HKGFA’s 3rd Annual Forum stressed collaborating for carbon neutrality
The Third Annual Forum – ‘Financing Carbon Neutrality in Asia’, was held in Hong Kong on 30 November by the Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA). The focus was on the imperativeness of cooperation from global, regional, and local quarters to generate trillions of dollars that were required for the region to achieve its carbon […]
German Environment Ministry launches 6th call for European climate project ideas
The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) has called for project ideas that support climate action policies in Europe. Project ideas must be submitted by January 12, 2022. Open to non-profit organizations from civil society, science, business, education, and municipalities. This represents the sixth call for such ideas to be […]
A $700 billion dollar opportunity in circular fashion
A new study by the Ellen McArthur Institute reveals huge revenue possibilities in 4 key areas of activity: Rental – Including potential subscription models from big brands. Resale – Including peer-to-peer networks. Repair – Services aimed at restoring clothes to a usable state. Remake – including disassembling, re-dyeing, and repurposing. The full study can be […]
ECB says that banks need to do more on climate change
According to the first large-scale assessment conducted by the European Central Bank (ECB), on how European banks are transforming their procedures to handle climate and environmental risks, they must significantly step up their efforts. No supervised bank comes close to achieving all of the ECB’s climate and environmental risk requirements. Banks have devised strategies to […]
1.5 alive, but barely breathing – Thoughts on Week 2 of COP26
Friday 6 pm arrived and instead of a deal that delivered an orderly phase-out of coal, a clear goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, and a unanimous collective step towards a green future…there was nothing. That is to say that the COP reached its official end time and talks were still on, and, […]
“Every country, every city, every company, every financial institution.” – Antonio Guterres – UN Secretary-General
There is just one day left at COP26, which means negotiation and steely nerves. It is not unusual for summits to end with last-minute compromises and agreements that are often made in ‘overtime’—spilling into the weekend after their official end. The Glasgow edition is under pressure to meet the timeline, in part due to increased […]
Is the COP26 draft text a genuine call to action, or just more blah, blah, blah?
It is hump day in the second week of COP26, and that entails negotiations, horsetrading, and uncomfortable compromises that are needed to declare the summit a success. Each COP concludes with a document that becomes the historic record of what has been agreed to, and is subject to considerable change and negotiation during the final […]
“Get a plan, any plan, just get a bloody plan.” – Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristo
If the first week was filled with pledges without details, and the weekend with disappointment-fueled protests, Tuesday witnessed optimism on the fringes of COP26. COPs comprise several related events, with discussions of details that are often absent on the main stage. Today, I was at one such event—the Bloomberg summit—at the train station in Glasgow. […]
Imperfect compromises are becoming necessary to combat climate change
Week 2 of COP26 began with Barrack Obama holding center stage, seemingly connecting desires of Saturday protesters with goals of countries at COP26. “Not only can we not afford to go backward, we cannot afford to stay where we are,” Obama stated. But he also reminded the conference that imperfect compromise was required to move […]
The first week of COP26 in Glasgow was an interesting mix of hyperbole, disappointment, excitement, and pledges
Through the week, commitments on methane, coal, and deforestation had created a buzz that this summit was going to achieve its goals to be considered a success. Mark Carney’s sobering speech on ‘finance day’ reminded everyone of exactly how much it was going to cost, and how the private sector—banks, in particular—needed to engage with […]
