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Eco/Invest/Demography

How the world’s first carbon border tax may play out

The measure, which will affect producers of steel, cement and aluminum in countries with looser environmental rules, would boost commodity costs and reroute trade flows. But it will take years to implement and have a limited impact on global emissions.
The new levy is likely to do very little to curb greenhouse gas emissions. With a carbon border adjustment of $44 a metric ton, a United Nations body estimates emissions would only fall by 27 million tons, a meager 0.1% of the total. At $88, it would drop by 45 million tons. The price of carbon in the EU is currently about 53 euros ($62) a ton.

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After COVID revenue collapse, Canadian municipalities face insurance premium spike

Cities need insurance to protect against claims in the event of accidents on municipal properties or roads, and to deal with risks including cyber attacks and natural disasters – so forgoing coverage is not an option.
Accident-related lawsuits against cities and settlements have risen alongside cyber attacks and natural disasters, both domestically and globally, even as bond yields have slid, resulting in more stringent underwriting standards and higher premiums around the world.

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2000% increase in cyber security breaches during pandemic

“In India, almost every sector has been breached because they all are inter-connected. During the pandemic, the number of breaches increased by 2,000 per cent because we were using ASL or DSL from home. ASL, DSL, fibre, nothing is secured, this whole scenario reflects that your sensitive information is at risk and is being used for a variety of purposes, causing financial fraud, causing a threat to national security,” Rai said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs’ National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), which was launched in August 2019, has recorded over four lakh complaints, with about 50 per cent related to financial frauds, revealed Ashok Kumar, Director, Ministry of Home Affairs.

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NCGTC issues guidelines for Rs 50,000-cr credit guarantee scheme for medical infra

As per the guidelines, a credit guarantee of 50 per cent to all brownfield projects and 75 per cent to greenfield projects in the healthcare sector at centres other than 8 municipal areas would be available. The excluded metros from the scheme are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

For the aspirational districts, the guarantee cover for both brownfield expansion and greenfield projects shall be 75 per cent, it said.

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As floods hit western Europe, scientists say climate change hikes heavy rain

In general the rising average global temperature – now about 1.2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average – makes heavy rainfall more likely, according to scientists.
The floods follow just weeks after a record-breaking heatwave killed hundreds of people in Canada and the United States. Scientists have since said that extreme heat would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, which had made such an event 150 times more likely to occur. 

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Ola got 100,000 bookings for electric scooter in one day

“I am thrilled by the tremendous response from customers across India for our first electric vehicle. The unprecedented demand is a clear indicator of shifting consumer preferences to EVs. This is a huge step forward in our mission to transition the world to sustainable mobility,” Ola Chairman and Group CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said in a statement.

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