Europe's central bank to use climate scores as it buys bonds

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank said Monday that it will give corporations climate scores before it buys their bonds and intends to prioritize those doing more to reveal and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, filling in details of its efforts to help Europe meet its environmental goals.

The Frankfurt, Germany-based central bank for the 19 countries that use the euro said it was taking the step to support the European Union's climate goals. The companies' scores would measure progress in reducing past emissions, plans to reduce them in the future, and completeness of reporting the amount of greenhouse gases they are emitting.

The ECB bought corporate bonds as part of its past economic stimulus efforts to lower longer-term interest rates. Those programs have ended, with the bank now reinvesting the proceeds of maturing bonds and using the climate scores in deciding on bond holdings. It says it will buy more from companies with better scores and in theory support their ability to borrow at lower rates.

The bank's primary mandate is not the environment but controlling inflation in the eurozone, a task that it is trying to achieve by raising interest rates. However, it can pursue other goals — such as supporting the general economic policies of the EU, which include fighting climate change — if that doesn't interfere with fighting inflation.