By Isla Binnie, Virginia Furness and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -The acting chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday signaled the regulator may roll back a controversial rule requiring thousands of public companies to disclose the threats their businesses face from risks related to the climate and environment.

The acting chair of the, Mark Uyeda, took the first step Tuesday to rolling back a rule that would require thousands of publicly traded companies to provide investors with detailed information about the impact of their businesses on climate and the environment.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Tuesday that it will not defend a year-old rule requiring publicly-held companies to disclose climate-related risks and in some cases the details of their emissions.