How can the blockchain help tackle climate change? February 1, 2022 | City Talk When you think of all the use cases for blockchain technology, solving the existential threat that is climate change is probably not one of them. If anything, crypto has had to play defence in 2021 when it comes to environmental issues, as big questions have been posed about the industry’s energy consumption and sustainability. Well, [...]
HSBC pushes further into Saudi Arabia: Canary Wharf approves $10bn loan so mass polluter Saudi Aramco can expand January 27, 2022 HSBC is in line to finance a $10bn revolving credit facility to one of the world’s biggest polluters, the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, or Saudi Aramco, despite the bank’s commitment to ‘Net Zero emissions by 2050’. HSBC’s latest venture in the Middle Eastern kingdom, in partnership with Standard Chartered, is likely to draw scrutiny from [...]
Nearly 2 million people were killed by air pollution in just one year January 22, 2022 New research published this morning shows that air pollution killed just over 1.8m people in 2019 alone. The study into fine particulate matter concentrations and the mortality rate in cities found that approximately 86 per cent (2.5 billion people) of urban inhabitants lived in areas that exceeded the World Health Organisation’s 2005 air quality guidelines. [...]
Exclusive: Most investors could not care less about ESG and sustainability January 20, 2022 With COP26 a few months behind us, more than half of UK investors admit sustainable investing is not a priority for them, with just under 45 per cent saying it is important and it is a priority in their investment portfolio. In fact, less than a third of British investors say COP26 and the UK [...]
Could Bitcoin be powered by volcanoes? January 18, 2022 | City Talk One topic at the forefront of crypto conversions in 2021 has been energy consumption. Due to record blockchain growth, coupled with the copious amounts of electricity needed to mine bitcoin and other assets, the quest for more renewable energy sources has become a top priority for an industry looking to lower its carbon footprint. For [...]
Not so green after all: Hardly any Brit plans to stick to climate goals in 2022 January 17, 2022 Less than one in ten people in the UK are likely to keep resolutions around making positive climate decisions in 2022, according to new research shared with City A.M. today. Even fewer consumers said they are aspiring to live more sustainably this year, favouring resolutions around becoming healthier and fitter instead, according to the founder [...]
Retail investors flock to sustainability firms January 10, 2022 Retail investors have flocked to ‘cleantech’ and sustainability firms as they look to capitalise on a wave of new entrants to the sector.
Government could save UK industries from higher carbon costs this winter January 4, 2022 The government could cut the amount carbon-intensive industries pay amount pay for each tonne of carbon they emit into the atmosphere.
Priti Patel’s new year resolutions: Home Secretary promises ‘relentless’ crackdown on eco-protesters, immigrants and asylum claims January 4, 2022 Home Secretary Priti Patel has promised to be ‘relentless’ this year as she intends to “crack down” on eco-protesters and end the “legal merry-go-round” of “spurious” asylum seeker claims in 2022. In a new year message posted on social media, Priti Patel said she was proud of many things the Government had achieved in 2021, [...]
Annual spending on ethical products soars past £100bn for first time December 31, 2021 British shoppers spent more than £100bn on ethical products and investments last year, as the twin crises of the pandemic and climate change prompted significant lifestyle changes. Plant-based food, and products, and secondhand clothes, furniture and even cars saw demand surge in the last year with ethical spending rising to £122bn in 2020 – up [...]