Attorneys follow clients where they go, from videoconferences to using cryptocurrency and entering the metaverse. Now, clients are bringing up a new concern as they experiment with such technology—its environmental impact.

Increasingly, attorneys say they are navigating questions about decarbonization and the environmental impact of the blockchain technology powering the metaverse as companies launch sustainability pledges, grapple with regulators such as the Securities and Trade Commission (SEC) putting a spotlight on climate-related disclosure, and as environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues become more of a corporate focus.