ESG hasn’t died, it’s just changed. ‘Sustainable’ funds are shifting their focus from climate change to health, AI ethics and corruption, according to a Berenberg report covered in The Times. Meanwhile, a recent survey of asset owners including pension fund managers and trustees suggests that ESG is more, not less, important than it was two years ago. Our latest ESG Attitudes…
EU Approves State Plans to Compensate Companies for Carbon Pricing Costs to Keep them from Relocating
The European Commission announced that it has approved new schemes by Austria and Spain aimed at compensating energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices due to the impact of carbon prices under the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). According to the Commission, the schemes are aimed at reducing the risk of companies relocating their activities to countries outside the EU with…
Persefoni Launches Agentic AI to Help Companies Analyze Carbon Footprint
Sustainability software provider Persefoni announced the launch of Persefoni Analytics Agent, a new agentic feature on its platform aimed at enabling companies to accelerate the analysis and understanding of their emissions data. Founded in 2020, Persefoni offers software and AI-driven tools aimed at enabling companies and financial institutions to manage their carbon footprint and sustainability reporting, with capabilities including streamlined…
Germany Invests €5 Billion to Decarbonize Energy Intensive Industries
Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy announced today the launch of its 2026 contracts for difference (CCfDs) bidding process, expected to channel up to €5 billion this year to support investments aimed at decarbonizing energy-intensive industrial companies. The announcement marks the third round of Germany’s 15-year CCfD program, launched in 2023 to help companies in energy intensive industries…
Ameresco, HASI Launch $1.8 Billion Biofuels Platform
Energy solutions provider Ameresco and sustainable infrastructure investor HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital (HASI) announced the launch of Neogenyx Fuels, a new joint venture aimed at accelerating the development of advanced biofuels and renewable natural gas (RNG) projects. The companies said that Neogenyx Fuels is expected to become one of the largest biogas project developers in the U.S. upon closing. RNG,…
Barocal Raises $10 Million to Cut Data Center Cooling, Refrigeration Emissions
Materials science startup Barocal announced that it has raised $10 million in a Seed funding round, with proceeds aimed advancing the commercialization of its solid-state cooling and heating platform technology. Heating and cooling sector emissions are responsible for around 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, with cooling alone accounting for more than 4 Gt of CO₂e in 2022, with…
Investor Interest in Sustainable Investing Increases Over Last Year, with Performance as Top Driver: Morgan Stanley Survey
More than 90% of individual investors reported that they are interested in sustainable investing, increasing over the past year with expectations of returns as a central driver of interest, according to a new survey released by Morgan Stanley. While the survey indicated growing interest in sustainable investing, however, it also found that sustainable investment allocations slipped slightly in the past…