Joe Biden and his administration showed some serious green credentials with the proposal of new requirements for publicly traded companies. Businesses will now have to report information on greenhouse-gas emissions and risks related to climate change. The proposed rule change would force publicly traded companies to report greenhouse gas emissions from their own operations as well as from the energy they consume and to obtain independent certification of their estimates. Companies would have to include the information in SEC filings such as annual reports.

Naturally, Biden and Co are facing significant pushback from Republicans, most of whom are arguing that the new proposed regulations would hike up the price of compliance — and, more importantly, go beyond the remit of the SEC, which at its core requires information solely about a company's financial performance. SEC head honcho Gary Gensler defended the move, however, explaining “companies and investors alike would benefit from the clear rules of the road proposed in this release."