Global investors are turning their backs on sustainability-focused stock funds. The Financial Times (behind a paywall) reports that they cite poor performance, scandals and attacks from US Republicans. “Clients have withdrawn a net $40bn from environmental, social and governance (ESG) equity funds this year, according to research from Barclays, the first year that flows have trended negative. Redemptions, which include a record monthly net outflow of about $14bn in April, have been widespread across all main regions.” The article quotes Todd Cort, a professor at the Yale School of Management who specialises in sustainable investing. He is not too concerned: “there will be substantially more effort by investors to understand environmental and social risks . . . that will continue to grow . . .” Let’s hope so.
Congratulations to the launch of the World Sufficiency Lab, co-founded by friend of EiD Yamina Saheb. The lab was established in February 2024 with the aim of mainstreaming the sufficiency concept at international, regional, and national levels. The ultimate target is to build a global sufficiency community that will ensure SUFFICIENCY is considered FIRST in policy and business decisions. A launch webinar on June 13th is the first of a series of webinars organised by the World Sufficiency Lab in collaboration with the World Resources Forum and hosted by the Chair on Sustainable Development of Sciences Po. More information on the webinar is available here.
In the context of COP29 in Azerbaijan in November, there is a global call to the UNFCCC to include cultural heritage, the arts and creative sectors in climate policy. One choir movement in Britain holds peaceful protest performances on the climate and nature emergency. It has grown rapidly since Autumn 2022 and now has choirs in 13 British cities and Zimbabwe. Here is a video they recently posted on X disrupting the Standard Chartered AGM. The Guardian reports that the British band Coldplay announced that after two years of touring their carbon footprint is 59% lower than what was generated on their previous tour thanks to some creative methods that include kinetic dancefloors that allow dancing fans to generate electricity, recyclable LED wristbands and the band travelling by train.
In planning travel over the upcoming weeks, here is some useful news to help you along:
- Lonely Planet provides 6 of the best European train routes for summer 2024.
- For the best hikes in Europe in 2024, there are many good suggestions on the 57 hours website. For those who want to combine hiking with food and wine, check out the Hedonistic Hiking website.
- 5 stunning spring cycling destinations in Europe are recommended on the Get Your Guide website.
- There is always the option of virtual tourism at the Xplore Nature Channel. There are now 130 videos. Find out more about the channel here. Why not start with a nature walk in Spain to Fonts de l’Algar Waterfalls.
Harry Clement Stubbs, known as Hal Clement (1922-2003) , an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre, gives us much to reflect upon this week: “Speculation is perfectly all right, but if you stay there you’ve only founded a superstition. If you test it, you’ve started a science.”
EiD welcomes your views about this week’s selection of posts on the zero-carbon energy transition:
- New EEA analysis on Europe’s air quality
- The energy efficiency of a residential property has become a focal point in the valuation of the asset in recent years
- How do we value the benefits from investing in a climate transition that will occur over decades, against the immediate cost-of-living pressures faced by households and businesses today?
- The benefits of the UK aligning with the EU’s buildings energy policy framework
- A global survey of more than 740 reporters and editors from 102 countries documents the threats they receive
- The airline industry is becoming an outlier as the race to slash emissions hits turbulence
- Is “spilling” excess energy a problem for the renewable energy industry?
- Need to remove the barriers to train travel in Europe
Please send your comments on any of the posts. Please follow us on X at @EnergyDemand and @rodjanssen. Please recommend EiD to your friends and colleagues.
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Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 