Sunday, August 29, 2021
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News and information about the impact of industries on energy and environment for investors who want to contribute to a greener, cleaner future for all.

Even though California has been a leader in setting emission standards, the wildfires show that climate change cannot be confined within state boundaries.  This article is part of the daily Karma newsletter. To get...
Not only is the fashion industry one of the top producers of carbon emissions, it is second only to oil in polluting freshwater resources. And it’s stunning how much water it takes to make a t-shirt and...
Karma_Impact Perspectives_Fashion

Fashion’s Thirst Problem

Few fashion companies are aware of the water risks in their value chains, despite being a major pollutant, new CDP report showsSustainable fashion has grown increasingly important to consumersThe entire fashion model of constant manufacturing may need...
Advocates say the U.S. government’s first approval for the design of a new type of small nuclear reactor is good for the industry and may help tackle global warming. Nuclear power advocates have long touted it as a...
Experts surveyed in the Globescan Sustainability Leaders report named Unilever as one of the most recognizable companies for its work to minimize its impact on the environment. Over 700 survey participants were asked to rank companies according to...
U.N.’s Race to Zero Campaign will team up with the tech-savvy attendees of this year’s Web Summit to match startups with potential investors.  This article is part of the daily Karma newsletter. To get...
A world where electricity generation is derived from 100% renewable energy is possible if countries adopt a patchwork of existing innovations, says IRENA. IRENA has identified innovations and policy prescriptions that may enable the global transition away from...
Race to Zero is seeking sustainable startups to match with the entities committing to net zero carbon emissionsThough impact investors are among the Race to Zero signatories, the real leaders are city and regional governments that can...
Water security may be “invisible risk,” but will also prove costly to big businesses that continue to ignore it. CDP’s Global Director of Water Security says $425 billion is at risk due to water issues. 
Time to Pumpkin Spice up your life. Luckily, socially conscious enterprises are stepping in to offer impactful ways to get your pumpkin on.  This article is part of the daily Karma newsletter. To get...
Renewables accounted for a rising portion of electricity generation in 2020, slowly eating into coal’s market share. Solar and wind power constitute almost 10% of electricity generated worldwide in the first half of the year. Still, the pace of...
Making eastern Africa a dumping ground for plastics is no solution for cash-strapped oil and gas companies or the nations pushing for it to happen.  This article is part of the daily Karma newsletter....
Ireland is trying to end one of its most traditional energy sources, the burning of peat for heat and electricity. The country’s move away from peat is opening up development of alternatives, including wind farms. Reducing the burning of...
U.S. dairy industry pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050. Changing what a cow eats, manure digesters and selective breeding would cut emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that's 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Each year, a...
Hurricane Laura not only shows how climate change is creating stronger hurricanes, but also how low oil demand is and why even the government believes we’re in for bigger floods.  This article is part...
One growing investment field is emerging market private equity and debt funds in African and Latin American renewable energy sources. Many investors hold on to oil and gas stocks simply to collect dividends, which causes the companies to...
U.K.’s electricity system could become carbon-negative by as soon as 2033, according to a future scenarios report from National Grid ESO.Country wants to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 in order to fight climate change.National...
Targeting carbon emissions in food production needed as demand for meat products in China and India threatens to increase the amount of greenhouse gases the sector produces.  This is an opinion piece; the views...
India’s duties on cheap solar parts from China may slow transition to renewable energy. Duties are part of a wide range of government actions aimed at building domestic manufacturing. India’s push to increase domestic manufacturing of solar parts may...
Most college students may be taking classes virtually this semester, but that may not slow down their virtual protests for their institutions’ endowments to divest from fossil fuels.  This article is part of the...
Phillips 66 becomes latest energy company seeking to convert an oil refinery into a biofuels plant to take advantage of robust demand for green fuels.  Economic recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has...
Making buildings more environmentally friendly also makes them more virus-resilient, so why not fight climate change and COVID-19 simultaneously?  This article is part of the daily Karma newsletter. To get the whole newsletter delivered...
Energy-efficient upgrades to HVAC systems at schools and other critical buildings can prevent the spread of COVID-19. Federal funding and tax incentives to make these building upgrades could catalyze a market already projected for growth. The EU has already...
Viking Cold Solutions technology lets cold-storage facilities reduce their energy demand and cut expenditures. When paired with solar panels, the technology cuts the need for power from the grid by 95%. Energy storage systems will have to be adopted...
The spectacle of this week’s Democratic National Convention may grab the most attention, but the ambitious details of the party’s plans to fight climate change and encourage sustainability may interest impact investors more.  This...
U.S. investors have turned up the heat on companies with a record number of ESG shareholder resolutions this year and the COVID-19 pandemic may spur even more proposals next year.Sixteen investor petitions concerning ESG matters have gotten...
Want to change a company’s behavior? Prepare to spend as much as a year getting your proposal in order.More shareholders are filing proposals, apparently undeterred by the task’s complexity.U.S. and EU systems vary, with experts seeing complexity...
With cruise lines shut down, now might be the time for an environmental overhaul that shrinks the industry’s sizable carbon footprint. Still, some see little hope for change -- with companies fighting for survival, new health and safety...
Energy experts say NRG Energy Inc.’s shutdown of the only operational carbon capture storage plant in the U.S. raises doubts for such projects.  NRG said falling oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic made the...
Energy companies turn to unusual places to find space for solar panels in India, where land is expensiveSmaller projects are turning underutilized spaces into economic opportunitiesTurning irrigation canals and other spaces into energy producers may help India...