Terra Incognita For Climate Change Policy - "Dead Ahead" As #44 Leaves / #45 Assumes Responsibility for Public Policy We are about to enter "uncertain terrain" or as the ancient Romans called it, terra incognita - when it comes to what [national] public policies the United States of America will / or will not pursue in the days ahead regarding the complex issues surrounding "climate change" (or dare we say..."global warming"). Elected officials may /or may not / pay attention to, or adopt the recommendations emanating from, the Federal government's official research and analysis bodies and those closely affiliated with the U.S. government. Politics. Worldviews. Business/vested interests. Pandering to the base. Ignorance - deliberate and otherwise. All of these can get in the way and cloud the political lens of the U.S. senator, member of the House, appointed cabinet officer (the secretary)...and higher up. In this last week of the eight-year reign of the 44th Chief Executive, Barack Obama, the influential National Academy of Sciences (NAS) put out a report and made recommendations that contained a specific metric that we will no doubt be hearing about no matter the side of the climate change issues we are on. The question posed is: what is the "social cost of carbon???” The answer from NAS is $36 per ton for carbon dioxide. Remember that "monetary cost" number: $36 per ton when we do a proper cost-benefit analysis (positive, negative) on the various impacts on human societies (flood, drought; impacts on agriculture, human health, etc.). ALL have economic consequences. (The new report is an updating estimation of the social cost of carbon in 2017.) NAS is a private, not-for-profit society established by an Act of Congress and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The society provides independent, objective advice to public sector leaders in the fields of science and technology. Consider this: Over the years some 500+ members have won the Nobel Prize. Under the NAS banner, there are two important subgroups: The National Academy of Engineering (1964) and the National Academy of Medicine (1970). All together, there are 6,000 experts involved from the various field. NAS says in the matters of engineering, science and medicine, Congress and the White House issue legislation (laws, which become rules) or Presidential Executive Orders based on the society's recommendations. The hometown newspaper of the nation's capital published the results with an appropriate headline: "Scientists have a new way to calculate what global warming costs. Trump's team isn't going to like it." (The Washington Post story by Chelsea Harvey is our Top Story this week.)
And you can purchase the report from NAS / The National Academies Press in paperback ("Valuing Climate Change" - $80.00) or download a FREE PDF copy as a guest at https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24651/valuing-climate-damages-updating-estimation-of-the-social-cost-of Top Story Scientists have a new way to calculate what global warming costs. Trump’s team isn’t going to like it.
(Friday - January 13, 2017)
Source: Washington Post - How we view the costs of future climate change, and more importantly how we quantify them, may soon be changing. A much-anticipated new report, just released by the National Academy of Sciences, recommends major updates to a... Sustainability in Focus 5 Reasons Why Sustainability and Social Issues Attract Customers
(Sunday - January 08, 2017)
Source: Entrepreneur - Consumers want to feel good about the companies they buy from. What's your company doing to help that happen? Goals for Sustainability and CSR Professionals in Earth 2017
(Monday - January 09, 2017)
Source: Triple Pundit - With power shifts in Washington and misinformation spreading around climate change, it is gut-check time for corporate social responsibility and sustainability professionals. So, what goals should we set in Earth 2017? Source: Sustainable Brands - However, rather than adjusting their priorities in the face of this transition, investors appear to be doubling down on the financial value of corporate sustainability... With a record $1.4 trillion in sustainability assets, investors bail on fossil fuels
(Tuesday - January 10, 2017)
Source: GreenBiz - As President-elect Donald Trump puts together his fossil fuel-focused administration, the investment community is moving full speed in the opposite direction, instead putting their bets on emissions reductions and support for... 2017 preview: Sustainability
(Tuesday - January 10, 2017)
Source: Construction News - Quite apart from Brexit and Trump, 2016 will also be remembered as the year we first overshot the symbolic 400 ppm carbon dioxide threshold, with atmospheric levels not set to drop below this mark “ever again for the indefinite... Source: Farm Bureau - With large corporations like Chipotle and Walmart using the term “sustainable” to get consumers’ attention and grow their market share, farmers and ranchers need to start defining sustainability for themselves experts told... Sustainability Reporting Trends in New Year – ’16 going on ‘17
(Wednesday - January 11, 2017)
Source: National Law Review - If you’re feeling uncertain or confused about the future of sustainability reporting in the United States, you’re not alone. With the business world’s adoption of sustainability reports moving full steam ahead—and increasing... Conserving Natural Resources With Sustainable Homes
(Wednesday - January 11, 2017)
Source: Washington Post - Sustainability is a topic of growing concern for many Americans as the value of renewable energy sources becomes evident. For most of us this means making the most of the resources we have and reducing our waste. As stewards over... The expanding role of sustainability leadership
(Wednesday - January 11, 2017)
Source: GreenBiz - Sustainability professionals are quietly and gradually expanding their scope and responsibility programmatically and strategically... Source: Sustainable Brands - It can be difficult being a sustainability practitioner. Our mission sets us in opposition to the general direction of the world. Finding ways to stay optimistic, to celebrate change and keep an eye on the scale of transformation... 4 sustainable investing myths, debunked
(Thursday - January 12, 2017)
Source: GreenBiz - Enthusiasm for sustainable investing is surging. Already, more than $8.7 trillion (PDF) of investment capital is managed using environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in U.S. markets alone, according to the U.S. SIF...
The importance of sustainability accounting and reporting in assessing a firm: A student’s perspective
(Friday - January 13, 2017)
Source: Accounting Today - Accounting students have the arduous task of learning how to prepare and analyze financial reports. Like other users of financial data, they may wonder if the numbers alone are enough to evaluate a firm.
An Inside View of How LVMH Makes Luxury More Sustainable
(Friday - January 13, 2017)
Source: Harvard Business Review - The companies that are most vocal about environmental and social issues tend to be big, mass-market brands — well-known retailers, consumer products giants, and tech firms that are telling a new story to consumers who...
Source: Yahoo Finance - Sonoma County Winegrowers are quickly closing in on its goal of becoming the nation's first 100% sustainable wine region by 2019. According to the latest Report Card published in the Sonoma County...
Our core beliefs: Safety, free trade and sustainability
(Friday - January 13, 2017)
Source: Plastics News - Profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive concepts — true sustainability will result in long-term health for the plastics industry. Companies should consider sustainability when making decisions about resource... Sponsored Message |  | |
ESG Issues & Players
For the U.S., 2016 Was the Second Warmest Year on Record - text/video
(Tuesday - January 10, 2017)
Source: The Weather Channel - Near-record warm temperatures blanketed the United States from coast to coast in 2016, propelling the Lower 48 to its second warmest year on record. It was also a costly year with 15 weather-related events with a preliminary... U.S. Small-Business Optimism Index Surges by Most Since 1980
(Wednesday - January 11, 2017)
Source: Bloomberg - Optimism among America’s small businesses soared in December by the most since 1980 as expectations about the economy’s prospects improved dramatically in the aftermath of the presidential election. The drought is over in Northern California after up to 20 inches of rain and 12 feet of snow
(Friday - January 13, 2017)
Source: Washington Post - The federal government’s U.S. Drought Monitor published Thursday morning declared that the northern third of the state is now entirely drought-free. Reservoirs are filled and streams are flush with water — at or near record flows.
China's Swapping Energy Independence for Cleaner Air
(Wednesday - January 11, 2017)
Source: Bloomberg - China is becoming more dependent on overseas natural gas as it seeks to wean itself off coal and avoid the toxic smog that suffocates the country every winter.
Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds The Risk And Opportunity For America's Corporate Pension Plans
(Wednesday - January 11, 2017)
Source: Forbes - There is a curious anomaly in the corporate world in the United States that is putting the beneficiaries of U.S. corporate pension funds at risk. Stated very simply, while more and more companies are proclaiming their commitment... Millennials are falling behind their boomer parents
(Friday - January 13, 2017)
Source: CNBC - With a median household income of $40,581, millennials earn 20 percent less than boomers did at the same stage of life, despite being better educated, according to a new analysis of Federal Reserve data by the advocacy group... Source: China Money Network - Sovereign wealth funds globally have increased their allocations to private equity, real estate, infrastructure and emerging markets, while reducing their exposure to listed and developed market investments, according to white... Solar Farms Generate Dazzling Returns for Pension Funds
(Thursday - January 12, 2017)
Source: PR Newswire - Pension Funds both here in the US as well as abroad seem to have an insatiable appetite for Solar Farms these days due to size of these Investments which range from $20Million to well into the Billions, the... The Trump Transition -- And Potential Impacts on Sustainability
How Donald Trump’s tweets set the tone for the biggest auto show of the year
(Tuesday - January 10, 2017)
Source: Washington Post - The auto industry’s biggest players have gathered at the North American International Auto Show, as they do every January, to showcase their latest electric vehicles, SUVs and pickup trucks. This year, however, the cars varnish...
Trump Tax Cuts Could Jump-Start Global Economy, World Bank Says
(Wednesday - January 11, 2017)
Source: Bloomberg - President-elect Donald Trump’s tax cuts and spending plans could deliver a shot in the arm to the U.S. economy, lifting growth around the world, although uncertainty about his trade policies adds to the risks, according to the... U.S. companies have new business risk - being labeled 'anti-American' by Trump
(Wednesday - January 11, 2017)
Source: Reuters - Some U.S. companies are reviewing potential mergers while others are rethinking job cuts or looking at their manufacturing operations in China for fear of being cast as "anti-American" by President-elect Donald Trump, according... | | | 
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