s Interpretive Guidance on climate change disclosure approaching, it’s time to ask: are companies disclosing climate information in SEC filings that’s helpful to investors?
The Frozen Frontier: Is Shell Ready For The Risks Of Arctic Drilling?
In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, several reports have found that many oil and gas companies—not just BP—were poorly managing the risks of offshore drilling. Shell is moving forward with at least two Arctic wells this year, at a time when confidence in the oil and gas industry’s risk management practices is remarkably low.
