Tag Archives: climate change risks

First French Village to Relocate due to Climate Change

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[T]he village of Miquelon sits only 2 meters above sea level on the archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Situated off the Canadian coast to the south of Newfoundland, it is an “overseas collectivity” of France, and the country’s last foothold in North America…’

But it was not until 2022 that the local government started thinking in earnest about relocating after the village narrowly missed being hit by Hurricane Fiona, one of the most expensive weather events ever in Canada. The move, when it is complete, will give Miquelon the unenviable title of the first French village to relocate because of the climate emergency. ..For now, relocation is voluntary, and nearly 50 people have signed up to move…At the same time, workers started to extend Miquelon’s water and electricity supplies to the new site. The goal is to keep the two sites connected as people move across the bridge between them.

Even though the signs of the climate crisis are obvious on the island – the ocean is slowly eating away at the isthmus that connects the parts of the island – many believe they have more time…

Excerpt from Sara Hashemi, How do you move a village? Residents of France’s last outpost in North America try to outrun the sea, Guardian, Oct. 28, 2025

Transparency against Free Speech? Exxon v. California, the Climate Risks

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Exxon Mobil says rules requiring it to disclose climate risks infringe on the company’s right to free speech. The oil-and-gas giant made the argument in a suit filed October 24, 2025 (pdf) against the state of California, which is rolling out requirements for businesses to report ton their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks. Exxon Mobil asked the court to halt the rules, arguing that they would violate free speech protections by forcing the business to use frameworks that put “disproportionate blame on large companies” such as the energy producer itself. The rules would require Exxon Mobil “to serve as a mouthpiece for ideas with which it disagrees,” the company said in the complaint, which was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

The California regulations were set up by state laws SB 253 and SB 261: the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the Climate-Related Financial Act. The first requires companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, while the second mandates disclosures of climate-related financial risks.

The rules are specific to California but their oversight reaches businesses across the globe. Under SB 253, companies doing business in the state with an annual total revenue exceeding $1 billion, be they public or private, will have to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions—the ones from their immediate operations, such as electricity intake, and those from their… supply chain. Even if they are based elsewhere in the U.S. or overseas, the rules will apply.

The climate risk reporting rule, SB 261, will affect more companies. It requires public and private firms doing business in California with annual revenue of more than $500 million to disclose climate-related financial risks, along with the measures they are taking to mitigate and adapt to such risks, starting Jan. 1, 2026

Companies are also preparing for coming climate reporting rules in Europe known as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

Excerpt from Clara Hudson, Exxon Mobil Sues California Over Looming Climate Disclosure Rules, WSJ, Oct. 27, 2025