In 2023, renewable energies power over half of Germany’s electricity consumption, a 5 percentage point increase from the previous year. This is a monumental step as months like July, May, October, and November showcased high peaks in renewable electricity generation, with record-breaking figures in solar and onshore wind energy. Lower overall electricity consumption contributed positively to the renewable energy quota, reaching 52 percent, while the total renewable energy production surged by 6 percent to 267.0 billion kWh. Leaders emphasized the crucial need for continued policy support and global scaling of renewables, particularly for green hydrogen and direct air capture systems, to meet climate targets and foster a sustainable energy future.

As the year is coming to a close, it is important to learn about “Earth Overshoot Day”. This day occurs every year and it marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2023, this date fell on August 2nd, which means that the world exceeded its annual renewable resources four months before the year ended.

A new investing framework called the “Ecological Benefits Framework” can provide a new sense of transparency and accountability in the investing industry.

A research project sampling 428 wind farms and around 500,000 property sales within 5 miles of the farms have found that property values do in fact decline when in close proximity to a wind farm. However, this study does not factor in the social and economic benefits that wind farms bring to a community.

A lack of US climate reporting regulation may pose negative side effects to US companies in the long run as they will have to adhere to stronger EU compliances.

A historic agreement where over 200 nations agreed upon the transition away from fossil fuels, tripling the amount of renewable energy, halting deforestation, and curbing the release of methane by 2030.

As Cop28 is halfway done there has been massive discussion over urgent climate policies. A discussion over a loss and damages fund as well as a fossil fuel reduction plan that mirrors the Paris Agreement.

The EU recently passed a new “eco-design” framework that will redefine the sustainability within product development for the future.

The World Resources Institute recently published, “The State of Climate Action 2023”. This report provided insight into a roadmap that the world can follow to reach the agreed-upon 1.5℃ degree target in each high-impact area of the market.

On November 20th, the United Nations released its 2023 Emissions Gap Report with an eye-catching headline, “Broken Record; Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again)”. This report is the 14th annual edition in a series written by the world’s top climate scientists to look at future trends in global warming.

PWC recently released its third annual “Global Investors Survey”. The report surveyed 345 investors and also completed in-depth interviews with 15 investment professionals across 30 countries.

Sustaira, a leading provider of sustainability software solutions, announces its strategic partnership with Capgemini, a global leader in partnering with companies to unleash human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future.

Brazil's Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) and Ministry of Finance recently declared that public companies in Brazil will be mandated to report on sustainability and climate-related disclosures starting in 2026. The CVM stated that the new reporting requirements will align with the latest standards released by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and will follow a phased approach, commencing with voluntary reporting in 2024.

The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are on the horizon and businesses affected by these new rules are actively getting ready for compliance. The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) released a draft list of data points for ESRS last Wednesday as part of their broader effort to support implementation.

The Task Force on Climate-Related Disclosures (TCFD) recently published its sixth and final status report, shedding light on both the progress in corporate climate reporting and the persisting data collection challenges. The TCFD, formed in 2017, aimed to enhance consistency and comparability in climate-related financial information among companies.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a significant investment of $7 billion to establish seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) across the nation as part of President Biden's "Investing in America'' agenda. These hubs are a central component of the Bidenomics strategy and will accelerate the large-scale deployment of clean hydrogen, playing a crucial role in achieving the President's climate and energy security goals.

On October 7, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom made a significant move in the fight against climate change by signing into law two landmark bills - SB-253, the "Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act," and SB-261, "Greenhouse Gases: Climate-Related Financial Risk." These laws represent the first industry-agnostic climate regulations in the United States, and mandate the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks by large public and private companies operating in California.

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, is introducing a new fund to the private credit market that embraces the burgeoning trend of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing in the US. Known as the Climate Transition-Oriented Private Debt (CPD) Fund, this initiative is part of BlackRock's extensive investment platform, valued at over $100 billion.

The EU took a pioneering step on October 1st by launching the world's first Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a system designed to impose CO2 emissions tariffs on carbon-intensive goods imported into the EU.