Category:

Climate, Environment, Renewable Energy

EU denies gas plants a green finance tag, offers possible hydrogen loophole

The landmark EU rules, due to be finalised this year, will force providers of financial products to disclose from the end of 2021 which investments meet climate criteria, and can therefore be marketed as “sustainable”.

Gaining such a label is likely to help companies tap the growing share of investor cash looking to profit from the region’s multi-trillion-euro shift to a net zero emissions economy by 2050.

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Wildlife diseases poised to spread northwards as climate changes: study

The study projects increasing spread over the next five decades of wildlife diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses and infectious worms. There are serious implications for humans, said co-author Jason Rohr of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

“We do know that 75% of emerging infectious diseases have a wildlife origin,” said Rohr, who runs an ecology and public health lab at Notre Dame. “We should be concerned for our own health when we see studies suggesting that there could be increases in infectious disease in wildlife.”

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Roberts to lead Global Renewable Energy biz of Marsh JLT SpecialtyLondon:

“There is renewed political will as we approach the end of 2020 to move towards greater decarbonization and more sustainable energy sources.As traditional energy companies continue to decarbonize their footprints – and market challengers seek to redefine the energy landscape – Marsh JLT Specialty’s Global Renewable Energy team will play a key role in supporting our clients and communities as they transition towards more sustainable and carbon-neutral futures,”said Roberts

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Philippines logs 100 deaths, P25 billion losses from recent storms

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Managent Council said it has asked President Rodrigo Duterte to declare a state of calamity in the country’s largest island Luzon, home to 53 million people.

The proposal – which will be in addition to an existing state of calamity over the COVID-19 pandemic – allows faster release of calamity funds, the grant of interest-free loans and freezing of prices of basic commodities.

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UN chief urges all countries to stop building new coal power plants

“To reach carbon neutrality by 2050, I am calling for all countries to stop building new coal power plants and for partners to stop financing them,” said the Secretary-General.

“Countries also need to put a price on carbon and end subsidies for fossil fuels. Our response to the Covid-19 crisis must be aligned with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. In all these efforts, you can count on the support of the United Nations system,” the UN chief added.

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In first for Fed, U.S. central bank says climate poses stability risks

“Acute hazards, such as storms, floods, or wildfires, may cause investors to update their perceptions of the value of real or financial assets suddenly,” Fed Governor Lael Brainard said in comments attached to the report, released Monday.

“Chronic hazards, such as slow increases in mean temperatures or sea levels, or a gradual change in investor sentiment about those risks, introduce the possibility of abrupt tipping points or significant swings in sentiment,” Brainard said.

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Vietnam braces for Typhoon Vamco, 53 dead in Philippines

Vietnam is prone to destructive storms and flooding due to its long coastline. Vamco will be the 13th storm that affects the Southeast Asian country this year, where more than 160 people have been killed in natural disasters triggered by a series of storms since early October.

“There has been no respite for more than eight million people living in central Vietnam,” said Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, Vietnam Red Cross Society President. “Each time they start rebuilding their lives and livelihoods, they are pummelled by yet another storm.”

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Willis Towers Watson acquires Acclimatise, to strengthen climate resilience leadership

John Firth, CEO and Co-Founder of Acclimatise, said, “Climate change risk is fast becoming a central part of government, corporate and financial decision making and planning. Meeting growing client demand will require increasingly sophisticated approaches to climate risk assessment and management.”

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