If it makes the Earth greener,
you will find it here.

The financial sector can play a crucial role by redeploying its formidable firepower in support of climate action

Financial Times

Governments must seize the chance to transform our unsustainable energy systems

The northern and central parts of the Great Barrier Reef have more coral than any time in the past 36 years.

World Economic Forum

Great Barrier Reef Sees Record Coral Cover In Some Parts

The frenzy of travel in the past several months has been marked by all manner of vacation chaos, thanks mainly to airport and airline staff shortages and the falling-dominos effect of delayed flights.

From a sustainability perspective, all that flying likely undid the climate benefits that accrued during the plane-free skies in COVID’s first year – evidence that pent-up demand for travel still exerts a greater emotional tug than global warming.

Corporate Knights

Is the green tourism industry truly sustainable?

Even relatively modest climate warming and associated precipitation shifts may dramatically alter Earth's northernmost forests, which constitute one of the planet's largest nearly intact forested ecosystems and are home to a big chunk of the planet's terrestrial carbon.

Science Daily

Even modest climate change may lead to sweeping changes in northernmost forests

Climate change can exacerbate a full 58% of the infectious diseases that humans come in contact with worldwide, from common waterborne viruses to deadly diseases like plague, our new research shows.



Sustainability Times

Most infectious diseases can be worsened by climate change

Calculations and summary of measures in the historic legislation

A guide to the US climate, health and tax package

The deluge in the D.C. area Wednesday night flooded roads and triggered traffic gridlock, with high water levels even stranding motorists — some needing rescue — and entering homes and businesses. Many areas saw an extreme of between 1 and 3 inches of rain in an hour.

The Washington Post

Here’s how extreme the D.C.-area rainstorm was Wednesday night

World Economic Forum has released the first edition of the Net Zero Industry Tracker, in collaboration with Accenture.


8 charts that explain the net-zero industry challenge

Saudi Arabia’s plan to become a leading producer of climate friendly fuels depends on capturing and storing millions of carbon dioxide emissions every year. 



Bloomberg

World’s Largest Oil Exporter Has to Go Big on Carbon Storage

On a multi-country tour of Africa this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been making the case that the U.S. can be a quote "equal partner" with African nations. In that vein, he recently announced a new partnership between the U.S. and the Democratic Republic of Congo in an effort to protect some of that nation's natural treasures. William Brangham reports.



PBS News Hour

Rainforests in the Congo Basin are under threat as the DRC opens land to oil, gas drilling

UNSW expert Renate Egan explains how countries around the world have reacted to the oil and gas supply chain issues caused by the fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Tech Xplore

Rise of renewables: How the Ukraine war has changed global energy policies

Colombia’s recently elected president, Gustavo Petro, is proposing a debt for nature swap to protect the Amazon rainforest, which is nearing a tipping point after decades of deforestation.



Climate Home News

Colombia’s new president calls for debt swap to protect the Amazon

French President Emmanuel Macron said European Union countries will join his government’s efforts to fight wildfires that have been raging across France for days.   



France Taps Europe for Help in Fighting Drought-Fueled Wildfires

This week’s Current Climate, which every Saturday brings you the latest news about the business of sustainability.

Forbes

Ice Caps Are Melting Faster, Nikola-Tesla Rivalry Heats Up And Making Green Hydrogen

Following weeks of scorching temperatures and little rainfall, the water levels of Germany’s Rhine River, a major shipping channel for products like gas, coal, grains, and minerals like the iron ore used to make steel, are getting so low it will become impassable later this week, creating havoc for shipments.

EcoWatch

Rhine River Falls to Crisis Levels, Causing Potential Fuel Disruptions

Those taking a stroll through New York City’s parks may be stopped in their tracks this summer by a squirrel sprawled out, face down, limbs outstretched and lying still. 

What does ‘splooting’ mean? And why are New York’s squirrels doing it?

Experts worry that heavy losses from unexpected summer snowstorms in Kashmir's pastures are a sign of worse to come for mountain communities.


Eco-Business

Severe summer snowfall drove mass livestock death across Kashmir

At least 550 people died as the wettest month in three decades washed away mud houses in rural Balochistan – and international aid is not forthcoming



Pakistan struggles to rebuild after deadly flash floods

 Once, a river ran through it. Now, white dust and thousands of dead fish cover the wide trench that winds amid rows of trees in France’s Burgundy region in what was the Tille River in the village of Lux.



European Drought Dries Up Rivers, Kills Fish, Shrivels Crops

The U.K.’s electricity network operator issued a warning that its supply buffer will narrow this evening forcing a move to limit exports to neighboring countries.

UK Grid Warns of Tight Power Market for Thursday Evening

From clean electricity investment credit to environmental justice to funding for coastal ecosystem restoration, YSE faculty offer insight into how the Inflation Reduction Act may help us meet urgent environmental challenges — and where there’s still work to be done. 

Yale University

YSE Experts React to Major Federal Climate, Energy Investment

The bill will cut U.S. emissions but not nearly enough — it’s “like losing 20 pounds when you need to lose 100 pounds” one expert said.

The New York Times

Climate Bill Heads to Biden’s Desk. There Is More to Be Done.

Moderate Republican senators voted against the biggest climate bill to move through Congress. Many accused Democrats of using a partisan process.

Politico

Some Republicans see climate danger. They voted 'no' anyway.

With rising energy demand and concerns about stress on the power grid, many are increasingly eyeing nuclear power, including as-yet unperfected fusion, as a clean solution.

A New Atomic Age? Bipartisan Interest In Nuclear Energy Growing Amid Rising Energy Demand

GOP lawmakers have attacked the climate and energy pieces of the Senate-passed Inflation Reduction Act by labeling it as modeled on Democrats' Green New Deal.

GOP's risky proposition: Rebuffing a fossil fuel-friendly climate bill

Sustainability | Climate Change

The federal government’s climate policy advisory body is urging Labor to establish a fully transparent national carbon market to give investors and businesses certainty, and open the door to international trading of credits.

Australian Financial Review

‘Fragmented, inefficient, complicated’ carbon market needs fixing

Prospects of a longer-term role for coal-fired power have been eliminated, after energy ministers vowed to redesign electricity market changes aimed at guaranteeing enough reliable power as the grid moves to renewables.



Coal ditched from role in making energy grid reliable

When it comes to tropical forests and climate change, two things are clear: we must protect our forests, and we must do it at scale.

Protect, manage, restore: the formula for ending deforestation

Greening a city isn't just good press. According to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, a more climate-conscious city supports economic growth by creating jobs, increasing property values, and improving public health factors such as better disease outcomes. By committing to improving air and water quality, cities can reduce their residents' exposure to harmful pollutants.

WFMZ

The 38 greenest cities in North America

In 2014, China declared a “war on pollution”. Since then, air quality has improved significantly, with nationwide levels of PM2.5 – harmful fine particles less than 2.5 micrometres wide – dropping by 58 per cent. 

China’s plan to clean up ‘new pollutants’

20 projects have been shortlisted for the next stage of the CCUS clusters process

GOV.UK

UK’s industrial heartlands boosted by next stage of carbon capture clusters

Britain said it is considering ways to support combining electricity generated using biomass, such as wood pellets, with technology to capture and store the resulting carbon emissions.

Reuters

Britain looks into funding biomass carbon capture and storage

The leading trade body for the UK’s offshore energy industry, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), launched new guidelines to help oil and gas companies reduce methane emissions from the production of oil and gas. 



World Oil

OEUK issues new guidance for oil and gas producers to reduce key greenhouse gas

The mining company agreed to prepare an action plan to address the issue soon.



Mining Technology

Glencore reports high arsenic emissions in Quebec, Canada

The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) are in the process of establishing a specialised unit to root out illegal mining activities in the country.



Mail & Guardian

Specialised task force to combat illegal mining in South Africa

Ethiopia kickstarted electricity production from the second turbine at its controversial mega-dam on the Blue Nile on Thursday, despite continuing objections by Egypt and Sudan over the project.

Ethiopia starts power generation from second turbine at mega-dam

Lithium-ion batteries are used in smart phones, laptops, electric vehicles, and battery energy storage systems in various industries and companies have paid great attention to lithium ore and battery supply chains for their own ESG performance. Now scientists have found a way to establish a tracking system through the atoms in lithium batteries to ensure that purchased products are insulated from disputes.



Energy Trend

Battery Supply Chain Traceability, Lithium Isotopes as "Fingerprints"

The negotiations on opening the world’s first deep-sea mines ended in Kingston, Jamaica, last week with no agreement, meaning that less than a year remains before a legal clause kicks in that could see seabed mining commence without any environmental or economic regulations in place. 

The Guardian

Deep-sea mining talks end with no agreement on environmental rules

Nuclear power plants provide large amounts of electricity without releasing planet-warming pollution. But the expense of running these plants has made it difficult for them to stay open. If nuclear is to play a role in the U.S. clean energy economy, costs must come down. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are devising systems that could make nuclear energy more competitive using artificial intelligence.

How artificial intelligence could lower nuclear energy costs

Russell Group universities produced 12.7m kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy in the 2020/21 academic year. No idea what a kilowatt hour is? Neither did I until I googled it.

The Tab

This is how much renewable energy Russell Group universities are producing

Kwarteng says shipping wood pellets from Louisiana is costly and ‘doesn’t make any sense’ 

UK minister questions sustainability of Drax biomass fuel  

The seven states are struggling to agree on a plan to head off a water and power crisis on the Colorado River. Now, the Biden administration must decide whether to step in and make the politically perilous choices for them.

Western states face drastic water cuts as Colorado River dries up

Democrats may be taking a victory lap, but let’s be straight, the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) pose no real threat to the U.S. oil and gas industry. The industry has Sen. Manchin, whose state of West Virginia has long relied on fossil fuels, to thank for this.

The Inflation Reduction Act Is No Oil Killer

On 15 December 2021 EDF announced that it would temporarily shut down two reactors at the Civaux site. The move came after inspections undertaken as part of as Civaux 1’s 10-yearly in-service inspection revealed defect indications close to welds in pipes that formed part of the of the safety injection system (SIS). 

Nuclear Engineering

Counting the cost of cracking

Two New DOE Offices Will Support the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Investments to Modernize the Electric Grid, Help States, Communities, Tribes and Territories Build Out Clean Energy Infrastructure and Revitalize Economies

Energy.gov

Biden-Harris Administration Launches New Offices to Lower Energy Costs and Deploy Clean Power Nationwide

This exclusive whitepaper provides a comprehensive review of the fast-evolving Direct Air Capture sector, including the leading operators, regulations, impact on carbon markets, technological innovations, emerging standards, and the implications for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Business Green

Understanding the Direct Capture Gold Rush

A key climate agency has opened the door for the Albanese government to allow Australian companies to buy international carbon credits to offset domestic emissions, sparking fresh warnings from climate advocates about controversial offshore schemes in developing countries.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Controversy brews as Australia eyes entering the global carbon trade

The government has launched a consultation on how to support the development of biomass energy generation with associated carbon captured in the UK over the next decade.

UK Government

Government seeks to further improve diversity of energy supply by boosting biomass

The year 2022 marks a decade of growth for the EDF Group in Saudi Arabia. Active in the Kingdom since 2012, the group’s initial focus was on a single line of business for the Saudi National Atomic Energy Project, as announced by the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy.

Arab News

French utility giant EDF gets to the forefront of the Saudi energy market

Plus, big wins for solar and carbon capture tech in US climate bill

Big in Japan Inc: environmental pressure 

The Amazon absorbs huge amount of CO2 and helps to cool the world, but recent studies have shown the rainforest is approaching a tipping point, with profound implications for the global climate and biodiversity. The section in Brazil, which has suffered the most deforestation since 2006, is already producing more carbon than it absorbs, and there are worrying signs that the rest of the forest is not far behind. 

How Brazil's Amazon started heating the planet

Call for companies to pay ‘fair share’ during cost of living crisis



The Independent

Labour blasts ‘absurd’ tax regime after report shows oil giant Shell received £100m from UK

The fact that an energy exporter like Australia is having a tough time when the prices of our energy exports are sky high shows just how broken our political debate has become.



It’s time to tax mining and energy giants properly. Struggling Australians should share in their record profits

In line with the United Nations agenda of climate neutrality by 2050, the Rome City Council has announced the establishment of a Laboratory titled “Laboratorio Roma050 – il Futuro della Metropoli Mondo", a project proposed and led by Italian architect Stefano Boeri, which aims to draw up an ecological vision for Rome in 2050. 


ArchDaily

Rome to Undergo an Ecological Transition by 2050 Through an Initiative Led by Stefano Boeri

The cancelation of the Manitoba Marathon due to extreme heat may provide a case study for athletic event management in extreme weather.



Medical Xpress

Lessons from a canceled marathon: Athletic events, heat and the effects of climate change

Experts weigh in on fashion and beauty’s stake in the U.S. Senate’s historic climate bill.




Women's Wear Daily

In the Ripples of New Climate Bill, Fashion Speaks Out

Although valid questions have been raised about ESG, the need for companies to understand and address their externalities is likely to become essential to maintaining their social license.


McKinsey & Company

Does ESG really matter—and why?

A new report underscores how a the four-day workweek could help reduce carbon emissions.


MSNBC

How the four-day workweek could be another tool against global warming

Engineers have discovered a way to replace 100% of conventional aggregates in concrete—such as gravel and crushed rock—with rubber from discarded tires that meets building codes, promising a boost for the circular economy.

Concrete using recycled tire rubber promises boost for circular economy

The Second Asia Parks Congress (APC) took place in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia from 25-29 May 2022, jointly convened by IUCN and Sabah Parks. The richness of the Asia region was vividly displayed across the Congress and the theme of ecotourism featured prominently through presentations, side events, forums, working groups and not least in the Indigenous Peoples’ exhibition hall, where excellent community led ecotourism initiatives and activities were showcased.



International Unit for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Community ecotourism at the second Asia Parks Congress

Materials science company Dow is to collaborate with X-energy to deploy Xe-100 high-temperature gas reactor technology to provide carbon-free process heat and power to one of Dow's US Gulf Coast sites.

World Nuclear News

Dow to decarbonise with advanced nuclear

Green hydrogen (GH2) as a means to decarbonize industry is now well-ingrained in the policy discourse. 

What's stopping the world from using more green hydrogen?

The project built by ScottishPower will power ships, trucks and trains

Energy Live News

UK’s biggest container port to shore £150m green hydrogen plant

Reckitt’s global director of sustainability, environment and human rights, David Croft, explains why the link between the planet’s health and human health can no longer be ignored.

Edie

Why we must see the climate crisis through the lens of human health

The controversial bill would drastically change pesticides regulations, making it considerably easier for new and potentially harmful products to be licensed for use

The Brazilian Report

‘Poison bill’ could progress this month, environment and human rights bodies are furious

Obsession with efficiency means infrastructure has been run into the ground rather than upgraded



Britain’s crises have one thing in common: a failure to invest

Sustainability | Policy & Regulation

Fashion retailers have woken up to the need to be – or at least appear to be – “green” in order to grow, or even retain, their market share. However, tapping into this new market is not without risk. In going “green,” fashion retailers have exposed themselves to additional scrutiny and accusations of greenwashing. 

The Fashion Law

Amid Rising Scrutiny, How Brands Can Counter the Risk of Greenwashing

BlackRock Chief Investment Officer Pam Chan shares how living up to ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) standards will require new perspectives and partnerships. She explains how future leaders will need to think differently and move out of comfort zones to take sustainability further - while outlining the everyday habits and practices successful leaders will put into practice.

Blackrock's Pam Chan on ESG and how successful future leaders will think differently

One group of consumers is pushing companies into taking responsible actions on climate change, but they're not necessarily who you expect.

Meet the ‘climate catalysts’ pressing companies to protect the planet

While ICAEW fully supports the ambitions of the European Green Deal and the mandating of sustainability reporting in Europe, it is concerned that the draft standards – in their current form – do not promote sufficient interoperability with the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB) proposed global baseline of sustainability disclosures. 

ICAEW

ICAEW: sustainability reporting standards need global alignment

A new corporate minimum tax in the Inflation Reduction Act could be counterproductive from the standpoint of encouraging investment in the environment.

The New Corporate Minimum Tax In Congress’ Climate Legislation Is A Bad Idea

What if when you went grocery shopping, the food and drink labels at the supermarket not only had nutrition information, but details about the environmental impact of products as well?


Supermarket Food in the UK Could Soon Have Eco-Labels

US DIY retail giant Home Depot has announced it reduced its combined Scope 1 and 2 direct carbon emissions by approximately 172,000 metric tons in 2021, an achievement it says is equivalent to taking more than 37,000 cars off the road.


Home Depot announces sustainability fixes across its business

Given the scale of today’s net-zero challenges, no single organization or industrial sector can tackle decarbonization alone. We need close collaboration: between government and industry as well as along our entire value chain.

Why public-private collaboration is critical for industrial net-zero transformation

I've purposefully avoided writing about "purpose." Frankly, I've been on the fence about the word and all the meanings ascribed to it. It feels like yet another meme that companies can embrace and exploit without actually changing much. But the subject keeps coming up, so here goes.


GreenBiz

What's the purpose of 'purpose'?

Actions that will advance the technologies, infrastructures, demand signals, policies and investments required for net zero success are even more urgent.

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