July 2020 - This Month in Environmental News (Right Whales, Impact Investing, and More)
Photo by Markus Spiske
Here’s the best of what we’ve read over the last month.
“With their population still struggling to recover from over three centuries of whaling, the North Atlantic right whale is now just “one step from extinction”, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN last week moved the whale’s status on their Red List from “endangered” to “critically endangered” – the last stop before the species is considered extinct in the wild.”
— North Atlantic right whales now officially 'one step from extinction' (The Guardian)
“Nearly three-quarters of Americans have moderate to high interest in sustainable investing, according to new research by the financial services firm Morningstar. That interest, the study found, is broad and deep. It also runs contrary to a common belief among advisers that interest in this type of investing is confined to millennials and women.”
— Investing for Social Impact Is Complicated. Here Are 4 Ways to Simplify It. (The New York Times)
“With outreach to the private sector as well as to governments, the Alliance helps brands set sustainability targets, safeguard workers—especially women—reduce waste, and limit carbon emissions. The latter is critical; the fashion industry is responsible for 8.1% of the greenhouse gases produced annually.”
— On trend: sustainable fashion in the wake of COVID-19 (UN Environment Programme)
“When the University of Michigan’s chief financial officer asked the school’s Board of Regents in December to authorize a new $50 million oil-and-gas investment, they gave an answer he had never heard before: No.”
— Universities Cut Oil Investments as Student Activism Builds (Wall Street Journal)
“Defeats at three projects reflect increasingly sophisticated legal challenges, shifting economics and growing demands by states to fight climate change.”
— Is This the End of New Pipelines? (The New York Times)
“‘Every city is talking about how to leverage the moment and reposition itself and focus on a sustainable future,’ Lord Mayor Sally Capp says. ‘If we don’t leverage these moments to make material change, we’re crazy.’”
— How the ‘15-Minute City’ Could Help Post-Pandemic Recovery (Bloomberg CityLab)