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☆ Oil and gas companies are investing billions to make energy from waste but some climate groups call it greenwashing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Canadian gas company Enbridge pledged up to $1 billion to a US firm turning food waste into energy. Oil and gas companies see a green opportunity from food waste like rotting spinach but some climate advocates say it's more like greenwashing. The company's software tracks retailers' food waste and Divert then recovers what can be donated to food banks. The plan is to build 30 plants, enough to manage 5% of US food waste; Divert now handles about a half percent. Making gas from waste can avoid greenhouse gas emissions that seep out of landfills.

☆ Biden administration moves toward approval for major Alaska oil drilling project
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration on Wednesday recommended a scaled-down version of a major oil drilling project in the North Slope of Alaska, taking a step toward approving the $8 billion Willow plan that climate groups have long condemned. The Biden administration has 30 days to issue a final decision on whether to approve the Willow project. The Willow project would produce about 600 million barrels of oil over 30 years and would generate around 278 million metric tons of carbon emissions, according to Interior estimates. Kristen Miller, executive director of the nonprofit Alaska Wilderness League, called the Willow project a "massive climate disaster" and urged the administration to reverse its decision to advance the plan. "We should be prioritizing ways to preserve this irreplaceable ecosystem, by protecting critical wildlife and subsistence resources and avoiding increased climate pollution.

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It said 80% of its close to $8 trillion in assets are in its index funds, which primarily attract retail investors. Vanguard's biggest competitors, BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) and State Street Corp's (STT.N) asset-management arm, rely more on institutional investors including pension funds and foundations. Many retail investors are also interested in matters like climate change, but prioritize them less in building retirement portfolios, said Rosenbluth and other industry analysts. A FINRA Investor Education Foundation study of retail investors last March found only 9% of respondents held ESG investments. A big factor behind this gap is retail investors' lack of familiarity or knowledge about ESG products, the study found.

☆ Fossil-fuel companies have more people at the UN's climate summit than the 10 countries most affected by climate change do combined
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Fossil-fuel interests are fighting for natural gas at the United Nations' COP27 climate summit. But natural gas is mostly methane — a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide — and it leaks. One-third of the fossil fuel lobbyists Global Witness identified are registered as part of national delegations, according to Dominic Kavakeb, a spokesperson for Global Witness. Fossil fuel influence threatens to undermine progress on one of the most powerful, immediate climate solutions: ending human methane emissions. While methane's consequences are severe, the good news is that countries and industries can quickly slow climate change by cutting methane emissions.

☆ Climate advocates win key governors races as Democrats defy 'red wave' in midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

This year, state laws could have the greatest implications for climate action since state officials can accelerate their own climate agendas even in a divided Congress, advocates say. Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty ImagesClimate action could also move forward in Maryland and Minnesota after environmental victories in those two gubernatorial races. Ahmad Gharabli | AFP | Getty ImagesThe climate victories in gubernatorial races have notable implications for national and local climate policies, advocates say, especially with respect to deploying funding from Biden's climate legislation. Still, climate groups are concerned for provisions within the climate bill if Republicans do seize control of one or both chambers of Congress. Biden, who will attend the summit on Friday, said he is eager to work with congressional Republicans after the midterm elections but emphasized he would not compromise his climate agenda.

☆ UK police arrest journalists covering a climate protest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN Business —UK police arrested and detained three journalists covering a climate protest earlier this week, raising concerns that the country’s press freedoms are under threat. “It was absolutely terrifying being in a cell with a pad for a bed in one corner and a metal toilet in the other. Lynch told LBC on Wednesday that police arrested her on suspicion of “conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.” She was eventually released with no further action. The incident came just a day after documentary filmmaker Rich Felgate and photographer Tom Bowles, also covering Just Stop Oil protests, were arrested by Hertfordshire police on a bridge. The concerns add to fears that new policing laws will restrict Britons’ right to protest more generally.

☆ The US is creating a carbon-offset plan for corporations that would fund developing countries' moves to clean energy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The plan would create revenue to fund developing countries' moves toward clean energy. "This is a critical tool that will supplement, not replace, other sources of climate finance." The US will also consult with organizations that are trying to improve the scientific integrity of carbon credits. "Buying emissions reductions from developing countries is not the same thing as channeling climate finance and raises questions about who can count the reductions." African nations unveiled their own carbon-market initiative Tuesday, with an aim to supply 300 million carbon credits each year by 2030 and raise up to $6 billion.

☆ Climate activists who targeted 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' sentenced to prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Two Belgian climate change activists who last week targeted the famous Johannes Vermeer painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" have been sentenced to two months in prison by the Dutch court, of which one month was suspended. The two men went to trial through a fast-track judgment on charges of destruction and open violence against the painting. All three are part of the climate group Just Stop Oil Belgium, which is not affiliated with Just Stop Oil in Britain. Just Stop Oil Belgium said the verdict was "ironic". "Isn't it ironic that climate activists who nonviolently oppose the mass slaughter of life on Earth are being condemned?

On Sunday, two climate activists hurled mashed potatoes at “Les Meules,” a valuable Claude Monet painting in a German museum. If climate activists focused only on symbols directly related to what is damaging the planet — like a pipeline or an oil refinery — then it may not have gotten quite the same buzz. If climate activists focused only on symbols directly related to what is damaging the planet — like a pipeline or an oil refinery — then it may not have gotten quite the same buzz. In order to shift the public’s conception of acceptable climate policies, it’s essential the media cover the issue in a big way. “Climate change is no longer just a science story,” said Max Boykoff, lead project investigator for the observatory.

☆ As Ukraine plans its recovery, a climate group has a seat at the table
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Nidhi Sharma | Nidhi Sharma Is An Associate Producer With The Nbc News Climate Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

These are goals that the group says would put Ukraine in a position to no longer be dependent on fossil fuels. In rebuilding, the nation must decide whether it wants to return to fossil fuels, or build a cleaner, greener economy, Ustenko said. For some climate activists, Russia’s war in Ukraine has served as a call to action in a decadeslong climate emergency. Romanko said many nations have failed to do what is necessary: halt the use of all fossil fuels, as quickly as possible. She cited the plans released in March by the International Energy Agency to cut reliance on Russian fossil fuels, and fossil fuels overall, in 10 steps; no government has implemented these strategies, she said.

☆ Police arrest German climate protesters who threw mashed potatoes at Monet painting
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Police have arrested two climate activists who threw mashed potatoes at a Claude Monet painting in a museum in Germany to protest fossil fuel production, a stunt which caused no damage to the art. The German climate group Last Generation took credit for the stunt. The group posted video footage on Twitter showing a man and a woman tossing mashed potatoes at the painting, kneeling in front of it and gluing their hands to the wall. And all you are afraid of is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting," the woman shouted in German while kneeling in front of Monet's painting. The Monet painting will be on display again by Wednesday, the museum said in a statement.

☆ German protesters arrested after throwing mashed potatoes at Monet painting that sold for $110 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Police arrested a pair of German protesters who, in a bid to bring attention to the perils of climate change, threw mashed potatoes at a Claude Monet painting that once sold for more than $110 million. That painting was also behind protective glass and unharmed in the incident, according to the museum. And all you are afraid of is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting," one of the protesters says, according to an English subtitled version of the video. "This painting is not going to be worth anything if we have to fight over food," the protester adds. Born in 1840, Monet was the leading French Impressionist landscape painter, according to the National Gallery.

Lloyds updated its climate policy to make the change, which bars project financing or reserve-based lending to greenfield oil and gas projects, although the policy would still mean it could provide general lending to companies in the industry. read moreClimate groups welcomed the Lloyds move and called on other British banks to follow suit. "By becoming the first of the five largest UK high street banks to stop the direct financing of new gas, oil, and coal projects, Lloyds is making a clear statement on the future of financing for fossil fuel expansion." Lloyds' exposure to dirty industries is smaller than some of its global rivals, given its focus on Britain's economy. The bank provided about 1 billion pounds ($1.1 billion) of finance to commercial oil and gas customers last year, according to its latest climate disclosures report, and the sector accounted for just 0.2% of its overall lending.

☆ EU needs to up electric vehicle support to fend off Chinese competition, climate group says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaOct 17 (Reuters) - The European Union needs to provide more regulatory incentives for its carmakers to scale up fully electric vehicle (EV) production or risk losing market share to Chinese rivals, according to a study by climate group Transport & Environment. released on Monday, the group said that EV sales growth in the bloc had slowed, with fully-electric cars making up 11% of sales in the first half of 2022 when historical trends suggested they should have reached 13%. "The failure of EU carmakers to scale up...supply could result in foreign automakers offering affordable models and capturing a large share of the mass market in Europe," the report said. "If the EU is unable to efficiently regulate its own market, it risks losing its economic sovereignty in the automotive industry." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Young Black activists are done waiting their turn for political office. They're taking on the 'John Lewis generation' of elder lawmakers who they say are out of touch.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Elvina Nawaguna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Most members of the Congressional Black Caucus are twice as old as the median Black person living in the US. The Congressional Black Caucus, a powerful voice for Black Americans, is significantly older than those it speaks for. Clay had replaced his father, William Lacy Clay Sr., a civil-rights icon and founding Congressional Black Caucus member who had represented the area since 1969. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesThe Congressional Black Caucus is reckoning with a leftward shift it's struggled to embrace. A spokesperson for the Congressional Black Caucus did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

The 193-nation International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) assembly, held every three years, is the first since COVID-19 put pressure on policymakers to speed up reforms. "We have to do something," Emile Nguza Arao, director general of Kenya's Civil Aviation Authority, told Reuters. Officials hope a global target will boost supplies of new Sustainable Aviation Fuel and encourage private investment. Even then, aviation is expected to remain in the cross-hairs of climate groups who see the exercise as a smokescreen. "A long-term emissions reduction goal with no enforceability plan is dead on arrival," said Jo Dardenne, aviation director at Brussels-based Transport & Environment.

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