The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®) was developed in 1999 by S&P Dow Jones Indices and MSCI. The GICS methodology aims to enhance the investment research and asset management process for financial professionals worldwide. It is the result of numerous discussions with asset owners, portfolio managers, and investment analysts around the world. It was designed in response to the global financial community’s need for accurate, complete, and standard industry definitions.

The S&P Global CSA Score is the S&P Global ESG Score without the inclusion of any modeling approaches. The graphic below visualizes the CSA. The size of the segments reflects the financial materiality assigned at each level as well as the weight applied in the score aggregation process.

Carbon Markets: The compliance carbon market is regulated by laws that enforce emissions reductions, such as the EU ETS and California’s cap-and-trade program. Companies buy or sell carbon credits based on their emissions. The voluntary carbon market, driven by corporate net-zero goals, operates independently but is rapidly expanding. Transactions are increasingly conducted on digital exchanges, with blockchain technology playing a growing role in trading carbon credits.

Measures for carbon intensity can vary based on the industry and the specific focus of the measurement. Here are some of the most common measures for carbon intensity.

EFRAG (European Financial Reporting Advisory Group) is an independent, non-profit organization that provides advice and support to the European Union (EU) on financial reporting and accounting matters.

Texas’s 2021 Anti-ESG Law and 2022 Blacklist refer to legislative and regulatory actions taken by the state of Texas to counteract what it views as discriminatory practices against the oil and gas industry by financial institutions that follow environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles.

Benchmarking ESG peers enhances a company's sustainability efforts by identifying best practices, improving performance, ensuring regulatory compliance, and increasing transparency.

Oil and gas companies with offshore infrastructure must decommission it when it's no longer useful—by plugging wells and removing platforms within set deadlines. As of June 2023, more than 2,700 wells and 500 platforms were overdue for decommissioning in the Gulf of Mexico. Delays can increase environmental, safety, and financial risks. For example, delays could indicate that companies are in financial trouble and may leave the government to pay for decommissioning. The Department of the Interior only holds about $3.5 billion in bonds from companies to cover a potential cost of $40-$70 billion.