GEF Council
Business

Global Environment Fund Gives $1B+ to Help Climate, Species

WASHINGTON, DC, February 9, 2024 (ENS) – The Global Environment Facility’s 186 member governments have agreed to invest $1.1 billion for international action on biodiversity, climate change, nature renewal, and pollution control, during the GEF’s first meeting as the Council of the new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, GBFF. […]

SEC Chair Gary Gensler
Business

U.S. Stock Market Regulators Embroiled in Climate Debate

WASHINGTON, DC, August 28, 2023 (ENS) – Actions long urged by environmental activists and scientific institutions alike to require corporate disclosures of carbon emissions and limits to those emissions are now, at long last, being taken. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed a rule that would require publicly-traded companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions. […]

Business

World Bank: Global Economy Risky Amid High Interest Rates

WASHINGTON, DC, June 9, 2023 (ENS) – Global economic growth has slowed, and the risk of financial stress in emerging market and developing economies, known as EMDEs, is intensifying, hemmed in by high global interest rates, according to the World Bank’s latest “Global Economic Prospects” report, issued Tuesday. […]

firefighting foam
Business

Facing Major Lawsuit, 3M to Stop Making ‘Forever Chemicals’

CHARLESTON, South Carolina, February 9, 2023 (ENS) – The 3M Company, which developed and manufactured firefighting foams containing per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, called “forever chemicals,” is in a legal battle to avoid stiff financial penalties for the alleged damages the chemicals have done to human health and the environment. […]

Hong Kong
Business

Hong Kong Issues Green Bonds to Address Tough Challenges

HONG KONG, January 6, 2023 (ENS) – The Hong Kong government on Thursday announced the successful offering of US$5.75 billion worth of Green Bonds. The triple-currency offering is the largest Environmental, Social, and Governance, ESG, bond issuance in Asia, according to a statement from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, HKSAR, of China. […]

floating wind turbines
Business

Biden Budgets $50M to Develop Floating Offshore Wind Industry

WASHINGTON, DC, September 16, 2022 (ENS) – The Biden Administration is launching a fleet of coordinated actions to develop floating offshore wind platforms, an emerging clean energy technology that will help the United States lead on offshore wind. Called the “Floating Offshore Wind Shot,” the new program will capture this potential to power millions of homes and businesses… […]

Business

Ohio to Host Intel’s New $20 Billion Computer Chip Factories

WASHINGTON, DC, January 22, 2022 (ENS) – Computer chip maker Intel Friday announced plans for an initial investment of more than $20 billion in the construction of two new leading-edge chip factories near Columbus, Ohio. The site will be Intel’s first new factory in 40 years and is already attracting other companies … […]

Business

World’s Largest Free Trade Agreement Takes Effect

CANBERRA, Australia, January 4, 2022 (ENS) – The world’s largest free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, RCEP, entered into force on Saturday, January 1, giving 15 countries around the Pacific Rim access to trade with each other with fewer tariffs. […]

Business

Europe Funds Pandemic Recovery With Green Bonds

BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 9, 2021 (ENS) – The European Commission has adopted an independently evaluated Green Bond framework, taking a step towards the issuance of up to €250 billion green bonds, or 30 percent of NextGenerationEU’s total issuance. […]

Business

IMF Releases US$650 Billion ‘Shot in the Arm’ for the Global Economy

WASHINGTON, DC, August 11, 2021 (ENS) – To address the global need for financial reserves during the current two-pronged public health and resulting financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Governors has approved a general allocation of Special Drawing Rights, SDRs, equivalent to US$650 billion. […]