Most recent 30 articles: Greenbiz
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Experts view forest products, life sciences as sectors most effectively managing the sustainability transition - Greenbiz (Jul 25, 2024) |
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Jul 25, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is now Trellis by Joel Makower
The banking, electric utilities and automotive sectors have made the largest improvements in sustainability performance, according to a GlobeScan/ERM survey.
The newly released Sustainability Leaders 2024 Survey reveals that although sustainability experts’ perceptions of how well sectors are managing their transition to sustainability have improved over the last few years, only one-third or fewer say performance is excellent, even for the top-rated sectors. Overall, sustainability professionals award mostly poor ratings for all sectors except forest products and life sciences.
While the forest products and life sciences ... | By Tove Malmqvist Read more ...
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Paris Olympics set high bar for event sustainability. Here’s how - Greenbiz (Jul 25, 2024) |
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Jul 25, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is now Trellis by Joel Makower
Organizers minimize construction, ban most single-use plastics and eliminate generators to cut emissions in half compared with past events.
The Olympics present a dilemma for environmentalists and sustainability pros who applaud elite athleticism but cringe at the massive greenhouse gas emissions from staging in-person sporting events. The Paris games from July 26 to Aug. 11 are breaking that cycle.
More than 11,200 athletes will compete in Paris - almost four times the number who gathered 100 years ago when the city last hosted the world’s largest multi-sport competition. They’ll be cheered in person by 326,000 ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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Stripe pledged $1 million to carbon removal in 2020. Now it manages $1 billion - Greenbiz (Jul 24, 2024) |
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Jul 24, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is now Trellis by Joel Makower
Climate Pioneers
Meet the Stripe exec spurring $1 billion in demand for carbon removal.
Frontier has signed almost $320 million in transactions to remove more than 570,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Nan Ransohoff leads the initiative.
Stripe payment software enabled $1 trillion in transactions in 2023.
The fintech company wields similarly outsized influence among roughly 300 companies that have pledged a total of $1 billion to buy credits from carbon removal startups. Stripe was among the first to take the leap, committing $1 million to four entrepreneurs in 2020.
The woman behind ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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The state of carbon removal in 3 charts - Greenbiz (Jul 23, 2024) |
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Jul 23, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
The carbon removal industry lags behind where it needs to go in the next 6 years to fulfill the Paris Agreement.
The road to meeting the targets set out in the Paris Agreement will require dramatic increases in investment into carbon removal. Source: 9Robot via Shutterstock
The second edition of The State of Carbon Removal report provides a deep examination of where the carbon removal industry stands today, where it needs to go this century to meet Paris climate targets, and the biggest factors that will influence how we get there.
While rapid and steep emission cuts are the most critical factor for ... | By Margaret Morales Read more ...
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NYC is a leader in supporting diverse climate tech founders - Greenbiz (Jul 22, 2024) |
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Jul 22, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
Sponsored Article
Sponsored: New York City is supporting underrepresented climate tech founders by improving access to capital and networks.
Founder Fellowship program at NYCEDC. Image courtesy of NYCEDC.
This article is sponsored by NYCEDC.
The climate tech sector is having a moment. Globally, climate tech startups raised $8.1 billion in Q1 2024, a 400 percent quarter-over-quarter increase, according to TechCrunch. Investors are seizing the chance to capitalize on the emerging opportunities in the space and support the creation and commercialization of new technologies to achieve renewable ... | By Nse Esema Read more ...
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How we can integrate natural climate solutions to create long-term impacts - Greenbiz (Jul 18, 2024) |
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Jul 18, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
Changes to carbon market rules governing natural climate solutions can galvanize the green transition, argues Verra's former CEO.
This is the fourth article in a six-part series examining how carbon markets can catalyze the transition to a green economy, creating a new paradigm for carbon finance. Previous articles in this series describe reimagining carbon markets, a new model for additionality and government intervention.
The new paradigm for carbon finance, designed around ensuring long-term transitions of sectors of the global economy, is ideal for natural climate solutions (NCS) such as forest ... | By David Antonioli Read more ...
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More coffee, less carbon: Inside Starbucks’ strategy for EV drivers - Greenbiz (Jul 17, 2024) |
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Jul 17, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
The chain wants chargers at or near 1,000 of its U.S. locations.
Starbucks is adding fast-charging stations for electric vehicles at more than 100 of its locations, as part of a partnership with Mercedes. More than 1,000 cafes will have access to chargers after the installation. Image: Mercedes-Benz High-Power
Starbucks is adding fast-charging stations for electric vehicles at more than 100 of its locations, starting with the 1,400-mile Interstate 5 corridor from California to Washington state.
The installation is being handled by Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging, a $1 billion, year-old joint ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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New law sets up a nuclear power renaissance - Greenbiz (Jul 17, 2024) |
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Jul 17, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
The ADVANCE Act positions the US nuclear energy sector to expand at a pace not seen for decades.
American nuclear energy is on the precipice of a renaissance. Photo: Shutterstock/SkazovD
It just got a whole lot easier to build a nuclear power plant.
Or at least, that’s the hope behind the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law July 9.
The act represents a major regulatory shift from the institutional neglect of the last few decades.
Until the summer of 2023, when the Vogtle 3 nuclear reactor came ... | By Leah Garden Read more ...
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How H&M will push suppliers to use thermal batteries for energy - Greenbiz (Jul 16, 2024) |
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Jul 16, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
The fashion company wants to decarbonize its textile vendors by switching them to heat brick startup Rondo Energy.
Rondo Energy's refractory bricks, to be used by Siam Cement Group. Credit: Rondo Energy
H&M Group is making the fashion industry’s first foray into thermal batteries as part of a plan to decarbonize its supply chain.
On June 19, the fashion giant’s investment arm revealed a previously undisclosed investment in "brick battery" company Rondo Energy. Together, the companies hope to replace the coal that powers H&M’s supplier mills with providers of renewable energy and Rondo’s thermal ... | By Elsa Wenzel Read more ...
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What's next for Fannie Mae's 12-year $120 billion quest for green housing - Greenbiz (Jul 16, 2024) |
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Jul 16, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
It's the largest issuer of green bonds, but only a small portion of the homes it finances meet environmental standards.
Fannie Mae's green programs do not account for the climate impacts of new housing. Source: richardjohnson via Shutterstock
Fannie Mae has been working to reduce the climate impact of housing in the U.S. since 2011. That's a big task, as energy use by homes accounts for 19 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions; home construction and water use have even more impact. And the reach of Fannie Mae, officially the Federal National Mortgage Association, is vast. The privately owned ... | By Saul Hansell Read more ...
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How Google and Nucor are sourcing round-the-clock clean power - Greenbiz (Jul 15, 2024) |
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Jul 15, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
Companies that need massive amounts of new power are banding together to form innovative buyers’ groups.
Google is supporting the addition of enhanced geothermal plant in Nevada through a proposed new clean transition tariff. Source: Fervo Energy
Big energy buyers, eager to see more around-the-clock clean energy on the U.S. electric grid, are using their purchasing power to negotiate new tariffs and contracts with utilities.
Georgia Power, for example, is collaborating with the Clean Energy Buyer’s Association, a trade group that represents over 400 companies, on a fossil-free energy program for ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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Innovative manure solutions for sustainable dairy farming - Greenbiz (Jul 15, 2024) |
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Jul 15, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
Sponsored Article
Dairy farmers are unlocking the environmental potential of manure and redefining waste management in agriculture.
Innovative manure management practices show promise of a greener future. Image courtesy of Dairy Management Incorporated.
This article is sponsored by Dairy Management Incorporated.
As global attention intensifies on the need for climate action, the agricultural sector is increasingly in the spotlight, particularly concerning methane emissions - a potent greenhouse gas with significant impact on global warming. The world’s most preeminent leaders and scientists ... | By Lori Captain Read more ...
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The Hawaii seabed mining ban doesn’t spell the end of EV batteries - Greenbiz (Jul 12, 2024) |
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Jul 12, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
A growing U.S. recycling marketplace is taking its place.
The deep-sea mining ban protects the biodiversity of beautiful beaches like Kapalua beach bay in Maui. Photo: Shutterstock/arkanto
On July 9, Hawaii banned all seabed mining for minerals within its waters to protect the local fishing industry, biodiversity and Native Hawaiian rights. The ban follows similar legislation in California, Washington and Oregon. Twenty-seven countries have so far called for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining.
The increased production of electric vehicles (EVs) is the main impetus for mining the seafloor, which ... | By Leah Garden Read more ...
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40+ courses on renewable energy transitions, technology and financing - Greenbiz (Jul 11, 2024) |
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Jul 11, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
Learn how to drive the adoption of renewable energy with courses that provide everything from a big-picture understanding of the energy transition and justice considerations to the details of energy generation and storage technologies and financing.
Editor’s note: This is part of a series on closing the sustainability skills gap with the resources available right now. The collection includes over a dozen articles and more than 200 training opportunities in areas such as climate and net-zero strategy, procurement and supply chain, ESG and sustainable finance, professional certifications and free ... | By Trish Kenlon Read more ...
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Amazon to suppliers: We will 'prioritize’ those who tell us their emission reduction plans - Greenbiz (Jul 11, 2024) |
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Jul 11, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
The $2.1 trillion e-commerce giant offers its highest-emitting suppliers free tips and guidance, based on its playbook.
Amazon'x efforts to cut packaging have helped reduce the amount used per shipment by 41% on average. Source: Amazon
Amazon is pressuring its "highest-emitting" suppliers - those that collectively contribute 50 percent of its supply chain emissions - to demonstrate how they will reduce their emissions.
The move comes on the heels of the $2.1 trillion (market cap) cloud computing and e-commerce giant requiring its suppliers of all sizes to report on their greenhouse gas emissions, as ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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How Google, Meta, Salesforce and other companies are joining forces to fund climate action - Greenbiz (Jul 11, 2024) |
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Jul 11, 2024 · Why GreenBiz is becoming Trellis this summer by Joel Makower
Advance market commitments have accelerated solutions deployment for other global challenges, such as vaccine distribution. Here’s how they could speed carbon reduction and removal.
Reducing or eliminating the greenhouse gas emissions such as the ones produced by this oil refinery is a key goal of advance market commitments such as Frontier. Source: TTstudio via Shutterstock
In June, Salesforce announced that it had joined Frontier, an advance market commitment (AMC) from over a dozen companies for the purchase of credits for durable carbon removal credits. The announcement followed the May news that ... | By Margaret Morales Read more ...
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Amazon cut emissions 3% in 2023, enabled by renewable energy purchases - Greenbiz (Jul 10, 2024) |
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Jul 10, 2024 · The company’s emissions are up 34.5 percent since 2019.
As of December 2023, Amazon had more than 500 renewable energy projects announced across 27 countries, representing more than 28 gigawatts of carbon-free energy capacity, up from 401 projects in 2022 and 274 in 2021. Source: Amazon
Amazon reported a 3 percent year-over-year reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for 2023, including related to investments in more than 500 renewable energy projects globally.
Even with those gains, however, its carbon footprint has risen 34.5 percent since the $575 billion e-commerce and cloud services provider made a net-zero commitment in 2019.
For 2023, Amazon disclosed ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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Lego sets stricter emissions reductions requirements for suppliers - Greenbiz (Jul 10, 2024) |
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Jul 10, 2024 · The toymaker’s partners will need to share reduction targets starting in 2026.
Lego has tested more than 600 different materials as options to fossil fuels-based plastic, including bio-polyethylene, which it uses to make botanical elements and Minifigure accessories. Source: Lego
Lego, the world’s largest toy company, will require suppliers to set near-term emissions reduction targets by 2026, a move it says is necessary to keep its net-zero goals on track.
The toymaker has committed to cutting its carbon footprint by 37 percent by 2032 and reaching net zero by 2050. Close to 99 percent of Lego’s emissions come from Scope 3, which covers the activities of its ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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Measuring the sustainability of agricultural inputs - Greenbiz (Jul 10, 2024) |
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Jul 10, 2024 · Sponsored: Syngenta boosts transparency through a new framework to rate how its products impact agricultural sustainability.
This article is sponsored by Syngenta Group.
No one can seriously question the hugely positive role that agriculture plays in our societies, from feeding the world’s 8 billion people to employing some 26 percent of the global workforce. There is, however, a tendency to assume that all agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, seeds and crop protection products or other materials to increase agricultural yields are bad for the environment.
This incomplete (and inaccurate) perception ignores two important truths: that over the last six decades ... | By Petra Laux Read more ...
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How governments can strengthen carbon markets and spur long-term success - Greenbiz (Jul 09, 2024) |
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Jul 09, 2024 · Governments can play a key role in the success and longevity of carbon markets - specifically by backstopping early investments, according to Verra's founding CEO.
This is the third article in a six-part series examining how carbon markets can catalyze the transition to a green economy. Previous articles in this series describe reimagining carbon markets and a new model for additionality.
One of the biggest challenges facing carbon markets is ensuring long-term transitions for project types that lack an underlying economic rationale to sustain themselves without carbon finance. Put simply, without a non-carbon source of revenue, these projects could end up shutting ... | By David Antonioli Read more ...
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Supreme Court ruling on Chevron deference won’t change corporations’ climate obligations, for now - Greenbiz (Jul 09, 2024) |
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Jul 09, 2024 · Federal agencies now have less power to drive climate policy.
The decision to overturn the precedent of the Chevron Deference happened in the US Supreme Court in Washington DC . Photo: Shutterstock/Orhan Cam
On June 28, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron Deference, dramatically limiting the federal government’s ability to implement climate regulation.
The Chevron rule dates to 1984, when the Supreme Court ruled that if a law is ambiguously worded, Congress should defer to the specific government agency in charge of carrying out that law. And thus, the Chevron Deference was born. It has given federal bodies broad authority to interpret ... | By Leah Garden Read more ...
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AI data centers are undermining climate solutions - Greenbiz (Jul 08, 2024) |
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Jul 08, 2024 · The scrutiny of data centers has intensified because of tech company secrecy, energy consumption and societal impacts on customers, policymakers and communities.
Some industry sectors - the chemical and petroleum industries come to mind - have ample experience in being in the political and social crosshairs for extended periods. The more recent anti-woke eruptions against Disney, InBev and Target showed how ill-prepared were these enterprises to understand and effectively respond to anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns waged against their brands.
The latest entry in the saga of misguided corporate strategy belongs to the technology sector. While controversies over the proliferation of ... | By Terry F. Yosie Read more ...
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Greece national wildfire monitoring system provides a model for other countries – and for companies in fire-ravaged regions - Greenbiz (Jul 08, 2024) |
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Jul 08, 2024 · Orbital thermal imaging technology promises to aid not only Greece’s firefighters, but also major U.S. utilities like PG&E.
Wildfires like this 2023 blaze on the island of Rhodes, which forced thousands of tourists and residents to evacuate, have become increasingly common in the eastern Mediterranean. Source: OroraTech
Trying to limit the damage from devastating wildfires, Greece has become the first country to implement a national satellite-based wildfire monitoring system, signing a $21.5 million contract with Munich-based thermal intelligence provider OroraTech.
The nationwide system promises to be a model for other countries and for power utilities and other ... | By Tom Howarth Read more ...
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Deals with Microsoft, Shopify and Stripe fail to keep carbon removal startup alive - Greenbiz (Jul 05, 2024) |
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Jul 05, 2024 · In June, Running Tide announced plans to dissolve despite high-profile early customers including Microsoft and Stripe.
One approach being tested by Running Tide was sinking biomass into the ocean, to keep carbon from being released. Source: Running Tide
Running Tide, a carbon removal startup that signed 25 customers including Microsoft, Shopify and Stripe, is shutting down after failing to secure more financial backing.
The announcement by CEO Martin Odlin in a June 14 post on LinkedIn came just three months after Running Tide touted a successful trial that sequestered 21,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in biomass sunk deep in the Icelandic ocean. Its early ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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Building climate resiliency through corporate philanthropy - Greenbiz (Jul 02, 2024) |
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Jul 02, 2024 · Sponsored: Is your corporate sustainable philanthropy maximized for effectiveness? The right strategic approach can boost impact while building a resilient future.
Corporate philanthropy can play a pivotal role in the sustainable future. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
This article is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
Another incredibly hot summer with record and near-record highs has hit across the United States even before school was out. Heat-related health and economic risks are increasing, particularly in urban areas, where pavement, building-density and scant green space can amplify temperatures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that heat is the ... | By John Moon Read more ...
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Google reports 13% emissions increase fueled by AI - Greenbiz (Jul 02, 2024) |
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Jul 02, 2024 · The company is struggling to add carbon-free energy fast enough, CSO Kate Brandt told GreenBiz.
Google's new clean tariff contracts will enable the addition of clean, firm power such as enhanced geothermal by utilities. Source: Fervo
Google reported a 13 percent rise in greenhouse gas emissions for 2023 driven by the energy appetite of artificial intelligence and scarce availability of renewable energy in Asia and certain U.S. regions.
Google’s total emissions reached 14,314,800 metric tons, a 48 percent increase over 2019 levels, the baseline for its emissions reduction targets, according to the company’s 2024 Environmental Report published July 2:
Google’s ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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How Seventh Generation got Unilever to take a closer look at its banks - Greenbiz (Jul 02, 2024) |
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Jul 02, 2024 · The company discovered that the cash on its balance sheet was generating 9,000 metric tons of CO2.
Seventh Generation discovered that emissions related to its banking relationships are roughly equivalent to the footprint from its primary ingredient, palm oil. Image via Shutterstock/Photoongraphy
Seventh Generation, a maker of bio-based household cleansers, believes its banks generate as much greenhouse gas emissions as the primary ingredient in its products, palm oil.
It’s a "meaningful" amount: 9,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is bigger than the company’s combined footprint from Scope 1 and Scope 2, the omissions created by its operations and its energy ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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IRA’s $391 billion in clean energy funding makes it too lucrative for Trump to overhaul - Greenbiz (Jul 02, 2024) |
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Jul 02, 2024 · Republicans don’t like the Inflation Reduction Act, but it’s popular with investors and the states.
A field of solar panels generating emission-free energy in the United States. Photo: Shutterstock/Lena Platonova
Some investors are worried Donald Trump will repeal the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) - which funded over $300 billion in clean energy investments across the U.S. last year and has created over 300,000 clean energy jobs as of June 20 - if elected in November, according to experts who spoke at last month’s GreenFin 24 conference.
Trump has expressed his dislike of the act in election speeches and his campaign officials told the Financial Times last year, ... | By Leah Garden Read more ...
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Science Based Targets initiative CEO resigns, citing personal reasons - Greenbiz (Jul 02, 2024) |
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Jul 02, 2024 · Luiz Amaral’s resignation is the latest development in a challenging time for the validation organization.
Smartphone with logo of Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in front of website. Image via Shutterstock/T. Schneider
Luiz Amaral, CEO of the Science Based Targets initiative, is stepping down after a little more than two years on the job. Amaral’s resignation, for unspecified personal reasons, caps a tumultuous period at the leading organization for the validation of corporate greenhouse gas emissions goals.
"These issues require my full attention at this time, prompting my decision to step down," Amaral said in a press release issued by SBTi on July 2. ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
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A lesson in collective buying power: How to use your voice to drive climate policy - Greenbiz (Jul 01, 2024) |
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Jul 01, 2024 · The history of the Clean Energy Buyers Association offers key lessons on the importance of public policy in accelerating private action on climate.
Note: This column is based on a talk Weihl gave at the CEBA Summit in May.
I’ve been involved in corporate sustainability and clean energy work for almost two decades. And I was heavily involved in the creation of REBA (Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance), now renamed CEBA (the Clean Energy Buyers Association).
CEBA is a remarkable success story - of collaboration, growth and impact. Its history holds key lessons for all of us on the importance of public policy as an accelerator of private action on climate, and on how ... | By Bill Weihl Read more ...
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