The Week in Sustainability

As the festive season approaches, our excitement to celebrate often matches a surge in shopping activities. However, understanding the impact of this increased consumerism on retailer emissions is vital. This week, we explored the significant effects of our holiday shopping habits on the emission profiles of retailers, focusing primarily on Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Understanding retailer emiss...

Australia's ambitious climate goals: On the Vverge of COP28 As we gear up for COP28, Australia has made notable climate strides that can't go unnoticed. Under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the country has set ambitious goals to  reduce emissions by 43%  by 2030, a significant leap from the previous 28% target. At COP28, Energy Minister Chris Bowen will present a report indicating that Australia...

The National Climate Assessment: risks, progress, and opportunities This week, the National Climate Assessment was released, a pivotal report crafted every five years by major U.S. Federal agencies. This 2023 edition did not shy away from the stark climate risks looming over us. Yet, it's not all doom and gloom. The report underscores significant strides in climate action across the U.S. since 201...

Navigating the complexities of the Inflation Reduction Act and highway infrastructure The  Inflation Reduction Act  (IRA), with its substantial $369 billion funding package, stands at the forefront of America's push toward a greener future. Yet, its recent entanglement with Texas's highway infrastructure plans has raised eyebrows. The proposal to allocate $112 million of IRA funds to expand highwa...

This week, we’ve witnessed several impactful developments across two high-contributing factors to climate change: mining and garbage. The UK has taken a firm stand against deep-sea mining, acknowledging its potential impact on our warming oceans. At the same time, U.S. state officials have called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bolster waste management initiatives. ‍ Navigating the...

The Week in Sustainability October 23–27 This week: – DOE’s new funding: The Department of Energy has committed a whopping $3.5B towards upgrading the electric grid. Stemming from the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2021, this move aims at enhancing the grid’s resiliency and capacity. – GM’s unionization: GM (General Motors) is taking the lead amidst an ongoing auto worker strike by permitting it...

As climate change continues its relentless march, the call for more transparent, standardized, and actionable sustainability reporting grows louder. The UK's recently unveiled Transition Disclosure Framework (TDF), coined by the UK Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT), is the latest entrant into the world of ESG standards and metrics. But what does it mean for companies and investors alike? About Susta...

New California laws to reshape climate reporting The new climate legislation in the Golden State is, and has been, making big headlines. Governor Gavin Newsom has put his signature on  SB 253  and SB 261. Starting in 2026, California will expect businesses generating more than $1 billion in revenue to publicly disclose their scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Furthermore, companies with revenue surpassi...

Last week, New York City witnessed a brief bout of intense rain it hadn’t experienced in over seven decades. In just a day, New York received a month’s worth of rain. For a city revered for its resilience, the downpour exposed glaring infrastructure vulnerabilities. When streets turned into streams The city’s streets transformed into treacherous rivers, submerging vehicles mid-road and flooding ba...

1. Net-zero commitments  One of the central themes of Climate Week NYC 2023 was the widespread commitment to  net-zero emissions  goals. It demonstrates a growing acknowledgement among businesses: Addressing climate change is a moral imperative and essential for long-term economic resilience. While the tone remained hopeful, it was also realistic—we only have six years left to reduce global emissi...

Apple continues to trailblaze on the sustainability front. On the legislative front, California’s new bills might set a precedent for broader global actions, which make one thing clear: meticulous  carbon accounting  is no longer a choice; it’s a necessity. Paving the way: California’s climate bills California is once again at the forefront of climate legislation. The state has passed  two promisi...

California’s challenges Big Oil In yet another bold move to address climate change, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a lawsuit against five leading oil companies: BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and ConocoPhillips, along with their associated trade group, the American Petroleum Institute.  The core of the lawsuit alleges that these energy giants were not on...

We dive into the Burning Man festival’s environmental challenges, namely how its principles are at odds with its practices. Background on Burning Man  Originating from a small group of artists in San Francisco, Burning Man now attracts around 70,000 attendees annually in the Nevada desert. Attendees would argue it’s not just a festival—it’s a temporary city with guiding principles that resonate cl...

Global warming’s ripple effects can be seen everywhere month-by-month and minute-by-minute—from July heatwaves to altered coastal ecosystems. And that’s just this summer alone. But the challenge also brings forth innovation—and this week, we’re focusing on a couple of stoires about promising innovations in marine cargo shipping and aviation.  Marvel in marine shipping Traditionally derived from na...

In recent days, two major environmental events have captured our attention. On the one hand, we have the devastating wildfires that ravaged a community in Hawaii, and on the other, we witnessed a landmark ruling in a climate case from Montana, which could potentially pave the way for future climate-related lawsuits. Hawaii’s heartbreaking wildfire disaster The alarming news of wildfires in Hawaii...

A permitting predicament States like California and New York, heralded for their ambitious climate policies,  might not meet their 2030 climate targets . Why? It’s not a lack of planning or policies but rather the tortuous pace of state permitting.  Ambitious goals, bureaucratic hurdles Both states have set ambitious targets, including plans to ban new natural gas lines and end the sale of combust...

Impact of climate change and the role of El Niño The globe is currently experiencing the ramifications of climate change as we endure soaring temperatures and severe weather patterns during the summer of 2023. Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides in Korea, Japan, and the northeastern United States. Meanwhile, heatwaves have swept through the Mediterranean, Mexico, China, and the S...

There’s been a new surge of ambitious supply chain decarbonization efforts led by heavyweight companies like  Amazon , SAP, and  others . The reason? It’s likely that the looming  SEC climate disclosure rule , now expected in October, has catalyzed action. Businesses are looking to stay ahead of the—again, potential—regulatory mandates and tackle the thorny issue of  scope 3 emissions —those tied...

The summer in the Northern Hemisphere has seen  record-breaking heat waves . The stifling heat has served as a reminder of the harsh realities of the effects of climate change. The first week of July was the hottest ever recorded, with temperatures surpassing 110°F in Europe, while Phoenix, Arizona experienced its twentieth day of temperatures above 110°F. As the heat wave persists, concerns about...

Minerals critical to the energy transition The International Energy Agency’s inaugural edition of the  Critical Minerals Market Review  offers intriguing insights into global energy markets as the world transitions from a fossil fuel-based system to renewable energy. While the transition has happened in significantly less time than it took to build a fossil fuel-based system (we’re already seeing...

Australia’s proposed climate disclosure law   The Australian government has proposed a new law to enhance climate-related financial disclosures from companies and other entities operating in the country. Drawing from the recommendations of the  Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures  (TCFD), the  proposed legislation  intends to provide investors and stakeholders with reliable informa...

Youth tackle environmental policy in Montana In a  landmark civil case , Held v. State of Montana, 16 young individuals have charged that the state’s pro-fossil fuel policies infringe on their constitutional rights. The unique case focuses on the state constitution’s provision that demands maintenance and improvement of a clean environment for present and future generations. The litigation specifi...

The story dominating climate news the past couple of weeks has been the record-breaking Canadian wildfires. The fires started in British Columbia and Alberta in late April, then spread extensively in May and June. The culprit? An unusually hot, dry spring combined with lightning in some areas and human error in others. Half of wildfires are ignited by lightning, with the rest caused by human activ...

California’s home insurance crisis gets worse amid rising climate threats The current risk assessment models in the insurance industry are no longer tenable in the face of the climate crisis. Two major insurers, State Farm and Allstate, have  halted new homeowners’ policies in California . And, you guessed it, it’s because of prevailing climate change-related disasters like fires and mudslides tha...