{"id":21449,"date":"2026-02-13T10:43:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=21449"},"modified":"2026-02-13T10:43:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:43:43","slug":"ceos-still-buy-into-business-case-for-sustainability-despite-trumps-climate-rollbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=21449","title":{"rendered":"CEOs still buy into business case for sustainability, despite Trump’s climate rollbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Good morning. <\/strong>Here\u2019s a secret: Most CEOs believe climate change is real. They need to deal with it to stay profitable, create resilient operations, and remain relevant to their customers and employees. Texas leads the country in the production of both fossil fuels and renewable energy, in part because everyone knows the state\u2019s power grid needs all the help it can get. Every time there\u2019s a development that could reverse corporate action on climate change, from the Supreme Court\u2019s 2024 reversal of the Chevron doctrine\u00a0to the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s stunning report last year that downplayed global warming, I check in with leaders to see if they\u2019re changing their strategy. The answer is they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n

\n

That fact was reinforced yesterday when I called around for reaction to the Trump administration\u2019s termination of the 2009 endangerment finding that gives the Environmental Protection Agency a legal duty to regulate six greenhouse gases that endanger human health. \u201cThis is a pattern we\u2019ve seen swing back and forth in Washington,\u201d one manufacturing leader told me. \u201cWe can\u2019t plan around election cycles.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This person and others did express concern that a Supreme Court challenge could permanently damage the EPA, creating an uneven playing field while reducing incentives to curb greenhouse gases at a critical time for the planet. Energy reporter Jordan Blum noted that it could extend the lives of existing coal plants but also found the overall impact on business is likely to be limited.\u00a0What\u2019s different is that, in this political climate, a lot of leaders don\u2019t want to talk on the record about what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s hear from Saleh ElHattab, the CEO of Gravity Climate, a software platform that helps companies measure, report and reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions while cutting energy costs. Business is booming for reasons other than regulation. \u201cIndustrial buyers have the most razor-thin margins in the world,\u201d he told me yesterday. \u201cIf you have an HVAC system that can be optimized, or we\u2019ve detected some antiquated assets or opportunities for financing to get something that\u2019s 90% more energy efficient, that\u2019s good for business.\u201d<\/p>\n

A growing number of states and local governments also regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. But a lot of the action is also coming from the private sector. Large players like Apple, Walmart and Amazon have taken the lead in pushing vendors to disclose their own carbon footprints, which has created self-reinforcing ecosystems that aren\u2019t about to unwind. Companies also routinely disclose their carbon emissions because of investor pressure, consumer demand and initiatives like the Carbon Disclosure Project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And now there\u2019s AI. While there\u2019s legitimate concern about the energy needs and impact of data centers, AI can also be a catalyst in reducing pollutants. I recently spoke with Samsara CEO Sanjit Biswas, whose platform helps customers run their fleets, factories and other physical operations more sustainably by connecting hardware in the field to the cloud. \u201cMany execs don\u2019t know what\u2019s possible,\u201d Biswas told me, noting that digitized operations mean even small changes can cascade to make a significant dent in emissions, safety and the bottom line. \u201cIt\u2019s becoming table stakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid the blows to science and regulation\u2014and there have been many\u2014the business case for sustainability remains strong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CEO Daily is off on Monday for Presidents Day. We\u2019ll be back in your inboxes on Tuesday.<\/em><\/p>\n

Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com<\/em><\/p>\n

Top leadership news<\/h3>\n

Ford pivots from expensive EVs<\/b><\/p>\n

During the automaker\u2019s earnings call this week, Ford CEO Jim Farley <\/span>announced<\/span> a $4.8 billion operating loss, with more to come this year, on the company\u2019s Model E electric vehicle unit after federal tax credits for buying EVs were repealed. The company is now pivoting to significantly cheaper EVs, which Ford says \u201chave continued to thrive in America.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How the CEO of Capgemini views AI<\/b><\/p>\n

In his latest Letter from London, Europe Executive Editorial Director Kamal Ahmed <\/span>spoke with<\/span> Capgemini CEO Aidan Ezzat about what CEOs get wrong about AI, starting with setting their sights too low. \u201cIt\u2019s really about transforming the business. It cannot just be used to keep the house running,\u201d he said, emphasizing the need to focus more on those who use it. “The agent can trust the human, but the human doesn\u2019t really trust the agent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Marriott CEO: Americans are prioritizing travel<\/b><\/p>\n

Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano told <\/span>Yahoo! Finance<\/span><\/i> that Americans have undergone \u201ca fundamentally permanent shift\u201d to prioritizing travel spending over buying physical goods. \u201cWe continue to see extraordinary demand for travel and experiences,\u201d Capuano <\/span>said<\/span>, even among lower-income consumers that are being squeezed by a K-shaped economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The markets<\/h3>\n

S&P 500<\/b> futures were down 0.05% this morning. The last session closed down 1.57%. <\/span>STOXX Europe 600<\/b> was down 0.04% in early trading. <\/span>The U.K.\u2019s FTSE 100<\/b> was up 0.09% in early trading.<\/span> Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225<\/b> was down 1.21%<\/span>. China\u2019s CSI 300<\/b> was down 1.25%.<\/span> The South Korea KOSPI <\/b>was down 0.28%.<\/span> India\u2019s NIFTY 50<\/b> was down 1.30%.<\/span> Bitcoin<\/b> sunk to $67K.<\/span><\/p>\n

Around the watercooler<\/h3>\n

Instagram boss reveals he\u2019s paid $900K per year plus stock worth \u2018tens of millions of dollars\u2019 as he denies \u2018addiction\u2019 claims<\/span> by Jacqueline Munis<\/span><\/p>\n

One of Wall Street\u2019s most feared hedge fund managers on the decline of the dollar: Gold is \u2018becoming the reserve asset\u2019<\/span> by Jake Angelo<\/span><\/p>\n

OpenClaw is the bad boy of AI agents. Here\u2019s why security experts say you should beware<\/span> by Sharon Goldman<\/span><\/p>\n

The affordability crisis is driving unprecedented price cuts in the housing market, Realtor.com<\/span> says by Sydney Lake<\/span><\/p>\n

CEO Daily is compiled and edited by Joey Abrams, Claire Zillman and Lee Clifford.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#CEOs #buy #business #case #sustainability #Trumps #climate #rollbacks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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