6 Industries That Will Profit From Global Warming

Forget Bitcoin—savvy investors bet on water. Global warming is changing the planet: Melting ice caps cause floods, fresh water vanishes, rising temperatures shift arable regions and spread disease-carrying bugs. In his new book, Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming, McKenzie Funk investigates the profiteers cashing in on the planet’s woes. Engineers excited to see their seawall technology in action are just the tip of the iceberg—for some investors, catastrophe is a safe bet.

See full Article: http://www.wired.com/business/2014/02/climateprofiteers/

Apple in conflict mineral 'name and shame' crackdown CSR

Apple has begun publicising which of its suppliers may be sourcing minerals from conflict zones.

Conflict minerals, as they are known, are mined in areas of fighting or human rights abuses, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The first published list detailed 104 suppliers that were unverified for compliance with ethical guidelines.

Electronics firms are being pressured by human rights groups to use their influence to force suppliers to change.

See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26144981

See Apple's Social Responsibility Report in pdf format: http://images.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2014_Progress_Report.pdf

Women Do NOT earn Less - ABC NEWS John Stossel

Carlo Jaeger, Yongsheng Zhang, Gary Dirks, John Ashton discuss climate change policy at ASU.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/02/12/carlo_jaeger_yongsheng_zhang_gary_dirks_john_ashton_discuss_climate_change.html

India: A woman, a CEO and an advocate for gender equality

Why Men Earn More 8 - The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap

Mikael Gustafsson: "Violence against women is a reflection of gender inequality"

How can female stereotypes be changed in European society? It was one of many questions during a Facebook chat with Mikael Gustafsson, chair of the women's rights committee, on Wednesday 5 March. The Swedish member of the GUE/NGL group took part in the chat on the occasion of International Women's Day. Facebook fans were also interested in finding out what member states can do to boost equality between men and women.

This year's International Women's Day, which is always held on 8 March, is dedicated to preventing violence against women. Facebook fans asked why this was chosen as the theme. Gustafsson said they wanted to send a strong message to the European Commission and the member states to prioritise this issue.

Many people also asked how to make people think differently about gender inequality. "We have to fight gender inequality at all levels and also talk about the issue of violence against women," Gustafsson said. " Especially, in early ages and in school we need to involve men and boys in this struggle."

See full Press Release: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20140306STO37703/html/Mikael-Gustafsson-Violence-against-women-is-a-reflection-of-gender-inequality

Antonyia Parvanova: “Almost half of European women has experienced violence at one point”

Violence has touched the lives of almost half of all women in Europe. Not only does this damage people and their families, but it also has a significant economic cost of €228 billion a year in Europe. Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, the European Parliament has called for a common EU strategy to tackle violence against women. We discussed it with report author Antonyia Parvanova, a Bulgarian member of the ALDE group.

How wide-spread is violence against women in Europe?

Several studies show that there is a serious problem with violence against women in Europe. A study by the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency shows that between 20-25% of women have experienced physical violence, about 10% sexual violence, while seven women die due to violence every day and almost half of women in Europe have at one point in their lives experienced a form of violence.

See full Article: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20140306STO37709/html/Parvanova-Almost-half-of-European-women-has-experienced-violence-at-one-point

The Great Leap Backward?

http://www.cfr.org/china/great-leap-backward/p14069

Obama's wind and solar infatuation keeps Africa's poorest in the dark

A fantastic new Center for Global Development study by Todd Moss and Benjamin Leo highlights OPIC's shortcomings. The study titled Maximizing Access to Energy: Estimates of Access and Generation for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation's Portfolio estimates that an additional 60 million people in poor nations could gain access to electricity if OPIC were to invest in natural gas projects. Moss and Leo arrive at this astounding number by comparing the high capital costs OPIC must invest to get renewable projects off the ground to the much smaller investment required to construct natural gas power plants.

See full Article: http://international.cgdev.org/article/obamas-wind-and-solar-infatuation-keeps-africas-poorest-dark-forbes

Antonyia Parvanova: “Almost half of European women has experienced violence at one point”

Violence has touched the lives of almost half of all women in Europe. Not only does this damage people and their families, but it also has a significant economic cost of €228 billion a year in Europe. Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, the European Parliament has called for a common EU strategy to tackle violence against women. We discussed it with report author Antonyia Parvanova, a Bulgarian member of the ALDE group.

How wide-spread is violence against women in Europe?

Several studies show that there is a serious problem with violence against women in Europe. A study by the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency shows that between 20-25% of women have experienced physical violence, about 10% sexual violence, while seven women die due to violence every day and almost half of women in Europe have at one point in their lives experienced a form of violence.

See full Article: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20140306STO37709/html/Parvanova-Almost-half-of-European-women-has-experienced-violence-at-one-point

Why Men Earn More 6 - The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap

ILO - International Women's Day

Women at work – where we are, where we want to be

To mark International Women’s Day, the ILO reflects on the progress that has been made and what still needs to be done to achieve gender equality in the workplace. Follow two women, an Indian CEO and a US school teacher, whose experiences shed an interesting light on the common challenges facing women across the globe.

Take a look back: The fight for women’s rights in the workplace – an ILO history in pictures
GENEVA (ILO News) – When the International Labour Organization was founded in 1919, most women around the world did not have the right to vote and most in paid work had little or no collective voice to advocate for their workplace rights.

Nearly a century on, female participation in the labour market has significantly increased, along with progress on their rights at work. However millions still face significant barriers in accessing equal opportunity and treatment in their jobs.

See full Press Release: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/multimedia/features/WCMS_237054/lang--en/index.htm

3 ideas to celebrate International Women's Day in your Red Tent

Inspirational Words for International Women's Day

UN Women Executive Director: International Women's Day 2014

Discussion: International Women's Day - Morning Express

International Women's Day: Megan Fox speaks out against domestic violence

#TalkAboutIt S2E3 International Women's Day

TANA || International Women's day || 8th March 2014

The China Greentech Report 2013

http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/technology/publications/assets/pwc-china-greentech-report-2013-us-version.pdf

Why Men Earn More 5 - The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap

La percepción de la violencia de género, una tarea en constante evolución en España

La percepción de la violencia de género, una tarea en constante evolución en España

• La percepción de la violencia de género, una tarea en constante evolución en España

En los últimos 15 años España ha trabajado y mucho para llegar a ser el país con menor incidencia de la violencia de género según los resultados del primer gran informe de la UE sobre este asunto. Mucho han cambiado las cosas desde que Ana Orantes se atrevió a contar... Ver Artículo completo: http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/telediario/td2-percepcion-espanola-050314/2430458/

The Global Toll of Fine Particulate Matter

Occasionally, short-term meteorological conditions merge with ongoing human emissions to produce extreme outbreaks of air pollution. In January 2013, a blanket of industrial pollution enveloped northeastern China. In June 2013, smoke from agricultural fires in Sumatra engulfed Singapore.

In most cases, the most toxic pollution lingers for a few days or even weeks, bringing increases in respiratory and cardiac health problems at hospitals. Eventually the weather breaks, the air clears, and memories of foul air begin to fade. But that’s not to say that the health risks disappear as well. Even slightly elevated levels of air pollution can have a significant effect on human health. Over long periods and on a global scale, such impacts can add up.

See full Article: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82087

China’s Environmental Crisis

Introduction

China's environmental crisis is one of the most pressing challenges to emerge from the country's rapid industrialization. Its economic rise, which has averaged around 10 percent annual GDP growth for the past decade, has come at the expense of its environment and public health. As the world's largest source of carbon emissions, China is responsible for a third of the planet's greenhouse gas output and has sixteen of the world's twenty most polluted cities. Life expectancy in the north has decreased by 5.5 years due to air pollution, and severe water contamination and scarcity have compounded land deterioration problems. Environmental degradation cost the country roughly 9 percent of its gross national income in 2008, according to the World Bank, threatening to undermine the country's growth and exhausting public patience with the government's pace of reform. It has also bruised China's international standing as the country expands its global influence, and endangered its stability as the ruling party faces increasing media scrutiny and public discontent.

See full Article: http://www.cfr.org/china/chinas-environmental-crisis/p12608

Commitment to Development Index 2013

http://international.cgdev.org/publication/commitment-development-index-2013

Ancient woodland losses 'not accounted for', say campaigners

Ancient woodland losses 'not accounted for', say campaigners

Why Men Earn More 4 - The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap

Gender pay gap statistics - Statistics Explained

Gender pay gap statistics - Statistics Explained

World must act on North Korea rights abuse, says UN report

Chinese Solar Growth to Underpin Record Global Expansion in 2014

Solar developers around the world will install record capacity this year as a thriving Chinese market drives growth, a Bloomberg survey showed as manufacturers in the $102 billion industry began to return to profit.

About 44.5 gigawatts will be added globally, a 20.9 percent increase on last year’s new installations, according to the average estimate of nine analysts and companies. That’s equal to the output of about 10 atomic reactors. Last year new capacity rose by 20.3 percent, after a 4.4 percent gain in 2012.

See full Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-26/chinese-solar-growth-to-underpin-record-global-expansion-in-2014.html

Why Men Earn More 3 - The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap

Scientists More Certain Than Ever on Climate Change, Report Says

Experts are more certain than ever that human activity is changing the global climate, even though they don't fully understand every detail of the climate system, according to a new report released Wednesday by two of the world's leading scientific bodies.

The document from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the United Kingdom's Royal Society aims to move the climate change debate beyond humans' role in global warming to a discussion of how to limit the impacts on society.

"Climate change is happening. We see it in temperature, we see it in the melting ice, and we see it in sea-level rise," Inez Fung, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California at Berkeley and a co-lead author of the report, told NBC News. The changes are due to rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide with a chemical signature from the burning of fossil fuels, she added.


See full Article: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/scientists-more-certain-ever-climate-change-report-says-n39661

Kerry presses Indonesia on climate change action after sealing deal in China

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/kerry-presses-indonesia-on-climate-change-action-after-sealing-deal-in-china/article16915358/

Earth Talk: The bright future of wind power

Hydroelectric sources of power dwarf other forms of renewable energy, but wind power has been a dominant second for years, and continues to show “hockey stick” growth moving forward. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), global cumulative installed wind capacity—the total amount of wind power available—has grown fifty-fold in less than two decades, from just 6,100 megawatts (MW) in 1996 to 318,137 MWin 2013.

And the future looks brighter still. Analysts from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) predict that wind will account for the largest share—30 percent—of new renewables added to the global power grid by 2030. That new renewables are expected to account for as much as 70 percent of all new power sources over the next 20 years means that wind is poised to become a major player on the global energy scene.

See Press Release page: http://www.gwec.net/earth-talk-the-bright-future-wind-power/

UN slams unspeakable atrocities among North Korean inmates

China Pollution Tops Hazardous Levels Ahead of Congress

Pollution in Beijing was stuck at unhealthy levels for the seventh straight day, prompting warnings for people to stay indoors as thick gray smog shrouded the capital a week before the annual meeting of China’s legislature.

The concentration of PM2.5, the small particles that pose the greatest risk to human health, hit 512 at 10 a.m. today, or “beyond index,” according to a U.S. Embassy pollution monitor. The World Health Organization recommends day-long exposure levels of 25, and the last time PM2.5 dropped below 150 in Beijing was Feb. 19.

See full Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-25/china-pollution-tops-hazardous-levels-ahead-of-congress-meeting.html

Car emissions hurt you more than electricity generating: Here's why

Car emissions hurt you more than electricity generating: Here's why
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-57618867-48/car-emissions-hurt-you-more-than-electricity-generating-heres-why/

Jackie Chan fights to save wildlife

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01rw5g0

U.S., China agree to work on climate change

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBREA1E05320140215?p=BREA1E054

Starving prisoners in North Korea were forced to eat snakes and rats

Why Men Earn More 2 - The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap

US, China Promise Improved Climate Cooperation

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-china-promise-improved-climate-cooperation-22530297

Energy saving statistics

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Energy_saving_statistics

North Korea: UN Should Act on Atrocities Report | Human Rights Watch

New Video Shows Horrors of North Korea Through Eyewitness Testimony

A new United Nations report has found that crimes against humanity are occurring in North Korea and calls for an international tribunal to investigate and hold perpetrators to account, Human Rights Watch said today.

The report, by a UN Commission of Inquiry appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2013, recommends that the UN Security Council refer the situation in North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights carry out investigations. The three person commission, which was chaired by Australian jurist Michael Kirby, will formally present its findings to the Human Rights Council on or around March 17, 2014. The council will then consider a resolution to act on the commission’s recommendations.

http://www.hrw.org/node/123287

Why Men Earn More 1 - The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap

Busting the myths: debunking myths about renewable energy

Climate Science, How She Is Done — Quadrant Online

http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2014/02/climate-science-done/

The pay inequality myth: Women are more equal than you think

PWC: CEOs think that trust of their stakeholders is improving

A noticeable percentage of CEOs think that the level of trust across a number of stakeholder groups has improved over the past five years.

However, the fundamental forces that CEOs think will impact their business the most over the next five years – technological advances, demographic changes and global economic shifts – are reshaping society and its expectations of business. There will certainly be positive changes, but issues such as unemployment and resource shortages could be significantly heightened. Business is increasingly expected to engage with such issues, and those that come up with innovative solutions to serious social issues will earn more trust – and more revenues.

See full Press Release: http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-survey/2014/key-findings/purpose.jhtml

Polarization and Climate Change Denial

Having written a post earlier today suggesting (along with The Monkey Cage’s Rob Ford) that a relative lack of ideological polarization hasn’t been particularly good for British politics, I’d offer a contrary data point: polarization seems to have made any sort of action on climate change increasingly difficult throughout the English-speaking world, even in Britain. The Guardian’s Seumas Milne spells it out:

[W]hat should be a pressing debate about how to head off global calamity has been reframed in the media as a discussion about whether industrial-driven climate change is in fact taking place at all - as if it were a matter of opinion rather than science.
The impact of this phoney controversy during an economic crisis has been dramatic: in the US, the proportion of the population accepting burning fossil fuels drives climate change dropped from 71% to 44% between 2007 and 2011. In Britain, the numbers who believe the climate isn’t changing at all rose from 4% to 19% between 2005 and 2013 (though the floods seem to be correcting that).

See full Article: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2014_02/polarization_and_climate_chang049154.php

Living Planet Report 2013 - Human Impact Infographics

The Best the IPCC Can Do — Quadrant Online

http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2013/12/26217/

China to Compile List of Solar Projects Qualifying for Financing - Bloomberg

China to Compile List of Solar Projects Qualifying for Financing - Bloomberg

Women Slammed by Pay Gap in Loan Repayment

Australia reitera su compromiso para reducir las emisiones de CO2

http://noticias.lainformacion.com/economia-negocios-y-finanzas/instituciones-economicas-internacionales/australia-reitera-su-compromiso-para-reducir-las-emisiones-de-co2_nXkyYSHADTUJtjrJpAbpT3/

What the World Would Look Like if the Polar Ice Caps Melted — An Eye-Opening, Viral Map - PolicyMic

http://www.policymic.com/articles/82991/what-the-world-would-look-like-if-the-polar-ice-caps-melted-an-eye-opening-viral-map

China’s Environmental Crisis - Council on Foreign Relations

http://www.cfr.org/china/chinas-environmental-crisis/p12608?cid=rss-analysisbriefbackgroundersexp-china%E2%80%99s_environmental_crisis-020514

Warren Farrel - Wage Gap Myth

State Department Review To Emphasize Effects Of Climate Change On Global Conflict, Diplomacy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/21/tom-perriello_n_4827886.html?utm_hp_ref=world&ir=World

Poaching puts biodiversity at risk

http://www.dw.de/poaching-puts-biodiversity-at-risk/g-17443953

PwC's 17th Annual Global CEO Survey. CEOs share their insights on the changing role of business.

Chinese Shift: Put the Environment Above GDP Growth | Qin Guangrong

KUNMING -- Ecological and environmental issues have become strategic issues with a global bearing. As vividly put by some experts, if the 4-billion-year history of the Earth could be compressed to just 100 years, the most primitive plants and animals would only begin to appear in its 50s, and large reptiles like dinosaurs when the Earth hit 95 years of age.

As for man, it would be less than a day since its advent and the Industrial Revolution would be just five minutes ago. However, it is precisely this one day and these five short minutes that have caused the Earth unprecedented or even irreparable destruction in the process of creating huge material wealth.

"We would rather reduce our growth rate a bit in order to protect the environment and never seek short-term economic development at the expense of the environment. We should never pursue a 'pollution first, treatment later' approach. "
Based on the current growth rate, by 2030, the world population will grow from 7 billion to more than 8 billion with three quarters of mankind living in cities. The increase of 1 billion people will bring with it greater pressure on transport infrastructure, water and energy supply as well as waste treatment.

See full Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/qin-guangrong/dont-put-growth-before-environment_b_4791384.html?utm_hp_ref=world

WWF analysis: Searching for Sustainability – Comparative analysis of certification schemes for biomass used for the production of biofuels

This WWF analysis shows that the standards used to assess biofuel sources fall well short of ensuring that Europe’s push towards increased biofuel use is not contributing to environmental destruction and social exploitation.

The study, assessing the certification standards for biofuels accepted by the EU against a Certification Assessment Tool (CAT) developed by WWF, found many of the analysed standards had middle to low level performance.


See full Press Release:

WWF demanda una apuesta ambiciosa en políticas de clima y energía para 2030

El Observatorio de WWF de enero destaca que la energía eólica alcanza máximos históricos y se convierte en la primera fuente de generación de electricidad del mix eléctrico. Al ser renovable, contribuye a reducir las emisiones totales de CO2, a disminuir la dependencia energética exterior y a bajar los precios del mercado eléctrico. La organización defiende el necesario liderazgo de la Unión Europea en la lucha contra el cambio climático y el desarrollo de las energías renovables para 2030.

WWF ha analizado la situación del balance energético del mes de enero de 2014 y subraya que España no puede ir a contracorriente en relación al nuevo Paquete de clima y energía para 2030 de Europa. El Parlamento Europeo adoptó el 5 de febrero su propuesta de resolución sobre el marco de las políticas de clima y energía para 2030 con tres objetivos vinculantes: un 40% de reducción de emisiones de CO2, un 30% de renovables y un 40% de eficiencia energética.

Ver Nota de Prensa completa: http://www.wwf.es/?27721/WWF-demanda-una-apuesta-ambiciosa-en-polticas-de-clima-y-energa-para-2030

Woes of Megacity Driving Signal Dawn of ‘Peak Car’ Era

The world that Henry Ford put on wheels is poised for a stall.

In the globe’s growing megacities, pollution and gridlock are putting a damper on driving. In India, some commuters are leaving their cars at home to avoid traffic snarls and long prowls for parking. More young Americans are forgoing the dream of auto ownership for public transport, bikes and vehicle-sharing. Cars on the road are lasting longer than ever.

All of that may herald a new era for an auto industry weaned on a century of global growth. The world will reach “Peak Car” -- a point at which annual global sales growth will top out -- in the next decade, several auto-industry analysts predict. Researcher IHS Automotive, for one, sees annual sales cresting at 100 million within that time.

Peak Car is at odds with the ambitious expansion plans of global automakers, which IHS says are gearing up to produce more than 120 million vehicles by 2016 -- almost 50 percent more than last year’s worldwide sales mark of 82 million. The dynamic also threatens the business plans of parts producers, suppliers of raw material and oil companies.

See full Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-24/woes-of-megacity-driving-signals-dawn-of-peak-car-era.html

Equal Pay For Women: The Gender Gap

Your iPhone Causes China's Pollution | Frank Ackerman

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-ackerman/american-consumers-outsourcing-emissions_b_4777213.html?utm_hp_ref=world

Tracking deforestation as it happens

The world's first monitoring tool providing 'near real time' data on changes in forest cover could change how companies track deforestation in their supply chains

Everyone knows the philosophical puzzle about the tree falling down in a forest: if no-one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? It doesn't – at least, not in the world of real forests and real deforestation.

Lack of accurate, timely data means it can take months for word of large-scale felling to get out. By the time the authorities arrive to investigate, the damage is done.

A new global mapping service promises to change all that. Launched today, Global Forest Watch is pitched as the world's first monitoring tool providing 'near real time' data on changes in forest cover. The brainchild of the World Resources Institute (WRI), a US-based environment non-profit, the web-based service is free to access, global in scope and simple to use.

See full Article: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/tracking-deforestation-supply-chains

Green 10 Letter to Schulz, Van Rompuy, and Barroso: Environment protection stimulates innovation

On 24 and 25 October 2013 EU Heads of State will meet in Brussels to discuss about Innovation. The Green 10 sent a letter today to Martin Schulz, Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, Presidents of the European Parliament, the European Council and European Commission respectively to express their view about the way environmental protection can promote innovation. They are also concerned that some companies are criticising the EU risk regulation (Art. 191 of EU Lisbon Treaty) as a block to innovation.

See full Press Release: http://www.wwf.eu/media_centre/publications/?211651/Green-10-Letter-to-Schulz-Van-Rompuy-Barroso-innovation

Why Is There a Gender Wage Gap?

Deep-sea mining 'must responsibly respect ecosystems'

Scientists have made an impassioned plea for humanity to pause and think before making a headlong rush to exploit the deep sea.

The researchers said the oceans' lowest reaches had untold riches that could benefit mankind enormously, but not if the harvesting were done destructively.

The scientists called for a "new stewardship" of the deep sea.

This would require effective ecosystem management and sustainable methods of exploitation.

See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25638838

WWF report: Making more effective energy savings policy at EU level

As energy savings are vital to combatting both the economic and climate crises, this briefing paper looks into what is needed to make more effective energy savings policy at EU level. It includes individual interviews with key participants in negotiations over EU energy efficiency policy.

KEY FINDINGS

1. Energy savings are vital for decarbonising Europe’s energy systems1 with studies suggesting that savings of up to 51% by 2030 are cost-effective.

2. The EU is not on track to meet its 20% energy savings target by 2020 because energy efficiency policy-making has been dragged into a cycle of under-achievement.


See full Press Release: http://www.wwf.eu/media_centre/publications/?212790/Re-energising-Europe-Making-more-effective-energy-savings-policy-at-EU-level

John Stossel - The Gender Pay Gap