green hushing

It has become fashionable for companies and organisations to claim in their public documents that they are doing wonderful things for the environment.  When these climate benefits are produced to distract attention from the real purpose of their existence (which is harmful to the environment) it is described as greenwashing. Now some of these claims have been found to have no basis in fact so that regulators are stepping in to verify them and to fine those who make false claims.  The fines are sufficiently great to make people pause and assess the risk.

Climate disclosures and commitments are now being revised in a process that is described as green hushing.  Gone are the outrageous claims of yesteryear, replaced by much more modest ones or else nothing at all.  But gone also are the more modest and truthful claims out of an excess of caution. This troubles those who feel that companies that made clear their commitment to saving the environment were helping the cause.