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Companies American Gas Association FollowWASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday launched the first standard on cutting carbon emissions from federal buildings as part of the Biden administration's policy on curbing climate change. The Federal Building Performance Standard requires federal agencies to cut energy use and electrify equipment and appliances to achieve zero emissions in 30% of their buildings by square footage space by 2030. U.S. President Joe Biden wants federal buildings to be emissions free by 2045 as part of his goal of decarbonizing the economy by 2050. To get there, agencies will be buying American-made products such as heat pumps, electric water heaters and other energy efficiency technologies, the White House said. "Eliminating natural gas in federal buildings is an impractical, unscientific and expensive idea that will have no environmental benefit," said Karen Harbert, AGA president and chief executive.

The effort, known as the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative, was launched in late 2020 to encourage fund firms to reach net zero emission targets by 2050 and limit the rise in global temperatures. As of Nov. 9, NZAM counted 291 signatories representing some $66 trillion in assets under management. As recently as May Vanguard was touting commitments it had made in line with NZAM's goals. Vanguard said the change "will not affect our commitment to helping our investors navigate the risks that climate change can pose to their long-term returns." "Vanguard was never serious about implementing its net zero commitment" Cuvelier said in a statement.

As the COP15 biodiversity summit kicks off in Montreal, businesses and corporate leaders are pushing for an ambitious agreement with strong policies that will provide guidance to companies seeking to change. They are under increasing pressure to show progress in tackling climate change and reducing harm to the environment. The agency has said some $384 billion will be needed each year for nature projects by 2025. "If we take that mindset to nature, it leads to the investment models that would allow us to invest in nature as infrastructure," he said. "Two years ago, all these governments around the world said 'let's put trillions of dollars into nature.'

☆ Germany to set up climate protection contracts with industry in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Expert Analysis | Reuters Professional | The Subsistence Farmer S Son Pushing For A Better Shake For Smallholders At Spices Brand Mccormick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 4 (Reuters) - Germany will set up so-called climate protection contracts with industrial companies next year to support a transition towards cleaner production and a switch to hydrogen, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Sunday. "The aim is to efficiently develop a green industry along the value chain that becomes marketable," Habeck was quoted as saying by Funke media group. Habeck did not give details of what such agreements would consist of. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Habeck was planning to award companies in energy-intensive industries including chemicals and steel 15-year subsidy arrangements that he called climate protection contracts, in return for reducing carbon emissions in their production. Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The proposed principles detailed expectations for banks with more than $100 billion in assets to incorporate financial risks related to climate into their strategic planning. Those financial impacts "pose an emerging risk to the safety and soundness of financial institutions and the financial stability of the United States," the Fed said. The Fed's plan would require banks to consider climate-related financial risks in their audits and other risk management and add climate-related scenario analysis to traditional stress testing. Fed Governor Christopher Waller dissented against Friday's proposal, raising the question of whether it poses a serious risk to large banks' soundness or U.S. financial stability. "The Federal Reserve conducts regular stress tests on large banks that impose extremely severe macroeconomic shocks and they show that the banks are resilient."

☆ U.S. Fed proposes framework for how banks manage climate-related financial risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Expert Analysis | Reuters Professional | The Subsistence Farmer S Son Pushing For A Better Shake For Smallholders At Spices Brand Mccormick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday proposed new guidance for how large banking institutions manage climate-related financial risks, in line with proposals from other key financial regulators. The proposed principles detailed expectations for banks with more than $100 billion in assets to incorporate financial risks related to climate into their strategic planning. Issuance of the proposal for public comment was approved in a 6-1 vote of the Fed Board of Governors, with Governor Christopher Waller dissenting. Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SYDNEY, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Australia on Thursday urged its multi-billion dollar mining industry to support the government's plans for a referendum to give the country's Indigenous people a voice in parliament. The proposal to enshrine an Indigenous voice in parliament was a pledge Albanese's Labor party took to the May general election where it ended almost a decade of conservative Liberal-National coalition government. "I urge the resources sector to play a positive and energetic role in ensuring voice campaign is a success. After all, First Nations people of Australia were the first to inherit the extraordinary natural endowment this continent and the resources sector owes First Nations people so very much." A successful referendum would bring Australia in line with Canada, New Zealand and the United States in formally recognising indigenous populations.

"This new generation of high ambition targets can enable a cleaner greener food and agriculture sector," said Eric Usher, Head of the U.N. Environment Programme Finance Initiative, which helped convene the group and approved the targets as ambitious. Ahead of the COP27 global climate talks in Egypt in November, investors are increasingly focusing on links between a healthy food system and efforts to fight global warming and preserve biodiversity. "The wider finance sector must use COP27 to supersize its ambition and grow a more sustainable food and agriculture sector," Usher said. "Identifying what a state-of-the-art, credible target to finance sustainable food and agriculture looks like is a vital part of addressing the urgent climate and food crises," said Wiebe Draijer, co-chair of the Good Food Finance Network and former CEO from Rabobank.

While no final decisions have been reached, Wednesday's announcement resonated with investors who have been frustrated by Monro's sagging share price and the tight grip of the company's controlling investor, investment banker Peter Solomon. The company is currently valued at $1.5 billion and its stock price has tumbled 22% since January. Solomon, 84, is able to overrule votes from all other shareholders because he owns all of Monro's outstanding Class C Preferred shares. Pressure has been building on Monro since investment firm Ides Capital began pushing for changes two years ago. More recently, Ides called for a strategic review committee to be formed to explore alternatives for the company.

Some progress has been made, but it's not enough," Rebecca Marmot, chief sustainability officer at consumer goods company Unilever (ULVR.L), said. While regulators have pushed for more rigorous reporting on the companies' environmental impact and efforts to battle climate change, broader impact on nature and biodiversity has not yet been subject to similar scrutiny. The COP15 talks in Montreal will see countries try to agree a new Global Biodiversity Framework to combat the crisis that threatens over one million plant and animal species with extinction. "Assessment and disclosure are an essential first step to generate action, but it will only have an impact if it is made mandatory," the 330 businesses said in their statement. "Without this information, we are flying blind into extinction," Eva Zabey, executive director at global coalition Business for Nature, said.

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve announced Thursday that six of the nation's largest banks would participate in a pilot climate scenario analysis exercise in 2023. In its announcement, the Fed emphasized the pilot exercise will be strictly for information-gathering purposes, calling it "exploratory in nature." Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr said earlier this month the central bank has an "important, but narrow" mandate to police climate risks for banks. The Fed will provide "climate scenario narratives," which banks will use to analyze the impact on their portfolios and business strategies. The Fed will then review those findings with the firms to help them build up their ability to manage climate-related risks.

Companies Xcel Energy Inc FollowSept 29 (Reuters) - More big U.S. companies have tied their CEO pay to climate goals but few give executives much incentive to make significant emissions cuts, a new study shows. Only four other companies tied their executive pay to climate metrics, though they were not as strict about reducing emissions, As You Sow found. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSome companies may only be trying to look good to investors with vague wording in securities filings about making progress toward cutting emissions, study authors said. As You Sow's study examined all the 47 U.S. companies targeted by the Climate Action 100+ global investor initiative to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Among the 47, more than half did not directly tie their pay to climate actions, the study shows.

Sept 28 (Reuters) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has joined a multi-state investigation into whether S&P Global Inc (SPGI.N) violated consumer protection laws over its use of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in credit ratings. The ESG credit indicators, ESG scores, and ESG evaluations that S&P publishes "appear to politicize what should be a purely financial decision", Paxton said in a statement on Wednesday. The probe is being led by Missouri and underscores a push by Republican-led states against what they see as a "woke" bias at financial companies. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterS&P Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Interest in ESG investing has exploded in recent years, prompting ratings agencies to come up with new ways to assess how companies fare on ESG factors.

REUTERS/David GraySummarySummary Companies Net zero push stokes hopes for offshore wind projectsVictoria state aims for 9 GW offshore wind by 2040Sector needs new regulations, to lure technology suppliersIndustry also set to face environmental, landowner concernsMELBOURNE, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Under a new government, Australia is shaping up to be the next big market for offshore wind developers, attracting interest from the likes of Shell, Denmark's Orsted and Norway's Equinor. To many in the industry, Australia could well become the next boom market for offshore wind. Community concerns about the impact of wind turbines on bird life, such as orange-bellied parrots, and sealife, such as fish and whales, are also expected. "There's only a limited number of vessels in the world that can be used for erecting turbines offshore. Victoria state's Gippsland coast first in lineThe state, which has spearheaded the country's offshore wind push, plans to procure 2 gigawatts (GW) of offshore capacity with supply due by 2032, enough to power 1.5 million homes.

The European Commission is set to publish next week a plan to "digitalise" Europe's energy system, as well as laying out new emergency measures to tame sky-high gas prices and help cash-strapped energy firms this winter. The draft plan, seen by Reuters, said electricity grid investments of 584 billion euros are needed until 2030, to support the planned rapid uptake of electric vehicles, renewable energy and heat pumps, and shift away from fossil fuels. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterOf this, around 400 billion euros would target the distribution grid. "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and reaching a share of 45% renewables in 2030 can only happen if the energy system is ready for it," the draft said, referring to the EU's climate targets. The EU "action plan", which does not include legal proposals, said the bloc would propose new legislation next year to address cybersecurity risks in energy and gas networks.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the Sub-Prefecture in Saint-Nazaire after a visit at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, off the coast of the Guerande peninsula in western France, September 22, 2022. Macron, who said in February that he wants France to have about 50 offshore wind farms by 2050, was visiting the country's first, built off Brittany, a project which took ten years to build and which started being connected to the grid this month. "It still takes too much time in France," Macron said, adding that he wants to halve the time it takes to develop renewable energy projects. Macron said he wants France to double the speed of building wind parks in France. Other plans include making it easier to find locations to build wind farms or install solar energy panels.

Standard Chartered (STAN.L), a competitor of HSBC in emerging markets, said earlier this year it would end all direct coal financing for clients by 2032. The Global Coal Exit List, which tracks finance firms' ties to the coal sector, said HSBC's fund arm exposure was $3.4 billion at end-November. HSBC said it will have engaged with all listed companies in its actively managed portfolios with more than 10% of revenues from thermal coal by next year. HSBC said in its 2021 annual report that the bank's thermal coal loan exposure was $1 billion, or 0.2% of its total wholesale loan book. When it comes to holding the boards of companies with significant thermal coal exposure to account, HSBC said its fund arm would vote against the election of board chairs at companies planning to expand production and use of thermal coal.

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - A sugar-based alternative to vinyl could help to decarbonise the music industry, according to its developer. Acting CEO of Evolution Music Marc Carey said sonically and in terms of equalisation the music recorded on the bioplastic records is "absolutely spot on." 1/5 Marc Carey, CEO of Evolution Music, holds a bioplastic record made with a sugar-based alternative to vinyl, in London, Britain September 8, 2022. A richer sound, cover art and the ability to cradle a vinyl record in the hands contribute to the growing emotional appeal for LPs. "The music industry, the creative arts, should be at the forefront of innovation ... and typically, cultural change is what affects political and social change," Carey said.

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