A couple of years ago I met the founder of Globalegacy at The Frontline Club in London. While waiting, Pranvera Shema kindly allowed me to work in the bar upstairs. I had been to correspondents’ clubs before, but here I was struck by the number of sad stories of journalists dying in the line of …
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Executive certificate in sustainability – more please
In an effort to meet the growing demand for leaders in sustainable business, the Presidio School of Management has expanded its offerings to include an executive education certificate program targeted at senior executives. The school’s Sustainable Management Executive Certificate program will launch in January 2008 in partnership with the San Francisco-based Hanson Bridgett law firm. …
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EU sustainability progress modest; transport remains a problem
A new progress report concludes that the EU has made only “modest” progress towards sustainability since revising its sustainable development strategy last year. The European commission says there have been significant policy developments in some of the seven areas identified as key action priorities, including climate and energy, but progress on policy has not yet …
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Zany and green at the Tokyo motor show
Zany concept vehicles and fuel efficient hybrids vied for attention at the Tokyo Motor Show. Both Toyota and Honda tried to soften the image of sports cars as gas guzzlers with concept hybrids running on a mix of petrol and electricity. Fuel cells, which run on hydrogen and emit only water, also make an appearance …
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Insurance response to risk and opportunity of climate change
Insurers and re-insurers have been warning about the potential consequences of climate change for years. Munich Re has calculated that by 2050, climate change could cost up to $300 billion annually in weather-related damages, industrial and agricultural losses, and other associated expenses. A Ceres report “From Risk to Opportunity 2007: Insurer Responses to Climate Change” …
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Microsoft yields to EU in anti-trust case – for fear or greed?
Microsoft has finally yielded to the verdict of the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg and agreed to pay its fine and share code. That doesn’t sound like Microsoft does it? MS could end up paying fines of over $ 2.5 billion so that might be a motivator. And while they must share code, …
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The US housing market is already starting to clear – that’s efficiency
This NYT article describes a Minneapolis auction of properties that have been foreclosed: 300 properties in 2 days, winning bids as low as half market value of 6 months ago. More than half the properties were previously owned by speculators who had never moved in. The story illustrates how quickly an efficient market can move …
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As the US slows, will Asia and the world follow?
While I expect China and India to weather the slow down in US consumption reasonably well, perhaps even benefiting from a relief of inflationary pressure, others are more sanguine about the central role the US economy still plays in the global economy. This linked article, A Subprime Outlook for the Global Economy, by Stephen Roach …
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US banks want you to carry the can for their sub-prime mistakes
A rescue plan proposed by a group of large banks and backed by Treasury Secretary Paulson (who presided over Goldman Sachs massive foray in to sub-prime CDOs etc) recommends a massive rescue fund the Master Liquidity Enhancement Conduit (mmmm!) which would borrow from the public and invest the proceeds in mortgage-backed securities. So, banks (which …
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Being green is more profitable
Companies with sophisticated and comprehensive climate change strategies have financially outperformed their competitors over the last three years, according to a major new report from investment research firm Innovest. The Carbon Beta and Equity Performance study of 1,500 companies found that there is a “strong, positive, and growing correlation between industrial companies’ sustainability in general, …
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