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(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…

(Institutional Investor) These risks are not trivial: As of 2017, 40.3 million people worldwide were victims of modern slavery, which generates $150 billion in profits annually in the United States alone, according to the International Labor Organization, a subsidiary of the United Nations.  But it’s not easy for investors to reliably get information about companies’…

(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…

(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…