Thematic Thoughts
Real world sustainability linked changes and what they might mean for companies and investors
Creating sustainable cities
There is more to this than just selecting the right 'technology' and finding the finance. If we don't take the local community with us, then our investments run the risk of failing.
Decarbonised cement - are we getting closer?
And sorry - the short answer is not really. But we can make progress faster than we might think, just by spreading current best practice
How willing are we to pay a green premium?
A recent PwC survey suggests we are willing to pay a green premium, but is this being reflected in real world decision making? The jury is still out on this one. Be careful about surveys, the intentions actions gap (what you say you want is not what you end up
Can new technology 'save' our transmission grids?
One new (ish) type of interconnector is attracting more attention. Ultra High Voltage DC (UHVDC) enables electricity to be transported vast distances with low line losses. Could this be our best solution?
Should London become a sponge city, and who pays?
Do we need to rethink surface flood protection in our cities, and if so who pays? Over the last few years London, like many cities around the world, has been hit by a series of disruptive and expensive floods, mostly caused by intense heavy rain falling on impervious sources such as concrete.
Understanding responsible battery supply chains
Do we really understand how to measure responsible sourcing in EV and battery supply chains?
Is the need for greener agriculture even more urgent than we first thought?
Does investment in green agriculture need greater attention? It seems pretty obvious to most people that we should be focusing our investments and actions on the biggest climate related challenges.
Is the corporate DEI panic finally over?
That's the headline for an article in The FT that caught our eye this week. In June of last year when the US Supreme Court overturned affirmative action for college admissions meaning that race could no longer be considered as a factor in university admissions there has been
Ethics training prevents normal people veering off course
Joachim Klement who is an investment strategist at Liberum and author of the excellent Klement on Investing blog recently published a piece titled "Normalisation of deviance" highlighting some interesting research from University College London. It concluded that if people keep on telling lies, people become desensitised as their
Labour exploitation in supply chains
Anti-slavery charity Unseen have found that incidents of labour exploitation across the food industry are rising. Unseen received a record number of calls to its modern slavery helpline, with a significant number of cases involving agriculture, farming, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors. They identified 49 cases of modern slavery in agriculture
Hemp as a transition material?
Regular readers will know that we see the built environment as one of the key areas to focus on for transitioning to a more sustainable world. It is an integral part of societal existence and a major resource consumption problem (40% of global raw materials) and decarbonisation problem (as much
'Rioting' farmers and the importance of engagement
A Vox article caught our eye this week titled 'How rioting farmers unraveled Europe's ambitious climate plan.' The article discusses the ongoing conflict between farmers in the European Union (EU) and the EU's efforts to implement environmental regulations through initiatives like the Green Deal