Thursday, December 05, 2013
Recent surface warming has probably been underestimated
Filling in data gaps with satellites makes the last few years a little warmer.
If you want to take someone’s temperature to see if they have a fever, you know where to put the thermometer. (Sorry, infants.) But where do you take the temperature of Earth’s climate? Inconveniently, the answer is “everywhere”—you need measurements covering the planet to properly calculate the global average surface temperature. That’s no big deal for Europe, where a local weather station is never far away, but it's much more of a problem for the North and South Poles where records are hard-won. A new analysis shows that how you deal with this problem makes a difference in what temperature you end up reading.
Building a global temperature dataset is a huge undertaking, because that’s only the half of it. Lots of careful corrections need to be made to the raw measurements to account for things like instrument changes, weather station placement, and even the time of day the station is checked.
See full Article: http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/11/recent-surface-warming-has-probably-been-underestimated/
Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations | Oxford Martin School
- Create a C20-C30-C40 Coalition to counteract climate change; a new coalition made up of G20 countries, 30 companies, and 40 cities. The coalition could accelerate action on climate change, with measurable targets for initiatives that include energy-efficient buildings, faster market penetration of efficient vehicles and tracking emissions.
- Establish a Voluntary Taxation and Regulatory Exchange to address tax abuse and avoidance and harmonise company taxation arrangements, promote information sharing, enhance transparency and governance.
- Establish sunset clauses for publicly funded international institutions to ensure regular reviews of accomplishments and mandates to ensure they are fit for 21st century purpose.
- Introduce CyberEx, a new early warning platform, aimed at promoting a better understanding of common cyber threats, identifying preventative measures, and minimising future attacks for the shared benefit of government, corporate and individual interests.
- Remove perverse subsidies on hydrocarbons and agriculture, and redirect support to the poor.
- Fight non-communicable diseases with a new action focused, city-based network, “Fit Cities” which would involve food, beverage and alcohol providers, in collaboration with public health and city authorities, as well as civil society, to reduce the burden on health systems.
- End discrimination against future generations by revising discounting methods and adjusting them to take account of the uncertainties, risks and ethical implications for the long term.
- Set up Worldstat, a specialist agency charged with undertaking quality control on global statistics, assessing domestic practices, regulating misuse and improving data collection.
- Invest in Younger Generations: Social protection measures such as conditional cash transfer programmes should be used to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, whilst youth guarantees would help reduce ‘scars’ of long-term unemployment and disconnection.
What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management
See Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/97467178/What-a-Waste-A-Global-Review-of-Solid-Waste-Management
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Refining Estimates of the Social Cost of Carbon | The White House
At the same time, in response to public and stakeholder interest in SCC values, OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) will provide a new opportunity for public comment on the estimates in addition to the public comment opportunities already available through particular rulemakings. Details on this public comment process will be published soon in the Federal Register.
The estimate of the SCC has been developed over many years, using the best science available, and with input from the public. Rigorous evaluation of costs and benefits is a core tenet of the rulemaking process. It is particularly important in the area of climate change, which is already imposing tangible costs through impacts that include an increase in prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures, more heavy downpours, an increase in wildfires, more severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise.
See full Press Release: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/11/01/refining-estimates-social-cost-carbon
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Ending Extreme Poverty and Promoting Shared Prosperity
- More than 1 billion people still live in destitution. At the same time, inequality is rising in many developing nations.
- The World Bank wants to galvanize international and national support around two goals: to virtually end extreme poverty in a generation and to push for greater equity.
- A new Shared Prosperity Indicator will be used to measure income growth of the bottom 40 percent in each country.
From Rio to Rio: A 20-year journey to green the world’s economies
See Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/97121392/From-Rio-to-Rio-A-20-year-journey-to-green-the-world%E2%80%99s-economies
Oxfam files shareholder resolution urging PepsiCo to address land grabs
Oxfam, the AFL-CIO, Trillium Asset Management and several other investors today filed a formal shareholder resolution urging PepsiCo to account for land rights violations in its supply chain. A recent investigation by Oxfam revealed that companies supplying sugar to PepsiCo and its franchisees have been implicated in violent land grabs, pushing small farmers off their land and undermining their livelihoods.
33 investors representing more than $1.4 trillion in assets have issued a statement to companies in support of Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign and more than 250,000 people have already signed petitions urging PepsiCo to declare zero tolerance for land grabs. This month, Coca-Cola responded to the campaign by declaring “zero tolerance” for land grabs and committing to steps to prevent land conflicts in its supply chain. So far PepsiCo and Associated British foods have yet to address the issues highlighted by Oxfam’s report, Nothing Sweet About It.
See full Press Release: http://www.oxfam.org/en/grow/pressroom/pressrelease/2013-11-22/oxfam-files-shareholder-resolution-urging-pepsico-address-land-grabs
The Coca-Cola Company declares “zero tolerance” for land grabs in supply chain
Coca-Cola today committed to take steps to stop land grabs from happening in its supply chain after more than 225,000 people signed petitions and took action as part of Oxfam’s campaign to urge food and beverage companies to respect community land rights.
The company committed its bottlers to do the same. Coca-Cola also said it will do sweeping social and environmental assessments across its supply chains beginning with Colombia, Guatemala and Brazil, then moving on to India, South Africa and other countries, and that it will publicly reveal its biggest sugarcane suppliers.
See full Press Release: http://www.oxfam.org/en/grow/pressroom/pressrelease/2013-11-08/coca-cola-company-declares-zero-tolerance-land-grabs-supply-chain
Monday, December 02, 2013
16 Days of Activism against violence against women
Today marks the first day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, an international campaign to raise awareness about violence against women and take action to eliminate it.
Women’s rights activists first recognized this in 1981, as a day against violence, in memory of three sisters who were assassinated for opposing the dictatorship in the Domincan Republic.
The 16 Days, ending on December 10, highlight the link between violence against women and the recognition that women’s rights are human rights.
Since 1991 approximately 1370 organizations in 137 countries have participated in the 16 Days of Activism. Many women’s rights organizations focus on the 16 Days as a time to build awareness within communities and amongst legislators to make an impact on ending violence against women.
See full Press Release: http://www.oxfam.org/en/about/issues/gender/16-days-ending-violence-against-women
Article: Toxic waste 'major global threat'
More than 200 million people around the world are at risk of exposure to toxic waste, a report has concluded.
The authors say the large number of people at risk places toxic waste in a similar league to public health threats such as malaria and tuberculosis.
The study from the Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross calls for greater efforts to be made to control the problem.
The study carried out in more than 3,000 sites in over 49 countries.
See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24994209
Global Warming Envoys Set to Chart Path to Pollution Cuts
Envoys from 190 nations are close to agreeing upon the first building blocks for the next treaty aimed at fighting global warming, sketching the way to worldwide cuts in fossil-fuel emissions.
The delegates, due to finish talks today in Warsaw, will make progress on a “loss and damage” mechanism to assist those coping with storms, floods and erosion caused by rising seas and higher temperatures, said Christiana Figueres, the United Nations diplomat organizing the meeting.
Progress depends on developing countries such as India and China agreeing to a timetable for when they’ll join in cutting the pollution blamed for global warming, and on industrial nations channeling climate aid to the poorest. Success would lay the foundation for a global deal, a goal that disintegrated when the group last attempted it in 2009 in Copenhagen.
See full Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/global-warming-envoys-set-to-chart-path-to-pollution-cuts.html
Cities and Climate Change
See Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58957831/Cities-and-Climate-Change
Building Capacity - With the Internet + Research Reactors
Many of the over 240 currently operating research reactors are either hosted on college or university campuses or predominately used for education and training purposes. They are vital for the medical, industrial and scientific sectors, but education and training is their most frequently listed application, according to the IAEA Research Reactor Database. Used with classroom lectures, simulators and now with E-learning techniques, research reactors provide unique experiences to students.
See full Article: http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/NEFW/News/2013/repository/2013-09-31-NL-BuildingCapacity.html
Massive public pressure needed to rescue climate deal after Warsaw farce and fiasco
Only massive public pressure can rescue a climate deal, warned Oxfam today, as the Warsaw negotiations drew to a close after a fortnight of farce and fiasco.
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam said:
“The Warsaw talks opened amidst the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan. It is a warning of what climate change could mean for us all yet governments barely seemed to notice.”
“Oxfam walked out of the Warsaw climate talks because enough is enough. Commitments were being flouted. Governments with the power to break the deadlock were acting recklessly and the pervasive influence of dirty energy was wrecking the prospect of a food secure future.
See full Press Release: http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/reactions/massive-public-pressure-needed-rescue-climate-deal-after-warsaw-farce-and-fiasco
Sunday, December 01, 2013
Sustainable Development News
- Publication of our emerging thinking on the Integrated Transmission Planning and Regulation (ITPR) Project
- The first meeting of our Future Trading Arrangements Forum
- Updates on our work and engagement on Community Energy
- Publication of our ‘Exploration of issues and options’ consultation paper which explores the appropriate regulatory design for Third Party Intermediaries
- Details of the latest business plans submitted by Distribution Network Operators for the next electricity distribution price control.
Article: Retailers Agree On Safety Standards For Bangladesh Factories
North American and European retailers announced Wednesday that they had agreed on fire and safety inspection standards for up to 2,000 factories in Bangladesh that supply such retailers as Gap, Wal-Mart and H&M.
The European and North American groups agreed to streamline standards for inspector qualifications and monitoring requirements, but tensions between them remain high, with both parties disagreeing on how to finance safety upgrades.
European retailers have agreed to finance fire and safety reforms for buildings that do not meet requirements, while the North American group - Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety - pledged $100 million in loans to factory owners to finance safety upgrades.
See full Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/retailers-bangladesh-factories_n_4312336.html?ir=Business&utm_hp_ref=business
Economics of Climate Change in the Arab World
See Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/131586901/Economics-of-Climate-Change-in-the-Arab-World
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Reforestation in Rio: More birds, less greenhouse gases, safer favelas
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- As a result of reforestation efforts, slum dwellers are less fearful of natural hazards.
- The reforested areas generate carbon credits that can either compensate for the city’s own greenhouse gas emissions or be sold in international markets.
- The City of Rio and the World Bank have recently partnered to amplify the reforestation efforts in local hills.
U.N. Climate Talks: Keeping Our Eyes on the Ball
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Government officials are meeting in Warsaw to work on solutions to climate change and lay the groundwork for a 2015 international climate agreement.
- One priority will be ramping up the climate finance needed to pay for low-carbon energy and infrastructure.
- The World Bank Group will also be working on issues including loss and damage from extreme weather, clean energy, and sustainable cities, transportation, and landscapes.
Girls thriving at school, but disadvantaged at work
Launching the report in Melbourne today, council Chairman, the Hon John Brumby, said the report found that women and girls are ahead of their male peers up until the end of school.
“Why is it when we have structured and supportive equality inherent in the education system, girls flourish? Yet, once out in the employment market they have to fight to have their value realised,” Mr Brumby said.
The council’s report finds that girls are developmentally more prepared than boys before starting school, have higher average school performance and are more likely to complete Year 12. And for the first time, more women under 30 are attaining higher level qualifications than their male peers.
See full Press Release: http://www.coagreformcouncil.gov.au/media/releases/2013-11-19
Friday, November 29, 2013
The climate challenge: Achieving zero emissions
Lecture by the OECD Secretary-General, Mr. Angel Gurría
I have come here today to talk about the ambition needed to tackle climate change and the policy tools that can get us there. As we approach the Conference of the Parties in late 2015 in Paris, our leaders are facing a fundamental dilemma: to get to grips with the risks of climate change or see their ability to limit this threat slip from their hands.
Today our understanding of the scale of the risks posed by climate change is much better developed and supported by seriously tested and globally accepted evidence. The IPCC report released on 27 September stated that warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The report is also clear that it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.
While governments need to start taking action now to put us on a pathway to achieve zero net greenhouse emissions globally in the second half of this century, our dependence on fossil fuels appears to be unshaken. We need to learn from the policies some countries are implementing to drive the investment and technology shift needed to break that dependence, and to highlight the stumbling blocks that will require strong political will to be overcome.
See full Article: http://www.oecd.org/env/the-climate-challenge-achieving-zero-emissions.htm
Cities and Flooding
Urban flooding is a significant challenge which today increasingly confronts the residents of the expanding cities and towns of developing countries, as well as policymakers and national, regional and local government officials. The Global Handbook presents the state-of-the art in urban flood risk management in a thorough and user-friendly way. It serves as a primer in integrated urban flood risk management for technical specialists, decision-makers and other concerned stakeholders in the private and community sectors. It covers the causes, probability and impacts of floods; the measures that can be used to manage flood risk, balancing structural and non-structural solutions in an integrated fashion; and the means by which these measures can be financed and implemented, and their progress monitored and evaluated. The Handbook provides an operational guide on how most effectively to manage the risk of floods in rapidly urbanizing settings – and within the context of a changing climate.
See Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/81433407/Cities-and-Flooding
IAEA Issues Expanded Report on Climate Change and Nuclear Power
The IAEA has issued its latest report on Climate Change and Nuclear Power 2013, to coincide with the next round of global climate talks to be held on 11-22 November 2013 in Warsaw, Poland.
This annual global climate meeting is being held under the auspices of the Conference of the Parties (COP19) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The IAEA is participating in the Conference and will be showcasing the Report at the IAEA Information Booth to highlight nuclear power's contribution to the global climate change agenda.
See full Press Release: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/2013/climatechnagenp.html
'Loss and damage' re-opens old wounds at climate talks
UN climate negotiations are bogged down in a dispute over who will take legal responsibility for the loss and damage caused by climate change.
Rich countries say they will strongly resist this move.
Secretary general Ban Ki-moon opened the ministerial segment of the talks in Warsaw, Poland with a warning that the world was facing the wrath of a warming planet.
See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25010515
Governments can do more to regain trust, says OECD report
The global economic crisis has undermined trust in government. Today only four out of ten citizens in OECD countries say they have confidence in their national authorities. Not surprisingly, trust declined in the countries hit hardest by the crisis, such as Ireland, Greece, Slovenia and Portugal.
But measures can be taken to rebuild trust, according to a new OECD report. The OECD’s latest edition of Government at a Glance argues that governments need to be more inclusive, transparent, receptive and efficient. For that, they need to put their fiscal houses in order, deliver high quality services to their citizens and provide open and transparent data.
“Citizens look to governments to lead the way. Without strong leadership, supported by effective policies, trust is easily eroded. Good governance means putting the needs of people at the centre of policy-making,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.
See full Press Release: http://www.oecd.org/governance/governments-can-do-more-to-regain-trust-says-oecd-report.htm
But measures can be taken to rebuild trust, according to a new OECD report. The OECD’s latest edition of Government at a Glance argues that governments need to be more inclusive, transparent, receptive and efficient. For that, they need to put their fiscal houses in order, deliver high quality services to their citizens and provide open and transparent data.
“Citizens look to governments to lead the way. Without strong leadership, supported by effective policies, trust is easily eroded. Good governance means putting the needs of people at the centre of policy-making,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.
See full Press Release: http://www.oecd.org/governance/governments-can-do-more-to-regain-trust-says-oecd-report.htm
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Carbon taxes and emissions trading are cheapest ways of reducing CO2, OECD says
Carbon taxes and emission trading systems are the most cost-effective means of reducing CO2 emissions, and should be at the centre of government efforts to tackle climate change, according to a new OECD study.
Effective Carbon Prices shows that taxes and trading systems are preferable to other policies, such as feed-in tariffs, subsidies and other regulatory instruments. For example, the average cost of reducing a tonne of carbon emissions in the road transport sector can be up to eight times higher when instruments other than fuel taxes are used, according to the report.
“Countries are pricing carbon in a multitude of ways, not always the most effective,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. "There has been a huge amount of taxing and regulating around carbon, with prices established too high or too low, and the outcome has been far from optimal. This is a chaotic landscape that sends no clear signal, and must be addressed.”
See full Article: http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/carbon-taxes-and-emissions-trading-are-cheapest-ways-of-reducing-co2.htm
Response to Government's Annual Energy Statement
“It has never been easier to choose a better energy deal as Ofgem’s reforms deliver a simpler, clearer and fairer market for consumers. Suppliers are cutting down the number of tariffs and their complexity ahead of our reforms, which limit them to four simple tariffs per fuel.
“Rules to ensure suppliers treat you fairly are already in place and further reforms are in hand to give clearer information, including putting your suppliers’ cheapest deal on your bill.
See full Press Release: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/press-releases/response-governments-annual-energy-statement
Four Charts That Prove the Future of Clean Energy Is Arriving : Greentech Media
But within the energy industry, there are major improvements in the economics of renewables, electric vehicles and lighting that are accelerating an increasingly rapid shift in certain sectors.
A new report from the Department of Energy report lays out some of these advances in wind, solar PV, LED lighting and electric vehicles throughout the U.S. They're worth a look.
See full Article: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/four-charts-that-prove-the-future-of-clean-energy-has-arrived?utm_source=Daily&utm_medium=Headline&utm_campaign=GTMDaily
IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety
The IAEA has recently initiated the preparation of the IAEA Fukushima Comprehensive Report which will be published by year-end 2014.
See full Press Release: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/actionplan/
Why is everyone so angry about generating energy?
Propose a new wind farm for some beautiful uplands one morning and you can guarantee a protest group furious at the ruined views will have formed by the afternoon.
Suggest that we extract gas by fracturing a layer of deep shale and you can be sure celebrities will be superglued to the drilling rig before you have finished speaking.
See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24985531
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
WTO issues panel reports on EU measures on seal products
On 25 November 2013, the WTO issued the panel reports in the dispute “European Communities — Measures prohibiting the importation and marketing of seal products”
This dispute concerns regulations of the European Union (“EU Seal Regime”) that generally prohibit the import and placing on the market of seal products. The EU Seal Regime provides for various exceptions to the prohibition if certain conditions are met, including for seal products derived from hunts conducted by Inuit or indigenous communities (IC exception) and hunts conducted for marine resource management purposes (MRM exception).
The panel determined that the EU Seal Regime is a technical regulation and that the IC exception and the MRM exception under the EU Seal Regime violate Article 2.1 of the TBT Agreement because: (1) these exceptions accord imported seal products treatment less favourable than that accorded to like domestic and other foreign products; and (2) such less favourable treatment does not stem exclusively from legitimate regulatory distinctions. The panel found however that the EU Seal Regime does not violate Article 2.2 of the TBT Agreement because it fulfils the objective of addressing EU public moral concerns on seal welfare to a certain extent, and no alternative measure was demonstrated to make an equivalent or greater contribution to the fulfilment of the objective.
See full Press Release: http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news13_e/400_401r_e.htm
Non Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) quarterly report
See full Press Release: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/non-domestic-renewable-heat-incentive-rhi-quarterly-report-issue-7
Looking Beyond the Horizon
See Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/132592392/Looking-Beyond-the-Horizon
Greenhouse gases near record 39.6 million tons in 2013
Smoke stacks and exhaust pipes around the world are blasting greenhouse gas emissions to a new record annual high. They should break 39 million tons this year.
But there's also some good news, a new study published Tuesday said. The rate at which people are polluting the air may be leveling off.
In the West, emissions contributing to global warming even dropped last year.
The United States pumped 3.7% less carbon dioxide into the air in 2012 than in the previous year; Europe 1.8% less.
See full Article: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/19/world/greenhouse-gases/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Cómo multiplicar el efecto de los proyectos sociales
Algunos proyectos sociales consiguen que sus resultados multipliquen con creces su inversión. Para conseguirlo, el emprendedor social debe tener un plan de negocio riguroso y apoyarse en un equipo que fácilmente se sentirá comprometido con su misión. Y si logra el efecto boca-oreja característico de los proyectos de éxito de Antonio González-Barros, presidente del Grupo Intercom, mejor.
Ver Vídeo: http://www.ieseinsight.com/fichaMaterial.aspx?pk=107564&idi=1&origen=1&ar=19
Protecting our marine environment
upon healthy oceans and seas. Much of
the oxygen we breathe is generated by marine
life, while ocean currents transfer heat, playing
an important role in maintaining a moderate
climate.
However, the marine ecosystems that keep the
oceans healthy are subject to increasing stress.
Many of the stress factors are either caused, or
worsened, by human activities on land. As we
burn more fossil fuels, more carbon dioxide is
emitted, trapping heat that warms the oceans.
Ocean waters absorb about a quarter of that
carbon dioxide, which dissolves and increases
ocean water acidity
See full Article: http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Magazines/Bulletin/Bull543/54305610202.pdf
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Fossil fuel subsidies 'reckless use of public funds'
The world is spending half a trillion dollars on fossil fuel subsidies every year, according to a new report.
The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) says rich countries are spending seven times more supporting coal, oil and gas than they are on helping poorer nations fight climate change.
Some countries including Egypt, Morocco and Pakistan, have subsidies bigger than the national fiscal deficit.
See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24833153
Construir un mundo mejor
Aunque los viajes largos de avión tienen su punto de incomodidad, permiten hacer cosas poco habituales como escuchar atentamente una canción. En uno de mis últimos viajes, mientras escuchaba Heal the world, de Michael Jackson, me llamó la atención el fragmento "Make a little space to make abetter place" (haz un pequeño espacio para hacer un mundo mejor).
Access Report: http://www.ieseinsight.com/fichaMaterial.aspx?pk=107073&idi=1&origen=1&ar=17
The Element of Risk in Misreporting
Hewlett Packard's $8.8 billion write-down of its fourth quarter 2012 financial results provoked uproar, triggering accusations that the company had misled investors. But what would make managers of equity portfolios misreport financial results?
Previous research has suggested that misreporting increases stock price, and with it, the value of the manager's portfolio. Yet such research has not adequately considered the consequences of changes in firm risk.
In "The Relation Between Equity Incentives and Misreporting: The Role of Risk-Taking Incentives," forthcoming in the Journal of Financial Economics, Chris Armstrong (Wharton), David F. Larcker (Stanford), Gaizka Ormazabal (IESE) and Daniel J. Taylor (Wharton) shed light on this crucial omission.
See full Article: http://www.ieseinsight.com/doc.aspx?id=1429&ar=1
Turning the Right Corner
See Report: http://www.scribd.com/doc/144377300/Turning-the-Right-Corner
La deforestación se dispara en "el pulmón del mundo"
Las alarmas sobre la Amazonía han vuelto a sonar en Brasil: la deforestación de esa zona considerada el "pulmón del mundo" aumentó 28% en 12 meses, tras años de caída de la destrucción de la selva.
La cifra de 5.843 kilómetros cuadrados de Amazonía deforestados entre agosto de 2012 y julio de este año fue divulgada este jueves por la ministra brasileña de medio ambiente, Izabella Teixeira.
See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/noticias/2013/11/131114_brasil_amazonia_deforestacion_en.shtml
Two Easy Actions to Improve Your Corporate Governance
The global financial crisis revealed severe shortcomings in corporate governance, fueling debate on the responsibility of governance mechanisms and structures in promoting or preventing future collapses.
IESE's Pascual Berrone and Dionisio García-Píriz analyze current systems and make recommendations for new governance policies in their chapter, "Will You Keep an Eye on My Investment? An Empirical Analysis of the Link Between Institutional Investors and Boards of Directors," which was published in Governance in Action Globally (Oxford: RossiSmith, 2013).
One of the basic assumptions of corporate governance is that the board's main purpose is to defend the interests of shareholders.
See full Article: http://www.ieseinsight.com/doc.aspx?id=1494&ar=3
Monday, November 25, 2013
Feed-in Tariff: Guidance for renewable installations
This document is intended for owners, or potential owners, of Solar PV and wind installations with a Declared Net Capacity (DNC) over 50kW up to a Total Installed Capacity (TIC) of 5MW, and all anaerobic digestion and hydro installations up to a TIC of 5MW, who want to benefit from the FIT scheme.
See full Press Release: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/feed-tariff-guidance-renewable-installations-version-6-october-2013
2013 Gap Report Strengthens Case for Wide-Ranging Global Action to Close Emissions Gap Tue, Nov 5, 2013
Should the global community not immediately embark on wide-ranging actions to narrow the greenhouse gas emissions gap, the chance of remaining on the least-cost path to keeping global temperature rise below 2°C this century will swiftly diminish and open the door to a host of challenges.
The Emissions Gap Report 2013-involving 44 scientific groups in 17 countries and coordinated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)-is released as leaders prepare to meet for the latest Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Warsaw.
It finds that although pathways exist that could reach the 2oC target with higher emissions, not narrowing the gap will exacerbate mitigation challenges after 2020.
See full Article: http://www.unep.org/NewsCentre/default.aspx?DocumentID=2755&ArticleID=9683&l=en
Female Board Representation Up, But Not Enough
In just three years, the participation of shareholders in the annual general meetings of the companies listed on Spain's stock exchange, the Ibex-35, has decreased by more than 7 percent. Just two-thirds of shareholders were present or represented in 2012, compared with three-quarters in 2009.
At the same time, there has been a notable increase in the presence of women on the boards of these companies. The number of female board members has more than doubled since 2008, now representing more than 13 percent of board members, bringing them in line with the average for listed companies in Europe.
These are two key findings of the 8th Report on General Shareholders' Meetings of IBEX-35 Companies, produced annually by the Good Governance and Company Ownership Forum, a body promoted by IESE's International Research Center on Organizations (IRCO) and Inforpress. The study was conducted in partnership with the Spanish Association of Economic Journalists (APIE) and the Spanish Broadcasters Association.
See full Article: http://www.ieseinsight.com/doc.aspx?id=1420&ar=1
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