Posts by lucidcapitalism

(Bloomberg Green) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed Europe’s landscape when it comes to energy security, trade, and deep decarbonization. When I first wrote about this two weeks ago, I called it “The shock of the old, and the promise of the new.” Another way to consider the change is as an open window — specifically…

(The Wall Street Journal) Companies are increasingly using their venture-capital arms to pour money into startups that could help them profit from the energy transition. Last year, corporate venture funds invested $23.2 billion in businesses in the climate-technology sector—a broad category spanning renewable energy, energy storage, electric vehicles and more—according to PitchBook Data Inc. The…

(INSEAD Knowledge) Venture capitalists’ role as funding source and mentor of tech start-ups makes them uniquely placed to press for more responsible use of technology. When whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed last year that Facebook knew about the impact of its products on teenagers and the extent of misinformation on its platforms, it was only the…

(Fortune) So says the world’s foremost energy watchdog, which just released a new report on the global outlook for oil, its first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It predicts slower economic growth this year, but more opportunities for countries to transition away from oil altogether. The International Energy Agency’s latest oil market report states that…

(GreenBiz) When it was founded roughly 23 years ago, Salesforce was unique in many ways, not just for its core product — software delivered only via the “cloud” — but also for its early embrace of what has become the Pledge 1% movement. It’s a model that designates 1 percent of the company’s equity, revenue,…

(Banking Exchange) A new Deloitte survey of 300 senior finance, legal, and sustainability executives shows that the growing expectation for high-quality ESG reporting information is high on the boardroom agenda. Findings from Deloitte revealed that leaders are working toward “more reliable and timely” data, with investments in technology, controls design and implementation resources, and a…

(Mongabay) The rapid development of renewable energy technologies — including wind, solar and hydropower, and the commercial success of hybrid and fully electric vehicles — are helping put the world on track to achieve a net-zero carbon economy and meet Paris climate agreement targets. Yet these positive advances rely on a small number of “technology-critical…

(Fast Company) We used to say certain things were changing at a “glacial pace” to indicate just how slowly the shift was happening. Given the state of the climate, soon the glaciers may be melting faster than the gender wage gap is closing. According to a new report from PayScale—released on Equal Pay Day, which…

(The New York Times) Mr. Soltani, 47, a privacy expert who once served as the Federal Trade Commission’s top technologist, has to overcome the lack of precedent. So he has reached out to groups not exactly adjacent to what his agency will be, like the racing board and others, for help navigating his new position.…

(Bloomberg Law) Chipotle, McDonalds, Caterpillar, and other companies are increasingly tying executive pay to environmental, social, and governance goals as more investors, regulators, and activists scrutinize corporate behavior. Executive pay is usually tied to meeting key financial metrics, such as profit margins or return on equity for shareholders. Now, companies are calculating portions of executive…