(Pensions & Investments) The Department of Labor under the Biden administration has made environmental, social and governance investing a key focus during its first year-plus in office and is now seeking public input on a wide array of questions around climate change and retirement savings that could lead to further guidance or requirements, industry sources…

(Reuters) Big changes may lie ahead for retirement investment stakeholders as the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) continues to focus on the role that climate change, and other social and governance factors, may have in impacting retirement security under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). In addition to proposing a…

(Protocol) The Federal Trade Commission has struggled over the years to find ways to combat deceptive digital data practices using its limited set of enforcement options. Now, it’s landed on one that could have a big impact on tech companies: algorithmic destruction. And as the agency gets more aggressive on tech by slowly introducing this…

(Bloomberg) A European parliamentary committee will vote Monday on a new regulatory framework for crypto assets, which could accelerate passage of a measure that industry executives say could practically ban key digital currencies including Bitcoin and Ethereum in Europe. Crypto-assets issued and/or traded in the EU “shall be subject to minimum environmental sustainability standards and…

(Morningstar) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has provoked a lot of discussion about sustainable investing, highlighting the growing influence of sustainability concepts on investing in general. But clarity about the terms of the discussion is sorely needed. For the most part, the discussion has centered around values-based exclusions. But there is much more to sustainable investing…

(The New York Times) Microsoft has an ambitious plan to cut its carbon emissions. But on Thursday, the company reported a big increase in the greenhouse gases emanating from its operations and its products, a reminder of the challenges that companies face as they try to clean up their businesses. Microsoft’s carbon emissions were up…

(Yale Environment) The Covid pandemic has rightly received most of the blame for global supply chain upheavals in the last two years. But the less publicized threat to supply chains from climate change poses a far more serious threat and is already being felt, scholars and experts say. The pandemic is “a temporary problem,” while…

(Protocol) Enterprise tech companies often post customer logos on their websites as signals of their sales prowess, like service medals on a military uniform. But when AI tech vendors spotlight their work with defense industry customers, it’s not always considered a badge of honor. As talk of war and national security intensifies in the wake…

(The New York Times) Urban neighborhoods that were redlined by federal officials in the 1930s tended to have higher levels of harmful air pollution eight decades later, a new study has found, adding to a body of evidence that reveals how racist policies in the past have contributed to inequalities across the United States today.…

(Inside Climate News) With his climate agenda stalled in Congress, President Joe Biden has managed to win billions in federal spending for one pillar of his platform that is gaining increased attention globally: carbon capture. In a major win for oil, coal, utilities and other industries, the federal government is poised to make its largest…