Coral reefs are creeping away from the tropics in response to warming oceans, but the pace is too slow to beat the heat and escape impacts of climate change, according to a breakthrough study published June 6 in Science Advances. The study, authored by researchers at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Marine Ecological Theory Lab, also offers a hopeful alternative: immediate actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can significantly improve the future outlook for coral reefs globally.

Villefranche-sur-Mer, France - June 6, 2025 - In the frame of the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025, a high-level side event hosted on June 3rd at the Institut de la Mer de Villefranche (IMEV) culminated in the signing of the Declaration of Commitment to Scientific Ocean Drilling.

VivaTech is one of Europe's leading technology and startup events; USP and FAPESP will take researchers and disruptive technologies to the event in the areas of health, agriculture, sustainability, and artificial intelligence.

Heatwaves, droughts and forest fires are some of the extreme climate-related events that are expected not only to become more frequent but also to increasingly strike at the same time. This finding emerges from a new study led by Uppsala University, in which researchers have mapped the impact of climate change in different regions of the world.

Tech sector carbon emissions continued their rise in recent years, fueled by rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and data infrastructure, according to the ITU-WBA Greening Digital Companies 2025 report.

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the relationship between climate policy uncertainty (CPU) and corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. We attempt to uncover the underlying rationale of how CPU influences corporate ESG performance and provides empirical evidence for companies’ strategic enhancement of ESG performance with risk reduction objectives.

Design/methodology/approach –We conduct a regression analysis using panel data from 4,490 Chinese listed companies spanning the period from 2011 to 2022. In addition, we use propensity score matching analysis (PSM), two-stage least squares (2SLS), system generalized method of moments (sys-GMM) and difference-indifferences (DID) methods to analyze the enterprise systematic risk.

Findings – The empirical findings reveal a positive correlation between CPU and corporate ESG performance, with a stronger effect observed in non-state-owned enterprises, heavy-polluting industries and those facing fierce market competition and strict environmental regulation. Mechanism analysis suggests that as CPU increases, companies with higher systemic risk tend to improve ESG performance more significantly, highlighting risk mitigation as a primary motive. Robustness tests further validate the consistency of our conclusions. Additionally, we find that enhancing ESG performance helps mitigate the risks and improve total factor productivity arising from the increased CPU.

Originality/value – This study examines the impact of CPU on the ESG performance of Chinese listed companies and its underlying logic. The conclusions of this paper provide important policy references for coordinated development and security, as well as for effectively mitigating the adverse impact of CPU. We hope to offer insights for companies to identify potential risk factors, thereby enhancing their level of sustainable development and sense of environmental responsibility.