In his monthly column, Terence Jeyaretnam looks at all of the previous month’s print-ready ESG news.
August saw the shortest day on Earth, biblical floods in Pakistan, record heat waves in China, record droughts in Europe, climate change in Australia and the United States. Legislation on volatility was enacted, and electric cars, airlines and batteries were on the move.
Again, if you missed some important markers in a particular month. Please send me some comments. I will pick it up next month!
*“ESG Markers” – Like biomarkers that tell us how healthy our bodies are, ESG markers indicate a major movement in the ESG field in Oceania and globally.
So here are my top 10 for August 2022, in no particular order.
Earth’s shortest day recorded
Earth’s shortest day was recorded at 29 daysth June 2022, when the Earth completed its 24-hour rotation 1.59 milliseconds early.The Earth has actually slowed down over the years, taking a few milliseconds longer to complete its rotation each century. , or believe it may be related to the layers of the earth
Australia may introduce electric aircraft by 2024, and California plans to ban fossil fuel vehicles by 2035.
Australia’s Rex Airlines has announced it will introduce electric aircraft trails on select regional routes by 2024. Airline travel, which accounts for about 2% of global emissions, is seen as a difficult sector to reduce, but with exponential improvements in battery technology, short-haul electric flight will, in early versions, replace existing We are remodeling aircraft fuel cells into batteries.
On the other side of the world, California, the state that buys the most cars and trucks in the United States, plans to ban the sale of fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2035. It could have ripple effects across the country and the global automotive industry. The California Air Resources Board, which regulates pollution in the state, exercises authority to protect air quality and address the effects of climate change.
Rainwater around the world contains cancer-causing chemicals
Rainwater, found everywhere on Earth, contains so many “eternal chemicals” that cause cancer that it should be classified as unsafe to drink, a new study warns. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals are man-made chemicals that diffuse into the atmosphere. Chemicals are produced by industry and are highly persistent in the atmosphere. PFAS is a generic term for perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances or highly fluorinated substances with similar chemical structures. All PFASs are either very persistent in the environment or degrade into very persistent PFASs, hence the nickname “forever chemicals”. PFAS are associated with a variety of serious health hazards, including cancer, learning and behavioral problems in children, infertility and pregnancy complications, elevated cholesterol, and immune system problems.
Germans are eating less meat, bucking global trends
In 2011, Germans ate 138 pounds of meat each year. Today it’s £121 (compared to £225 a year in the US), a decrease of 12.3%. One possible explanation is that the number of vegans in Germany doubled from 2016 to 2020, reaching 2.6 million or her 3.2% of the population. Moreover, sales of plant-based products in Germany almost doubled from 2018 to 2020, from $424 million to $835 million.
Meat and dairy production accounts for about 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and per capita meat consumption in most countries is estimated by the EAT, a commission of climate and nutrition experts. – Well over the £57 a year recommended by the Lancet Commission.
Australia’s climate targets set to be legislated by September
The Australian House of Commons has passed the country’s first climate change bill. The climate bill enacts two national greenhouse gas emissions targets: a 43% reduction from 2005 levels by 2030, and a reduction to ‘net zero’ by 2050. The bill emphasizes that the 2030 target is a floor, not a ceiling. This law strengthens the role played by the Climate Change Agency in providing policy advice. The bill requires climate change ministers to issue an annual statement to parliament on progress towards the goals. The bill has to pass the Senate at the next Congress in September, but it’s now a formality.
US Inflation Reduction Act Aims to Provide $430 Billion in Climate Finance
The Democratic-led US House of Representatives has approved a $430 billion ($604 billion) bill considered the largest climate package in the country’s history. Legislation to combat climate change and reduce prescription drug prices aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that about half of Americans support climate and drug pricing laws, including 69% of Democrats and 34% of Republicans.
BlackRock invests $1 billion in large batteries in Australia
US investment firm BlackRock plans to invest at least $1 billion in large-scale battery projects in Australia by acquiring Akaisha Energy and its portfolio of battery projects. BlackRock is investing on the back of the federal government’s ambition to make the grid at least 82% renewable by 2030.
The US reflects natural assets on its balance sheet
On Earth Day 2022, President Biden will sign an executive order to create guidance to better account for nature and its benefits in federal decision-making, leading to the first government-wide natural capital account. I was. These natural capital accounts aim to measure the economic value that natural resources provide to society and explain how a healthy economy depends on a healthy natural environment. The draft National Strategy recommends that the federal government develop new and ongoing statistics to assess the abundance of natural assets, how those assets are increasing or depleting, and their impact on economic strength. I’m here.
Biblical floods in Pakistan
Floods in Pakistan have killed more than 1,000 people and affected more than 30 million people. In a video posted to Twitter, Pakistan Senator and the country’s chief climate officer Sherry Lehman said Pakistan was “a severe climate disaster and despite the most difficult of his decade, he One,” he said. An unprecedented monsoon season has affected all four of her states in the country. Nearly 300,000 homes have been destroyed, many roads have been impassable, and widespread power outages have affected millions of people.
China’s most severe heat wave ever recorded
Europe may be experiencing its worst drought in 500 years, alongside droughts in the Horn of Africa and much of the United States and Mexico, while China is facing its worst drought since national records began in 1961. , is experiencing the longest and hottest heat wave in China. Most of China has been hit by two months of extreme heat. Hundreds of locations have reported temperatures above 40°C (104°F), breaking many records. On August 18, Chongqing, Sichuan reached 45 degrees Celsius. This is the highest recorded in China outside of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region desert region. Combined with extreme heat, low rainfall in parts of China has caused river levels to drop and 66 to dry up completely. Parts of the Yangtze have reached their lowest level since records began in 1865. This situation could have global repercussions, causing further disruptions in supply chains and exacerbating the global food crisis.
