… hail insurance, the most common policy in agriculture. In years when crops were damaged before they could be harvested and sold, crop insurance provided resources that allowed … expertise and decades of weather-related data to estimate the frequency of major weather events. It was widely acknowledged that climate change was likely to increase the frequency of major events, but it would take years for the changes to show up in actuarial models. Nonetheless, …
… finally produce a workable, global scheme to reduce greenhouse gasses in the environment. Unfortunately, the conference produced little concrete action and most agreed that the final … gas emissions were contributing to global warming. Over the next 11 years, the panel - formally convened as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - issued … more climate change assessment reports, pointing to human activity as the primary reason for the increase in greenhouse gases and the rise of global temperatures. The IPCC's …
… to the greenhouse effect was underway and could have potentially devastating consequences for the ecology of the planet. Since automobiles were a substantial contributor of CO2 to … The wide-ranging discussions within GM had led to an ambitious program to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICE) and to seek an alternative powertrain that … more efficient diesel engines on the U.S. market. Meanwhile, international efforts to prevent global warming had accelerated. A series of UN-sponsored conferences, bringing …
… oil company PEMEX had to find ways to implement this policy. Nevertheless, in spite of efforts by various government agencies as well as PEMEX, by mid-2014 no ethanol had been … makers looked at the country's energy supply, they expected that substituting bioethanol for some portion of gasoline fuel would meet a number of the country’s needs. First, it could help extend the country’s supply of crude oil. The country's demand for gasoline was growing, but the production of crude oil from the country's shallow-water …
… Like many countries, Australia has a large existing building stock that is responsible for a substantial percentage of its greenhouse-gas emissions. Given that it will take … Financial institutions are reluctant to lend when any claim that they might make in the event of a default is junior to the property mortgage holder. This is why the Environmental … the investment cost for energy-efficiency upgrades and the subsequent cost savings. Source Yale Center for Business and the Environment Areas of Focus Sustainable Finance and ESG …
… In 2014, the four largest palm oil trading companies signed an agreement to end deforestation, development of peat lands and exploitation of locals not only with their own … to support their land claims and look away when it came to environmental regulation. In 2013, environmental campaigners believed they had found leverage to help change the palm oil … many environmentalists believed that the agreement represented a breakthrough. The events of 2015 suggested otherwise, forcing businesses, NGOs and sympathetic government …
… most heavily traded edible oil in the world. Golden Agri Resources (GAR) has been in the forefront of this palm oil boom in Indonesia. Founded in 1996 by the influential Widjaja family (operators of the Sinar Mas business group), GAR became the holding company for the family’s agribusinesses, including its Indonesian subsidiary PT SMART. The company … would spur other companies and environmental groups to embrace higher standards. But in 2013, obstacles to this goal remained. The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an …
… Ash award in policy innovation, the "Nobel of policy," upon the Connecticut Green Bank for its role in "sparking the green bank movement." The Green Bank used financial … the Green Bank lowered the cost of capital for consumers and businesses to install energy efficiency upgrades and renewable technology. It supported the banking industry in offering … as possible, and alleviating energy poverty for low and moderate-income residents? Source Yale School of Management Areas of Focus Clean Energy Sustainable Finance and ESG Equity and …
… In early 2014 Alcoa announced that Ford's F-150 pick-up trucks, the best-selling vehicles in the U.S., would use … planned another $150 million on facilities in Tennessee to meet the demand generated by the Ford contract. The aluminum industry's growing success in the automotive sector reflected … the response of auto manufacturers to the increasingly rigorous fuel economy standards for U.S. vehicles and consumer preferences for high mileage vehicles. To meet those …
… Before the federal government discontinued the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) … of its tax reform package, states like Virginia leveraged this program to accomplish energy efficiency goals. When evaluating how to use Virginia’s QECB allocation, decision makers … for creativity and adaptability to different states, locations, and projects. Source The Yale Center for Business and the Environment Areas of Focus Sustainable Finance and ESG …