Green Lights Sept. 12: 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 roundup of the best of Callaway Climate Insights. David Callaway writes about the global race between the U.S. and China for economic leadership in the next generation (think energy). Plus, the Anglo-American-Teck merger will trigger a new era of copper deals as demand surges. Have a great weekend and please subscribe to support our climate finance journalism.
. . . . . President Donald Trump’s war on wind energy, which we always believed was just a pet peeve related to his dislike of wind turbines near his Scottish golf courses, has become a much bigger issue in the past few weeks as the White House seeks to halt construction on as many 10 offshore wind projects along the Eastern Seaboard. It’s clear the administration is going to seriously go after wind energy in the coming months. It may ultimately come down to doing a deal with the old dealmaker to keep the lights on.
. . . . The lid on the long-simmering copper pot of global mining companies might have finally blown this week after British giant Anglo-American and Teck Resources of Canada announced a $50 billion merger to take advantage of rising demand for one of the world’s most popular natural resources.
. . . . When it comes to the global race between the U.S. and China for economic leadership in the next generation, the White House is putting all its chips on winning AI. But what if the new paradigm for the AI revolution is not semiconductor chips and data centers but the energy that propels them?, David Callaway asks. In this case, it becomes a very different arms race; one between a country relying on traditional fossil fuels to meet its energy needs and another pushing ahead to become a world leader in renewable, clean energy such as solar, wind and battery. One of them is betting on the wrong horse.
. . . . Climate advocates in the European Parliament face a key moment next week when environmental ministers from major countries meet to review the government’s proposed target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040. David Callaway says The review will be an early guidepost for United Nations climate advocates wondering what type of targets Europe might propose at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil in November.
. . . . Callaway Climate Insights is joining The Independent in New York City later this month to honor The Independent’s annual Climate 100 list of entrepreneurs, political leaders, green advocates, and celebrities making a difference in helping the world transition to renewable, sustainable energy. The event will be held on Sept. 23 at The Independent’s New York bureau in midtown and feature Octopus Energy Founder and CEO Greg Jackson, speaking with Independent Editor-in-Chief Geordie Greig. It also will feature a Q&A with David Callaway and Independent World Affairs Editor Sam Kiley, who just returned from a climate reporting trip to Africa.
For more information and details on the Climate 100 and related events, click here.
. . . . Corporate managements emboldened by the collapse of environmental, social and governance (ESG) activity among shareholders managed to shut out climate investor proxies this past annual meeting season for the first time. As energy prices rise and the demand begins to add to the urgency of also generating renewable energy, if only to meet demand, then shareholders might start to rally around green ideas again. But not this year.
More greenery . . .
Texas football: Games are getting hotter; are players safe? (Austin American-Statesman)
Heavier rains: Hong Kong Boosts Flood Management (Insurance Journal)
Climate heroes: Beavers are nature’s ‘ecosystem engineers’ (MPR News)
Throwing shade: UK rejects plan to deflect sun’s rays (Bloomberg)
Dengue Fever: Global Warming Is Fueling Outbreaks (Inside Climate News)