Climate Finance Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Lobbying Overview: The Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) appears to have somewhat limited engagement on climate policy, generally supporting regulated corporate climate disclosure and policy to strengthen shareholder rights.
Top-Line Messaging on Climate-Related Finance Policy: In WSIB’s 2024 Sustainability Report it recognized the risks that climate change poses to investment portfolios, but did not clearly support real-world action to reduce emissions. In the same report, WSIB reported engaging with policymakers on ESG and climate issues, but did not take a clear position on the need for climate-related financial regulation.
Position on Regulated Corporate Climate Disclosure: WSIB appears supportive of regulated corporate climate disclosure. After the SEC released its proposed climate disclosure rule in 2022, WSIB commented in support of the proposal, including its greenhouse gas emissions reporting requirements. WSIB has reiterated this support in its 2022, 2023, and 2024 Sustainability Reports.
Position on Incorporating Climate Factors Into Investor Duties: The Washington State Treasurer, a member of WSIB’s board, has opposed “anti-ESG” efforts in the US. In 2022, the Treasurer signed onto the New York City Comptroller’s press release, opposing state-level “anti-ESG” legislation and asserting that states ignoring the risks of climate change “will fail to compete over the longer term horizon.” In 2023, the Treasurer applauded President Biden’s decision to veto legislation that would overturn a Department of Labor rule permitting fiduciaries to consider climate factors in investing.
Industry Association Governance: WSIB has disclosed its membership to the Council of Institutional Investors (CII), the only industry group to which InfluenceMap has tracked membership.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2025.