UK emissions fall for the sixth year running as coal is phased out, but rate of decline slows March 28, 2019 Greenhouse gas emissions fell three per cent in the UK last year as more coal power plants came offline. The fall, which includes a two per cent drop in carbon dioxide emissions, follows a long-term decline in Britain. Read more: Global emissions reach record high as energy demand speeds up Total greenhouse gas emissions have [...]
Thames Water unveils £1bn tech investment in bid to boost efficiency March 26, 2019 Thames Water has unveiled plans to invest £1bn in new technology for its water and waste operations in a bid to boost efficiency by 20 per cent. The investment, which will be rolled out over the next six years, will help boost the utility company’s data management for a range of issues such as fixing [...]
World Water Day: Awareness isn’t enough to save the planet’s water supply March 22, 2019 Water is taken for granted. When my great-great-grandfather, Daniel Swarovski, set up his company in the Austrian Alps in 1895, he chose the area because of the abundance of water, which he needed for creating crystal. Read more: Ofwat pours cold water on providers' business plans Water was, and still is, the essential resource for [...]
Stop overlooking small businesses – they can be a massive force for good March 18, 2019 Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) make up 99 per cent of companies, and employ 60 per cent of private sector workers in the UK. And yet, they are often overlooked when we talk about responsible business. When SMEs take action on responsible business, they make a huge difference to London’s communities, to our environment, to [...]
Climate change protests: London brought to standstill as students demonstrate against climate change March 15, 2019 Students protesting against climate change brought parts of London to a standstill today as they demonstrated across bridges and in busy tourist spots. The walkout started at 11am in Parliament Square, where the same group brought traffic to a standstill in February. Under the banner YouthStrike4Climate, students demanded the declaration of a state of climate [...]
Norway has grown rich on oil, so why is its state-owned fund divesting from fossil fuels? March 12, 2019 Last week, one of the largest planned divestments of fossil fuel assets in history was announced. The Norwegian government publicly declared its intention to sell off ownership in oil and gas companies, to the tune of 66bn Norwegian krone (£5.7bn). This massive decision sent ripples through the markets, and the international benchmark Brent Crude was [...]
AI’s success story still has a few missing chapters March 11, 2019 This article is not written by robots – we promise – but apparently the day when they could be is already upon us. We have just finished reading about the GPT-2 text generator which, according to this Spectator piece, “not only does text analysis and augmentation, but generates highly sophisticated content”. “It can effectively write articles,” [...]
How climate change claimed its first corporate casualty and the lesson for income investors March 8, 2019 | City Talk The last few decades have seen the perception gain ground in markets that a combination of cash generation and state backing makes utility companies pretty much shockproof as income-yielding investments. The fate of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which last week filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, should serve as a stark reminder no [...]
The Democrats have embraced the Trump trend of childish insults and illiterate ideas March 8, 2019 My worse fear has been realised: the 2020 presidential race is upon us. Like many readers, I’m not ready to re-board the political and emotional rollercoaster of 2016. But I cannot deny reality anymore: 2020 is in full-swing. Donald Trump has altered the tone and standards of debate in US politics. Many of his supporters [...]
Leading UK charities call for legal guidance on ethical investments March 4, 2019 Leading UK charities have called on the government to provide legal guidance on ethical investment. In an open letter, signed by charities such as Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, the RSPB and the Quakers, the group also asked for specific guidance on whether they should invest in companies that contribute to dangerous climate change. Read more: [...]