Green Lights Aug. 23: Top stories this week
Green Lights Aug. 23: Top stories this week
Don't miss a single story from the best of Callaway Climate Insights.
. . . . Welcome back to Green Lights. Here’s our weekly roundup of the best of Callaway Climate Insights. David Callaway is back from a brief summer sojourn, which included a lot of reporting from the UK and EU. Check out his insights on tariffs, Tesla, taxes and more. Plus, Mark Hulbert spotlights new research on the benefits of green investments. Don’t forget to subscribe.
. . . . The growing battle between the European Union and China over taxes on imports of Chinese electric vehicles snagged Tesla TSLA 0.00%↑ this week after Brussels said the U.S. EV giant’s vehicles made in China — about half of Tesla’s fleet — will be subject to additional tariffs as well. No one’s happy about that, writes David Callaway.
. . . . Most investors think of green investments, particularly stocks, as having great potential to generate innovative tech profits while at the same time helping fight climate change, writes Mark Hulbert. But a new study has found a surprising new benefit — that of portfolio diversifier.
. . . . The arrival of Big Tech in Ireland has heralded a boom in data centers, to the point where the country’s electricity usage has shot up, drawing some fears there might not be enough energy to go around, or water commonly used to cool data centers. Ireland’s 70 data centers, almost all of them in Dublin, now use more electricity than all of the urban homes in Ireland. The energy crises — and housing crises — are becoming political priorities both in Ireland and in the U.S.
. . . . President Joe Biden chose to focus on climate issues even as the world screamed for more oil and gas following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pushing through the Inflation Reduction Act by a nose to help re-establish manufacturing and infrastructure in the U.S. after decades of decline. David Callaway considers whether Biden might be the last president to choose climate as a priority.
. . . . A U.S. shift in policy this week that throws its support toward an international effort to cut production of plastic signals that a UN treaty to be discussed later this year finally has a chance of making it over the top.
More greenery . . . .
How much is your house worth?: Climate risk still not priced into American homeownership (The Atlantic)
The water is not fine: Drought-threatened Amazon dolphins studied for climate change impact (Reuters)
Shhhh: Why Democrats are so quiet about climate change right now (The Washington Post)
Lunch money: How climate change is driving up food prices around the world (Carbon Brief)
Guinness, prosecco, pálinka: Climate change is a serious threat to Europe’s most beloved drinks (Euronews)