Attorney General James Uthmeier Launches Investigation into Climate Cartel for Potential Consumer Protection and Antitrust Violations

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Attorney General James Uthmeier today announced that his office issued subpoenas to investigate whether the CDP (formerly the Climate Disclosure Project) and the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) violated state consumer protection or antitrust laws by coercing companies into disclosing proprietary data and paying for access under the guise of environmental transparency.

"Radical climate activists have hijacked corporate governance and weaponized it against the free market," said Attorney General James Uthmeier. "Florida will not sit back while international pressure groups shake down American companies to fund their ESG grift. We're using every tool of the law to stop the Climate Cartel from exploiting businesses and misleading consumers."

The CDP was founded by British ESG activists to "dematerialize economic growth" and "prevent dangerous climate change." It runs the world's largest environmental disclosure system, charging companies to report, revise, and promote their data-while selling services that allegedly improve scores and even offer favorable quotes from CDP executives for a price. Their scoring system is tied to corporate access to capital with investment giants such as Bloomberg, ISS, S&P Global, and Santander reportedly relying on CDP data to make financial decisions.

SBTi, co-founded by CDP and the United Nations Global Compact, sells companies validation of their climate goals-then directs them back to CDP to report their progress, creating what appears to be a profit-driven feedback loop.

Attorney General Uthmeier's investigation will examine deceptive trade practices such as:

• Selling services to obtain better scores and public endorsements;
• Creating incentives for corporations to pay in exchange for favorable treatment; and
• Misrepresenting the objectivity of environmental data used by investors and consumers.

The investigation will also explore potential antitrust violations, including:

• Whether coordination between CDP, financial institutions, and investment services constitutes unlawful market manipulation; and
• Whether CDP's efforts to pressure or punish companies that don't participate result in anticompetitive effects.

Florida will continue defending free enterprise and protecting consumers from fraudulent ESG schemes masquerading as science.

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