Big batteries bridging the gap?
The electricity system's increasing reliance on renewables could get vital support from big batteries
We need to invest a lot more in agriculture
25 leading philanthropies recently issued a joint report, calling for a tenfold increase in funding for regenerative and agroecological transitions to address urgent global agricultural and environmental challenges. They urge that to align food systems with the 1.5ºC goal of the Paris Agreement there is a need to phase
Electrification of agriculture
More than 130 countries signed a declaration at COP28 to accelerate action on transforming food systems to be more sustainable and tackle their impact on climate change. The Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action will require nations to include food emissions in their Nationally Determined
Could property linked finance unlock £bn of investment?
The Green Finance Institute (GFI) has recently released a report suggesting that introducing Property Linked Finance (PLF) to the UK market could enable £ billions of capital to be raised, to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s homes and commercial buildings. While the response to the report has been
What struck a chord in 2023
Articles that went viral in 2023 garnering huge engagement.
What caught our eye - three key stories (week 50)
More investment needed in agriculture; Batteries meet share of peak demand; Heat pumps getting smaller
Impact investing can align with fiduciary duty
A frequent debate is the one around impact investing and fiduciary duty. More specifically, does impact focused investing deliver financial returns that are similar to those of a meaningful benchmark? A recent Pensions for Purpose report helps with this question. At the risk of ruining the surprise - listed global
Green buildings offer good financial value as well?
We know we need greener buildings, but the 'how' is often less clear. And we need to better understand the financial implications. A recent report from the engineering consultancy ARUP, for the World Building Council for Sustainable Development, highlighted the important role that making buildings greener will play
Politicians change their minds
If we are to make regulatory changes permanent, a greater focus is needed on the costs of sustainability related regulation. Yes, we understand the longer term benefits, but every change will create financial losers, and we need to get better at funding the transition periods.
Sunday Brunch: is failure on climate change really financially harmless ?
We talk a lot about climate models and how GHG emissions impact temperature, but not so much about climate damage function models. And yet this second set of models have a massive impact on financial decision making.
What caught our eye - week 49
Are positive climate actions really cost free? Can property-linked finance unlock £ bns of investment? Electrification of agriculture
Is the real issue with nuclear different from what you think?
If you talk to most sustainability professionals about nuclear, the most common concern is safety (Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and perhaps most importantly Fukushima), followed by build cost (ie OL3 in Finland and others). But as well as these issues, should we also be thinking more about decommissioning costs? According
