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☆ McDonald’s new battle over the way the Big Mac and fries are packaged
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Carolyn Chun | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Reusable packaging may be next. McDonald's biggest reusable packaging changes are outside US McDonald's has made several big packaging changes in recent years, mostly coming from outside the U.S. and following governmental action. And at the end of last year, McDonald's France launched a reusable plastic food container in its signature red color – though not without initiating a new controversy over the decision to not use all glass or metal. There are many challenges that come with reusable packaging, and McDonald's has looked to highlight that as it agrees to conduct more research on the reusables economy. The economics case for reusable packagingAdvocates for reusable packaging argue that the economics will work.

☆ Pro Take: Can Nickel, Cobalt and Other Battery Metals Be Sourced Sustainably?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Lockheed Martin and Norway’s Storebrand also have recently sold their interests in deep-sea mining companies. Others including German luxury carmaker BMW have said that, given environmental concerns, they won’t use battery metals sourced from the deep sea. More than a dozen countries are concerned about the environmental impact of the practice and are calling for a moratorium on seabed mining. A nickel mining site on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Proponents of deep-sea mining say the nascent practice is a less harmful way to extract nickel than how the mineral is currently sourced in Indonesia.

SINGAPORE, May 11 (Reuters) - If the global energy transition is to be delivered in the coming decades, the mining industry believes there is one certainty. One thing most mining and energy transition analysts agree on is that there is currently insufficient copper production to meet anticipated demand as the world moves to electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. If this is the case, the question is then why the future price of copper is relatively flat relative to the current price. It now takes an average of 23 years from discovery of a copper resource to a producing mine, according to data shown at the conference by Michael Langford, the executive director of consultants Airguide. The industry view is that many of the people demanding an energy transition the loudest are the very same people working hardest to make it virtually impossible to produce the necessary metals.

☆ India says other African cheetahs well after two deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A cheetah looks on after being sedated, before being flown with eleven others from South Africa to India under an agreement between the two governments to introduce the African cats to the South Asian country over the next decade, at Rooiberg veterinary facility, Limpopo province, South Africa, February 17, 2023. The deaths raised concerns about the effort that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed, but that some conservationists have called a "vanity project" that overlooks the fact the African cheetah is not native to South Asia. "The other cheetahs have been closely monitored and none of them has shown any similar symptoms," the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a statement. The ministry said a team of experts from South Africa and India visited the park in Madhya Pradesh state on April 30 and submitted a report to it on the way ahead. "This is the first intercontinental re-introduction of a wild, large carnivore species and therefore there is no comparable historical precedent."

☆ UK police face backlash over handling of anti-monarchy protests during coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It comes after the much-maligned Metropolitan Police force faced criticism for what many said was a heavy-handed approach toward demonstrators. Frazer said the police were tasked with balancing people’s right to protest with overseeing an international event on the world stage. Anti-monarchy protesters demonstrate near the procession route for Britain's King Charles III coronation in London on Saturday. Republic, Britain’s largest anti-monarchy group, told CNN Saturday that police – without providing any reason – arrested organizers of the anti-monarchy protest. A member of the public attends a "Rally For A Republic - Not My King" anti-monarchy rally on Calton Hill in Edinburgh on Saturday.

By margins of at least 3-to-1, shareholders voted against three proposals that Berkshire disclose more about its climate-related risks or greenhouse gas emissions and efforts to address them, and its efforts to promote diversity. They also voted down by a nearly 10-to-1 margin a renewed call for an independent director to replace Buffett as chairman. The proponent of the independent chair proposal said it would leave Berkshire "less identified" with Buffett's "political activities." The votes were not surprising because Buffett owns special shares that give him a nearly 32% voting stake in Berkshire, making it difficult to adopt proposals he opposes. Berkshire shareholders also reelected the company's 15-person board.

Companies Berkshire Hathaway Inc FollowOMAHA, Nebraska, May 6 (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) shareholders on Saturday overwhelmingly rejected six proposals for environmental, social and governance changes at Warren Buffett's conglomerate, all of which the billionaire investor and his board opposed. By margins of at least 3-to-1, shareholders voted against three proposals that Berkshire disclose more about its climate-related risks or greenhouse gas emissions and efforts to address them, and its efforts to promote diversity. The proponent of the independent chair proposal said it would leave Berkshire "less identified" with Buffett's "political activities." The votes were not surprising because Buffett owns special shares that give him a nearly 32% voting stake in Berkshire, making it difficult to adopt proposals he opposes. Berkshire shareholders also reelected the company's 15-person board.

☆ Floating sea life thrive in Great Pacific Garbage Patch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Translucent, fragile marine creatures that drift through the sea are riding the motion of the ocean to a destination that’s infamous as a home for trash: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A surprising number of delicate, floating invertebrates, called neustons, are making the Great Pacific Garbage Patch home, according to data from a new study. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Sargasso Sea are both oceanic gyres — marine zones where multiple ocean currents converge to form a vortex (though the Sargasso Sea is known for its floating algae rather than drifting garbage). There are five main oceanic gyres, and the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is where the best-known garbage patch lies. But when long-distance swimmer and environmental activist Benoît Lecomte swam through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2019, he and his crew gathered data on floating life as well as drifting litter.

☆ Human remains found inside crocodile in Australia believed to belong to missing fisherman
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Remains found inside a crocodile in Australia are believed to belong to a 65-year old fisherman who went missing over the weekend, according to local police. The two crocodiles were 4.1 meters (13.5 feet) and 2.8 meters (9.2 feet), police said in a statement. According to DES, the “vast majority” of attacks are carried out by crocodiles larger than two meters (over six feet). Human remains were found within one of the crocodiles, though police officers believe both were involved in the incident with Darmody, the statement added. “There was a noise, a loud yell, and then the sound of the water splashing.”“It’s a national park and there are wild animals up there, wild crocodiles,” he added.

☆ As lithium prices bounce, analysts love these stocks — giving one 155% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

After a tough few months, lithium — a battery metal crucial in electric vehicles — is back in the spotlight as prices start to rebound. By the end of last week, however, lithium prices had started to bounce back. "Lithium prices in China gained for the first time this year on signs demand growth may be finally gathering pace … [and] amid thinning inventories across the supply chain," the ANZ Research analysts added. Canadian miner Sigma Lithium stood out for getting the highest potential upside from analysts at 155%, and a buy rating from 75% of analysts. Stocks that received a 100% buy rating included American EV battery maker Microvast Holdings and Australian miner Piedmont Lithium .

☆ COP28 president says fossil fuels still have a role to play, prompting concerns about climate summit’s goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In March, European countries agreed to promote a global phase-out of fossil fuels in a text setting out their priorities for COP28. “The shift towards a climate neutral economy will require the global phase-out of unabated fossil fuels,” the text said. Al Jaber emphasized the role of technologies like carbon capture in reducing planet-heating pollution. “All indicators… are telling us that we are way off track,” said Al Jaber. We have to get out of fossil fuels, we have to dramatically reduce emissions.”“it is no longer about visions.

☆ Google Promised to Defund Climate Lies, but the Ads Keep Coming
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Nico Grant | Steven Lee Myers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In October 2021, Google promised to stop placing ads alongside content that denied the existence and causes of climate change, so that purveyors of the false claims could no longer make money on its platforms, including YouTube. And yet if you recently clicked on a YouTube video titled “who is Leonardo DiCaprio,” you might have found a ramble of claims that climate change is a hoax and the world is cooling after a Paramount+ ad for the film “80 for Brady,” starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno. Before another video that purported to detail “how climate activists distort the evidence,” some users saw an ad for Alaska Airlines. These are not aberrations, according to a coalition of environmental organizations and the Center for Countering Digital Hate. In a report released on Tuesday, researchers from the organizations accused YouTube of continuing to profit from videos that portrayed the changing climate as a hoax or exaggeration.

☆ Exclusive: India, China propose 'multiple pathways' on cutting use of fossil fuels-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Sarita Chaganti Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Multiple pathways for energy transition would enable countries to choose resources, even coal, while working towards plans on net zero emissions. Officials said it was the first time India used the phrase 'multiple pathways' in global climate negotiations against repeated demands by Western nations to end coal usage. At the G20 meeting last month, India kept the focus on fossil fuels, rather than singling out coal, the third official said. India and China, the world's two most populous countries, have often taken common positions at international climate change negotiations, despite long-standing border disputes. The G20 includes the G7 countries as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia, among other nations.

CNN —Environmental groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration in federal court over SpaceX’s launch of its massive Starship rocket last month. ‘All kinds of environmental harm’Ahead of the launch on April 20, the FAA issued a finding that the launch would have no significant impact on its surrounding environment. Margolis told CNN that the SpaceX explosion proves the groups’ legal argument that the FAA erred in its decision-making. The FAA’s roleThe FAA licenses commercial rocket launches and gave the green light for the SpaceX launch attempt after more than a year of back-and-forth. When asked about potential legal backlash from environmental groups on Saturday, Musk was defiant.

☆ The Ice Cream Truck Across the Street Is Making Way Too Much Noise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Ronda Kaysen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Food trucks cannot idle with the engine running. Street vendors “don’t want to cause problems because they’re out there on the street everyday,” said Matthew Shapiro, the legal director of Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center. A decade ago, the city plugged a few food carts into the grid, but the initiative fizzled out. Now, the Street Vendor Project is working on a pilot program to power a few food carts with batteries to test the cleaner and quieter technology. If it’s successful (and gets funding), the technology could potentially work for larger food and ice cream trucks, too.

☆ The business case for green sports stadiums and arenas is growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A general exterior view of Climate Pledge Arena before the game between the Seattle Kraken and the Carolina Hurricanes on October 17, 2022. Much like the broader world of commercial real estate, arenas, and stadiums have been slowly adopting sustainable practices over the last few decades, from recycling programs to energy efficiency efforts. That led to what has become the Climate Pledge Arena. AMBSE has even created a "playbook" for other stadium operators to follow if they also want to get to zero waste. It's reached a level of critical mass where people have moved past greenwashing, and they're making substantive changes to their business practices," Cannon said.

☆ These strange-looking turtles in Hong Kong could soon be extinct
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Hong Kong CNN —One of the world’s most densely populated cities might seem an unlikely refuge for endangered wildlife. While in Hong Kong, the unlikeliness of the setting has enabled them to fly largely under poachers’ radar. Professor Sung Yik-hei with a Big-headed turtle at a lab at Lingnan University in Hong Kong on April 13, 2023. Courtesy Sung Yik-hei Professor Sung Yik-hei monitors an area near a river in Hong Kong on April 13, 2023. A few hundred are left in Hong Kong, and perhaps even fewer in its other homes of Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

☆ GDP report points to dreaded stagflation, but these stocks can still work in this environment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( John Melloy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors may want to position themselves for a stagflationary environment after Thursday's gross domestic product reading for the first quarter showed lackluster economic growth and high inflation. First-quarter growth came in at a 1.1% annualized pace, much slower than the 2% growth expected by economists polled by Dow Jones. Stagflation is an economic condition the U.S. experienced in the 1970s, characterized by slow economic growth and elevated inflation, along with high unemployment. The one ingredient missing today is the high unemployment, but mounting layoffs are raising fears that will change soon too. But it's a reasonable bet that certain stocks with pricing power and resilient revenue sources could outperform in this kind of environment.

☆ Fifty-three million tons of electronics become junk every year. Here's how one company is tackling the problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Dell Technologies | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Dell is stepping up to tackle this problem, committing to a circular business model. By 2030, Dell will ensure that 100% of its packaging will be either reused or made from recycled or renewable material. Additionally, more than half of its product content will also be made from recycled, renewable, or reduced carbon emissions material. Already, there are almost 400 million pounds of sustainable materials in Dell's products and packaging and 55% of its electricity comes from renewable sources. "Our emphasis on environmental, social, and governance measures ensures that while we accomplished our business goals, we also delivered positive results for all of our stakeholders," he said.

The cause of death was not immediately known and authorities will perform a post-mortem to find out more, the outlet reported. Uday – who was named by Indian citizens in a contest – was among 20 cheetahs airlifted to India over the past few months from Africa. The news of the deceased 6-year-old cheetah came just three weeks after his fellow feline, Sasha, died from a kidney infection. Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which also helped with transferring the animals, said re-establishing a population is very difficult. In late March, the country welcomed four newborn cheetahs for the first time since the species disappeared from India more than 70 years ago.

☆ Your work-from-home carbon footprint is bigger than you think—3 ways to shrink it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The waters of Venetian canals cleared up; animals around the world roamed freer without the threat of human presences. Daily global carbon emissions were down 17% by April 2020 as compared to the same period a year earlier, according to a study in the journal Nature Climate Change. Carbon emissions have climbed back to their pre-pandemic levels. Now, more workers are powering more workspaces — at the office, at home and anywhere else you can open a laptop. Harrison says there are a few steps workers can take to make their hybrid work life more sustainable:

☆ Recycling plastic can be a little confusing. Here's what the numbers inside the recycling symbol mean
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Lindsey Jacobson | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Plastics labeled with a number 1 are about 20.9% likely to be reprocessed, according to the Greenpeace report. It is still important to know the difference between the types of plastics, since municipalities handle each type of plastic differently. This type of plastic film is often collected separately from plastics labeled 1 and 2. Polystyrene, or PS, is labeled number 6 and can be used to make takeaway containers, coffee cups, insulation and disposable coolers. Finally, plastics labeled number 7 are a mixture of various types of plastics.

☆ Biden to order all federal agencies to prioritize environmental justice
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)President Joe Biden on Friday will sign an executive order directing federal agencies to invest in disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change, the White House said. The order will create a new Office of Environmental Justice in the White House to coordinate all environmental justice efforts across the federal government and require agencies to notify nearby communities if toxic substances are released from a federal facility. The president, who is preparing to announce his reelection bid next week, will make the announcement during a ceremony at the White House Rose Garden. Biden is expected to argue that his administration's historic environmental justice and climate agenda contrasts with "the dangerous vision Speaker McCarthy and his extreme caucus have for our planet, our economy, and public health," the official said. Early in his presidency, Biden pledged that addressing environmental justice would be a core component of his climate agenda and signed an executive order that launched the Justice40 Initiative, which requires agencies to deliver at least 40% of benefits from investments to overburdened communities.

☆ Biden to Create White House Office of Environmental Justice
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lisa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — President Biden on Friday plans to announce the creation of a White House Office of Environmental Justice, one of several actions to address the unequal burden that people of color carry from environmental hazards, according to the White House. But Mr. Biden, who has indicated that he will run for re-election, is also expected to use the opportunity to portray Republicans as extremists who support the fossil fuel industry at the expense of public health and the planet, said a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly. At a ceremony planned for the Rose Garden, the president plans to sign an executive order making environmental justice a focus of every federal agency and requiring agencies to develop plans to address the disproportionate impact of pollution and climate change on minority and tribal communities, and to report their progress, the White House official said. Mr. Biden will also direct agencies to address gaps in science, data and research regarding the cumulative effects of pollution on communities of color, among other things. Yet amid a looming showdown with Republicans over the debt ceiling, Mr. Biden also intends to contrast his concern about the environment with what the White House official called “the dangerous vision Speaker McCarthy and his extreme caucus have for our planet, our economy and public health.”

☆ Biden to sign executive order on 'environmental justice'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden plans to sign an executive order on Friday directing federal agencies to put more focus on environmental polices that do harm to communities, according to the White House. The order will establish a new Office of Environmental Justice within the White House aimed at coordinating efforts across the government. It would also require federal agencies to notify communities if toxic substances are released from a federal facility. Biden will announce the initiative during an event at the White House Rose Garden on Friday. His vice president, Kamala Harris, plans to visit Miami on Friday, a White House official said, to announce a $562 million investment in helping communities become more resilient to climate change.

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