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☆ Tyson is investing in insect protein
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Tyson, a major US producer of beef, pork and chicken, is betting on protein that comes from insects. “Today, we’re focused on more of [an] ingredient application with insect protein than we are a consumer application,” said John R. Tyson, chief financial officer of Tyson Foods. A business opportunity“One feature of being in the animal protein business is having to figure out … how to derive value from” waste, Tyson said. Picard helped create the Center for Environmental Sustainability through Insect Farming, a partnership between academia and industry members including Tyson and Protix. “There are more and more startups coming into the space because there’s so much demand for insect protein,” she said.

Persons: New York CNN — Tyson, Tyson, we’re, ”, John R, Kees Aarts, Aleks, hasn’t, Mars, Tyson doesn’t, “, Protix, Christine Johanna Picard, Picard, Kaan Mika, iStockphoto, ” Aarts, Reza Ovissipour Organizations: New, New York CNN, Tyson Foods, Rabobank, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science, for Environmental Locations: New York, Protix, Netherlands, Springdale , Arkansas, Texas

☆ Build up not out: the high density housing push for Australian cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Stella Qiu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Mahendran has joined the Sydney YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) group, a fledgling grassroots movement seeking higher density housing in opposition to those branded NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard) that fight new and large developments, particularly in gentrified inner-city areas. For a continent as large and sparsely populated as Australia, it is almost counter-intuitive there could be a housing shortage. While the YIMBY movement is in its infancy in Australia, it marks a shift in community attitudes towards development as affordability worsens and a push for shorter commutes and better facilities become features of post-pandemic urban living. "The future is up by way of density," said Liz Allen, a researcher at Australian National University in Canberra. Greater Canberra, the YIMBY group in Canberra, has received support from both Labor and Greens for its push to lift density across the Australian Central Territory.

Persons: Stella Qiu, Mahendran, Sydney YIMBY, Liz Allen, Justin Simon, they've, Simon, Philip Lowe, Lowe, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Simon Welsh, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sydney, New South, New South Wales Productivity, Australian National University, Reuters, Labor, Greens, Australian Central Territory ., Senate, Redbridge, Thomson Locations: Parramatta, Sydney, today's Australia, Australia, New South Wales, Canberra, Greater Canberra, May, Victoria

☆ The clash of sustainability and AI is creating a challenge for Dell, IBM and others
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Rachel Curry | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"From our perspective, AI looks like a really big data problem," said Ben Golub, CEO of decentralized cloud storage company Storj. This startup is joined by legacy enterprises like Dell and IBM in tackling data storage efficiency for economic and environmental sustainability. For those that do go decentralized, Lewis says it's still important to maintain what he calls "centralized management of a decentralized architecture." IBM recently launched its Cloud Carbon Calculator, an AI-informed dashboard designed to give clients access to standards-based greenhouse gas emissions data and help manage their cloud carbon footprint. Which workloads are best suited for a decentralized data storage model?

Persons: Andriy Onufriyenko, Ben Golub, Arthur Lewis, Lewis, Golub, Dell, it's, Ermengarde Jabir, Jabir, Alan Peacock, Peacock Organizations: Dell, IBM, Dell Technologies, Infrastructure Solutions, IBM Cloud

☆ Virtual Healthcare Has Green Benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Cecilia Butini | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

Virtual doctor’s appointments are helping healthcare companies reduce carbon emissions, though sustainability is mostly seen as a side benefit of telehealth rather than its main driver. The healthcare industry is responsible for about 5% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, of which the U.S. healthcare system alone accounts for a quarter. Similarly, in England, medicines, buildings, equipment and other supply-chain items generate most of the National Health Service’s emissions, according to official NHS figures. The company has designed an app for teleconsultations that is able to show patients the carbon emissions avoided through that consultation. In line with national data, the company said its Scope 3 emissions account for 75% of its total emissions.

Persons: telehealth, Cynthia Cox, KFF, ”, Colin Cave, ” Cave, Glyn Richards, Ben Phillips, BUPA, Marijka Grey, Kyle Zebley, — Dieter Holger, Cecilia Butini Organizations: McKinsey, Sustainable Business, Affordable, Energy, U.S . Agency for Healthcare Research, National Health, Kaiser Permanente, Permanente Kaiser Permanente, Spain —, CommonSpirit Health, CommonSpirit, American Telemedicine Association Locations: England, telemedicine, Kaiser, U.S, Northwest, U.K, Spain, Grey, Europe

☆ From Washington to Warsaw, a ‘greenlash’ is picking up steam despite extreme heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A pushback against climate policies is not just a U.S. issue. Reprisals over climate policies come at a time of record-breaking extreme heat across the globe, with July poised to be the hottest month in human history. Ruling party leader Jarosław Kaczyński described the bloc's green policies as "madness" and akin to "green communism." "At the moment, it looks like green parties are not doing going fantastically well. "The IRA is called an IRA, it is not called a climate act because there's no way that you could get Democrats and Republicans to agree on something called climate," Tocci said.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, ESG, —, Kevin McCarthy, Drew Angerer, Nathalie Tocci, Tocci, U.N, António, Sadiq Khan's, Jarosław Kaczyński, Emmanuel Macron, Alexander De Croo, Ursula von der, Kenzo Tribouillard, Joe Biden's, Mark Rutte's, …, Jan Willem Erisman, Mateusz Morawiecki, Michal Hetmanski Organizations: Afp, Getty, Republican Gov, House, Biden, U.S, Capitol, Istituto, CNBC, Farmer, Movement, Internazionali, Belgian, Belgium's, IRA, BBB, Farmers, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Leiden University Locations: London, Marble, U.S, Europe, Florida, Washington ,, Italian, Poland, Ostend, European, Netherlands, The Hague, Polish, Warsaw

☆ BlackRock might not be 'woke' anymore after the asset manager put an oil CEO on its board
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

BlackRock named Aramco CEO Amin Nasser to its board Monday. Nasser leads the world's largest oil producer, which is mainly owned by the Saudi Arabian state. Its decision to name Aramco CEO Amin Nasser to its board Monday provides further ammunition for those critics, signaling that the firm might not be as socially conscious as it says it is. That is the wrong player here, unless [BlackRock CEO] Larry Fink really wants to blur their image on the ESG front," Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the Yale professor and management expert, said on CNBC Tuesday. Amin H. Nasser, president and chief executive officer of Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), speaks at the China Development Forum in Beijing, China, March 19, 2017.

Persons: Amin Nasser, Nasser, Larry Fink's, it's, Larry Fink, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Biden, Jamal Khashoggi, He'll, that's, Amin H, Shu Zhang, Reuters Fink, BlackRock's, It's, Fink, he'd Organizations: BlackRock, Aramco, Yale, CNBC, Washington Post, Saudi Arabian Oil Company, China Development Forum, Reuters, McKinsey, Republican Locations: Saudi Arabian, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Saudi Aramco, Beijing, China, Massachusetts

☆ Arsenal, Belgian FA among winners selected by UEFA for social change work
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 27 (Reuters) - UEFA announced the inaugural recipients of their "FootbALL Awards" on Tuesday, recognising the contribution to social change, given to Belgium's Football Association, the German Football League, Arsenal and former France player Lilian Thuram. The "FootbALL" programme, launched by UEFA at the Champions League final earlier this month, highlights the power of football to drive positive social change across European communities. The Belgian FA (RBFA) was one of the first national associations to establish a comprehensive football social responsibility strategy. The German Football League (DFL) has been recognised for continuous fight against discrimination and for their activities during International Weeks Against Racism, UEFA said. "Their work showcases the importance of leading by example, which is exactly what the FootbALL programme represents," said UEFA Director of Social & Environmental Sustainability Michele Uva.

Persons: Lilian Thuram, Uva, Anita Kobylinska, Christian Radnedge Organizations: UEFA, Belgium's Football Association, German Football League, Arsenal, Champions League, Belgian FA, Adidas, Social, Environmental, Thomson Locations: France, London, Frankfurt, Germany, Gdansk

☆ Australia's ANZ looks to expand lending to critical minerals sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Melanie Burton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, June 14 (Reuters) - Australian lender ANZ Group (ANZ.AX) is looking at opportunities to invest more in the critical minerals sector as part of its efforts to support decarbonisation and has recently backed its first stand-alone lithium deal, an executive said on Wednesday. ANZ has traditionally supported long-life, low-risk mine projects for Australia's staple resources including iron ore, gold, aluminium, copper and nickel, said Simon Arduca, ANZ's executive director of resources, energy and infrastructure. We have a goal to be a leader in environmental sustainability and that then feeds into critical minerals." ANZ, however, has just financed a stand-alone lithium mine, Arduca told a panel at a mining conference in Melbourne, declining to provide further details. Green finance, where companies that meet certain sustainability milestones can get access to lower lending rates has not really yet entered the mining sector, but will in time, he added.

Persons: Simon Arduca, Arduca, Melanie Burton, Jamie Freed Organizations: MELBOURNE, ANZ Group, Wednesday, ANZ, Thomson Locations: decarbonisation, Australia, Melbourne, Green

☆ Microsoft says commercial use of fusion-produced energy will be available within 5 years as part of new deal with Sam Altman-backed Helion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft and fusion energy company Helion announced a first-of-its-kind contract Wednesday. Fusion is the clean energy source of the stars in space, but experts have said it's likely still decades away on Earth. Microsoft and Helion, a research company backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, are teaming up to make fusion-produced energy available commercially much sooner than experts previously estimated. "We are optimistic that fusion energy can be an important technology to help the world transition to clean energy," Smith said in a statement. HelionIn December, the Department of Energy announced what many saw as a breakthrough in the world of fusion energy, when the first nuclear fusion reaction was conducted that created more energy than it used.

☆ What Chile's state-led lithium policy means for the future of the electric vehicle industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Katie Brigham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The only two lithium companies currently operating in Chile are North Carolina-based Albemarle , the largest lithium producer in the world, and SQM , the No. Chile's lithium is of particular strategic importance to the U.S., which has a free trade agreement with the country but not with neighboring Argentina. The plan calls for the creation of a national lithium company to partner with all private businesses looking to enter the sector. Bags of battery-grade lithium carbonate at La Negra, Albemarle's lithium processing plant near Antofagasta, Chile. Lenny-Pessagno told CNBC in January that Albemarle supports the creation of a state-owned lithium company.

☆ World Bank set to launch more robust, transparent business climate rankings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - The World Bank will announce on Monday a new methodology for assessing the business climate in up to 180 countries after embarrassing revelations of data irregularities and favoritism toward China forced it to cancel the "Doing Business" rankings two years ago. "Business Ready improves upon and replaces the World Bank Group’s earlier Doing Business project. It reflects a more balanced and transparent approach toward evaluating a country’s business and investment climate," the bank said in a statement. "The main thing that went wrong was the data integrity of Doing Business was compromised," Norman Loayza, director of the World Bank's Indicators Group, which leads the project, told Reuters. But World Bank officials were still debating whether to revive the business climate rankings that were at the heart of the "Doing Business" controversy or produce an overall index, Loayza said, with a decision expected prior to the first report.

☆ Fact Check-Graphic does not show ‘New World Order’ UN goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The image does not show an official UN graphic, nor does it show goals set out by the UN, Sharon Birch, a spokesperson for the Sustainable Development Section at the UN told Reuters. “The list (including the goals) is not in any way associated with the United Nations. Moreover, the goals are neither included in Agenda 21 (here) nor the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (here),” the spokesperson told Reuters. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development consists of 17 goals including affordable and clean energy, gender equality and reduced inequalities and can be seen (here). The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals and Agenda 21 were adopted in 2015 and 1992 respectively and detail non-binding sustainable development goals.

☆ Chile's lithium takeover plan faces technical, political challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Fabian Cambero | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] A view of a brine pool of a lithium mine on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert, Chile, August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File PhotoSANTIAGO, April 28 (Reuters) - While Chile's plan to take control of its lithium industry has caused global shockwaves, state-led production of the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries is seen by analysts as likely years away given technical and political challenges. CODELCO'S ROLEChile's state-run Codelco, the largest copper producer in the world, plays a key role in Boric's lithium plan although it has no experience in producing the white metal. The report noted that Argentina currently has more lithium projects in the pipeline than any other country in the world. Albemarle has said it needs new water sources to expand in Chile's Atacama salt flat, noting a desalination project was awaiting permits and construction.

☆ New Support for Some Extinct Tasmanian Tiger Sightings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Joshua Rapp Learn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Depending on whom you ask, the Tasmanian tiger or thylacine has either been extinct for nearly a century or has been just really good at hiding. Now new research examining hundreds of reports from more than a century shows there is a good chance the thylacine may have persisted for a few decades longer in the most remote parts of Tasmania. “There are pockets where the species could have maintained small populations,” said Barry Brook, a professor of environmental sustainability at the University of Tasmania. One of the problems with the thylacine, and extinction in general, is it’s hard to prove something is truly gone. Australia’s night parrot for instance, was thought to be extinct for 140 years until its recent rediscovery.

☆ A 'greenwashing' crackdown in Europe hasn't gone down well. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, published its so-called "Green Claims Directive" on Wednesday. The highly anticipated proposal seeks to establish an EU-wide methodology that will help to clean up the environmental claims marketplace. Today, most green claims are too good to be true and the proposal is… far from the real (green) deal. The EU's "Green Claims Directive" seeks to tackle this trend. "Green claims are everywhere: ocean-friendly t-shirts, carbon-neutral bananas, bee-friendly juices, 100% CO2-compensated deliveries and so on," said Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal.

Last year VCs invested $19.8 billion into these property-technology, or proptech, startups. We surveyed venture capitalists to identify the hottest proptech companies right now. Climatetech and AI-powered tools are major themes of the proptech industry in 2023, just as they are in the wider venture world. Insider asked more than 20 venture investors who focus on real-estate and construction technology to nominate the most exciting proptech startups in 2023. Here are the 26 buzziest proptech companies right now, presented in alphabetical order.

☆ GOP House Oversight chairman James Comer criticizes Silicon Valley Bank as 'one of the most woke banks'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

James Comer attributed Silicon Valley Bank's failure to its "woke" ESG investments. "This could be a trend and there are consequences for bad Democrat policy," Comer said on Sunday. Silicon Valley Bank's clients started running for the exits after the bank's management sold $21 billion worth of bonds at a $1.8 billion loss. It has become the biggest bank failure in the US since the 2008 financial crisis. Representatives for Comer and Silicon Valley Bank did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Carbon-related tech raised a record-breaking $4.2 billion in 2022 as VCs poured into direct air capture and carbon accounting startups despite wider slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Emissions removal and management startups raised $4.2 billion last year, up from $3.6 billion in 2021. Carbon-related startups raked in $4.2 billion from venture capitalists globally last year across 204 deals, according to a new report from PitchBook. PitchBook's carbon tech categorization also includes fintech and analytics companies such as Coatue-backed carbon accounting firm Sweep. "We can't contain the climate crisis to an acceptable degree of global heating without actively addressing carbon capture and sequestration." While carbon tech is defying the wider venture-capital slowdown, which has seen valuations and deal counts plummet in the face of the war in Ukraine and fears of recession, the wider carbon and emissions tech category has remained flat.

☆ How to meet evolving regulations around climate change and water conservation without sacrificing profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Ecolab | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Governments are creating incentives to help businesses reduce carbon emissions. Minimizing water use can help organizations comply with government regulations without sacrificing profit. Understanding the ties between water use and climate change is an important step for businesses as they look to meet evolving government regulations. "This is a great example of how Ecolab Water for Climate is helping organizations meet evolving regulations." These tactics help businesses achieve profitable outcomes, leverage incentives, and meet regulatory requirements.

☆ Many Companies Boost Sustainability Budgets Despite Economic Uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Some companies are boosting their environmental budgets this year despite worries about the health of the global economy. More than 70% of companies say they are increasing sustainability spending over the next 12 months, while only around 2% are planning to reduce it, according to a recent survey of businesses worldwide. Honeywell International Inc., in collaboration with Futurum Research, last quarter surveyed 753 global business leaders involved in their company’s environmental initiatives for its quarterly Honeywell Environmental Sustainability Index published on Tuesday. Optimism among business leaders about meeting 2030 sustainability goals increased around 11% from last quarter. “Every passing year, the economic feasibility of every technology is only going to get better.”Write to Dieter Holger at dieter.holger@wsj.com

☆ You can now have your body composted after death in New York. Here's how it works and why it's greener.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

New York recently became the sixth state to legalize body composting after death. Also known as natural organic reduction, the process turns your body into soil that your loved ones can use to grow plants in. We asked Recompose, a Washington-based natural organic service, how it works and why the process is more eco-friendly than a traditional burial. Mat Hayward/Getty Images for RecomposeLoved ones can place flowers or other organic materials with the body before it is transferred to the composting area. And the body itself is burned, so the carbon from the body is also released to the atmosphere," he said.

☆ Yellen says Russian oil price cap could save African countries $6 bln annually
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during her interview with Reuters in New Delhi, India, November 11, 2022. Yellen said ending the war would be the best thing to help the global economy, but Treasury estimated that a Group of Seven-led price cap on Russian crude oil and refined products to limit Russia's revenues could save the 17 largest net oil-importing African countries $6 billion annually. G7 countries and Australia implemented the oil price cap on Dec. 5, banning the use of Western-supplied maritime insurance, finance and other services for cargoes priced above $60 per barrel. A further cap on Russian refined petroleum products, such as diesel and fuel oil, is due to take effect on Feb. 5. "We believe that the international community, including China, needs to provide meaningful debt relief to help countries regain their footing," she said.

☆ ESG will be a heavy focus for tech leaders in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Reducing the carbon footprint of IT operationsThere are a number of drivers moving ESG forward. One area of focus will be the need for reporting on ESG progress, as required by regulations. Nearly half of the respondents said their organization could not accurately report its carbon footprint. Efforts appear to be underway to enhance ESG reporting strategies. By 2024, IDC said, 75% of large enterprises will implement ESG data management and reporting software as a response to emerging legislation and increased stakeholder expectations.

☆ Rooftop solar: How homeowners should do the math on the climate change investment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Central to the deal: Tax credits and other benefits from both the state of Connecticut and from Washington, D.C., he says. Hurwitz's experience points up one benefit of the Inflation Reduction Act that passed in August: Its extension and expansion of tax credits to promote the spread of home-based solar power systems. California's solar energy net metering decision Certainty has been the thing that's hard to come by in solar, where frequent policy changes make the market a "solar coaster," as one industry executive put it. watch nowFor potential switchers, tax credits can quickly recover part of the up-front cost of going green. The bids for one suburban Chicago house ranged as low as $19,096 after the federal credit and as high as $30,676.

☆ U.S. plans to boost purchases of Native goods, revitalize tribal languages
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The Biden administration will announce new actions on Wednesday to give Native American tribes more say in managing federal lands, boost purchases of tribal energy and other goods and services, and revitalize Native languages, the White House said. U.S. President Joe Biden and other Cabinet officials will announce the measures at this year's two-day Tribal Nations Summit, with additional steps focused on providing better access to capital for tribal nations, the White House said. Biden's three signature piece of legislation - laws dealing with infrastructure, climate and COVID-19 relief - have provided nearly $46 billion in funding for tribal communities and Native American people, the White House said. The Small Business Administration will announce plans to boost access to financing opportunities, while the Energy Department plans to increase federal agencies’ use of tribal energy through purchasing authority established under a 2005 law unused for more than 17 years. The government will also release of a draft 10-year plan to revitalize Native American languages and underscores the urgency for immediate action, while formally recognizing the role that the U.S. government played in erasing Native languages.

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