Madrid-based renewable energy company Zelestra announced today a new collaboration with Microsoft and non-profit organization Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo (ECODES), including a power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply Microsoft with energy from two new solar plants in Spain, and a funding arrangement to support community-led sustainability initiatives in the region. Under the new PPA, Microsoft will purchase renewable energy from…
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the filing of a new legal action against proxy advisory firms Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), claiming that the firms violated consumer protection and antitrust laws by jointly pushing an “ESG agenda” through their activities. The new lawsuit forms the latest in a series of actions by anti-ESG politicians in the U.S., which…
A contentious final session to close out the COP30 climate conference in Belém Brazil ended in an agreement that avoided mentioning a shift away from fossil fuels for the second consecutive year, despite strong objections from the EU and UK, and that also failed to include a binding roadmap to end deforestation. In his closing remarks at the conference, UN…
This week in ESG news: Deutsche Bank expands sustainable finance strategy to target transition opportunities; U.S. appeals court pauses California climate reporting law just weeks before implementation; EU proposes overhaul of sustainable investing regulation; Credit Agricole commits to achieve 90% green financing ratio; DHL signs major U.S. sustainable aviation fuel deal; EU states vote to delay supply chain deforestation law…
Global mining and metals company Rio Tinto announced that it has signed a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement with renewable energy developer TerraGen for energy from a newly completed wind farm in Texas, for the company’s Kennecott operations in Utah, one of the world’s top producing copper mines. Rio Tinto is one of the world’s biggest producers and processors of…
Netherlands-based bank ABN AMRO announced the appointment of Sandra Phlippen, who currently serves as the bank’s Chief Economist, as its new Chief Sustainability Officer, effective January 1. Phlippen joined ABN AMRO in 2018, and has been serving as Chief Economist for the bank since 2020. She also serves as an external advisor to the Council of State, advising the Dutch…
The European Council announced an agreement by EU member states to delay the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) – a new law aimed at ensuring that products imported to or exported from EU markets no longer contribute to deforestation and forest degradation globally – by a year, and to introduce new simplification measures to ease compliance obligations for…
Renewables developer and independent power producer Cypress Creek announced that it has reached financial close and started construction on its Hanson Solar project in Coleman County, Texas. The launch of the new 505 MW renewable energy project follows a power purchase agreement (PPA) between Cypress Creek and Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp owner Meta earlier this year. The new facility will…