Few years ago a CSR report released by an oil company sounded like an oxymoron. Even later on when these reports have become more common, it still looked to many people as a greenwashing attempt. After all, can a company really show it cares about the environment and stakeholders when its core business is oil production? I was hoping Chevron’s 2011 CSR report would prove this assumption to be wrong and that the “bad guys try to be better.” Is it too much to ask in 2012? Apparently yes, although to be honest, there is no simple answer of Yes or No to this question. While it does look that Chevron is making some progress, these are mostly baby steps, and when you’re one of the largest oil companies in the world baby steps might not be enough.

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Picarro’s new N2O istopomer analyzer provides scientists with greater insight into the earth’s nitrogen cycle, as well as helping them address problems spanning agriculture, ecosystems and climate.

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Public companies are increasingly tracking earth-related metrics, from waste to water to carbon and energy. As a HIP investor, you will see improvements in reporting these metrics over time, and will be better prepared to identify leading companies who will have higher profits and shareholder value.

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OECD report sees 50% rise in GHG emissions by 2050 without global action.

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5 types of metrics – Health, Wealth, Earth, Equality, & Trust – are frequently ignored in financial reports & by traditional stock analysts. These metrics are seen as “soft” when they actually relate to “hard” value.

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Reaching a 30% by 2020 EU emissions reduction target would be less than originally estimated, according to an EC study that also includes a plan that not only spreads the costs more equitably, but could benefit weaker member countries financially.

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It went into overtime and ended in three days of intense, non-stop negotiations, but UNFCCC delegates to the Durban climate conference agreed on the three pivotal agenda items: making commitments to extend the Kyoto Protocol, setting up the organizational structure and funding mechanisms for the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund, and setting out a roadmap to a global greenhouse gas emissions reduction treaty that’s slated to go into effect in 2020.

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A sense of optimism pervaded the atmosphere in Durban on the penultimate day and final morning of the UNFCCC’s 17th annual climate change treaty talks, according to one solar industry observer. Rumor was that an agreement to commit to the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol and also extend it beyond its 2020 expiration date were within reach.

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Releasing a profit and loss statement on the environmental and social impact of a company’s performance is a bold move. First of all, quantifying these parameters can be daunting. How can you quantify the social and environmental impact of the number of liters you use in your manufacturing process, for example? It’s not to say [...]

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The Northeast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) will yield an economic gain of $1.6 billion, create 16,000 jobs and save consumers across its ten participating member states some $1.1 billion in electricity, heating and cooling bills over the next ten years as a result of its first three years in operation, according to an economic consulting firm’s report.

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Australia is poised to pass a historic national carbon tax. Narrowly passed in the Australian government’s lower house, the carbon tax bill is now due up for vote in the Senate. Conservation and climate science groups, along with labor unions and the Greens Party, are urging the Senate to pass the legislation quickly, while Australia’s big business interests continue to oppose its passage.

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More than half of insurers that responded to a National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) climate disclosure survey  named market segments that may be affected by climate change. A third of the insurers surveyed mentioned climate-affected geographies in their portfolio. However, only 11 reported having formal climate change policies, and over 60 percent of the [...]

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An International Maritime Organization panel adopted what it calls mandatory design and operational measures to reduce greenhouse gases from international shipping. According to the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, which has met 62 times on this issue, this month’s action is the “first ever mandatory greenhouse gas reduction regime for an international industry sector.” It [...]

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A “carbon” bubble exists and massive misallocation of capital is taking place in world financial markets as fossil fuel reserves and the shares of coal, oil and natural gas producers continue to be valued as if we can continue to burn as much fossil fuel as we want.

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Depending on how it’s spun, recent shipping industry meetings on controlling greenhouse gas emissions through market-based trading schemes either made “steady progress” or no progress at all. The International Maritime Organization characterized the meetings of the third inter-sessional meeting of the Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions that ended early this month in London as [...]

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The Senate defeated four amendments yesterday that would have blocked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). One of the amendments, by Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), would have prevented the EPA from implementing a U.S. Supreme Court order to regulate GHG emissions under [...]

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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set forth plan to set standards for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the heaviest polluters. In a landmark announcement, in line with their relatively new jurisdiction over GHG regulations within the Clean Air Act, the EPA announced that they will issue more specific standards in the upcoming year. [...]

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Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL), the Scandinavian ocean shipping and logistics company, cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent last year, mainly through reduced fuel consumption due to lower volumes and the use of lower sulfur fuels. The Oslo-based WWL says it also cut sulfur dioxide emissions by 135,000 tons over the nine-year period from [...]

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On April 8, The Timberland Company announced it had reduced its greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions by 36% in 2009 over its 2006 baseline figures.  Claiming it is not content with this decrease, Timberland, led by its CEO Jeff Swartz, stated that the outdoor footwear and apparel company will reach a 50% reduction by the end [...]

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Carbon offsets, carbon exchange markets, emissions credits, cap and trade, emissions trading. These assorted terms all describe the various forms of carbon trading, from the individual wishing to offset his or her airline flight, to heavy industry compliance with federally mandated emissions reductions schemes, to the speculator simply plying the market for profit. While the [...]

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Rather than dealing with a potpourri of environmental emissions regulations and fees, a group comprising the world’s largest international liner shipping companies is proposing a new global vessel efficiency system (VES) intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 29-member World Shipping Council’s proposal asks the UN’s International Maritime Organization to take the lead in applying [...]

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The US Postal Service is in financial dire straits. It lost $3.8 billion in its most recent fiscal year, ending September 30th, and its available coffers are dangerously low. And then there’s the agency’s business model, which many argue is antiquated and unsustainable. But, according to its recently-released (and debut) sustainability report, the post office [...]

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Carbon may become the world’s largest commodity market, according to recent investigations. The Financial Times reported late last week reported that the carbon market could “outstrip the conventional commodities markets” and other estimates of more than $3 trillion in 2020 have been cast, by Point Carbon for example, dependent on US participation. Bart Chilton, commissioner [...]

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