regulations
Data Centers Debated
The digital age allows many of us to send emails instantly, shop online, and store documents in “the cloud.” But the demands of our digital consumption are powered by large data centers that process information requests and store large amounts of data, all with an environmental impact. A recent series…
Japan to phase out nuclear energy by 2040
Following the earthquake and tsunami that forced the Japanese government to shut down all of Japan’s nuclear power plants last March, the country has significantly shifted its energy sources. Today, just two of the country’s 50 nuclear reactors have recommenced operations. Prior to the natural disaster, Japan depended on its…
Carbon Disclosure Project to U.S. Government: Set carbon price
Last week, at the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Global Climate Change Forum, the organization issued a challenge to the United States to match the leadership of many corporations by moving forward on climate regulation. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is a London-based research organization that represents 650 institutional investors, including Portfolio…
Results from the Rio + 20 Summit
The Rio + 20 Summit drew nearly 50,000 participants, including more than 100 governmental representatives, a large number of non-governmental organizations, and a significant corporate presence. As I mentioned in my last post…, the preparatory talks to the conference were stymied by national interests and lacked focus toward a
The importance of Rio + 20
In 1992 the United Nations hosted the Earth Summit, a conference on the environment and development, in Rio de Janeiro. Ten years later the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in 2002 in Johannesburg. Now, twenty years since the original conference, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio…
Mexico Passes Climate Change Legislation
In April, the Mexican Legislature passed the developing world’s first climate change bill, and after President Felipe Calderon signs the bill into law, Mexico will be one of a few countries to have a comprehensive climate change law in place. While the bill, known as the General Law on Climate…
The Changing Shape of Corporations
For nearly 30 years, Portfolio 21 Investments has been working to influence progressive corporate behavior through the investment process. Recently, Bill Clark, a corporate governance attorney who also has a master’s degree in theology, was in Portland, OR speaking about corporate governance within the context of sustainable business. I’ll share…
Landmark EPA Action on Carbon Dioxide Emissions
For decades the United States was the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. However, in 2007 China surpassed the United States and continues to hold the title of world’s largest emitter. It was also in 2007 that China issued its National Climate Change legislation, which focuses on five key areas: greenhouse…
