Sustainability

Asia’s pollution problem is choking off talent

21 Dec 2016

Poisonous air has caused major disruption in recent weeks in China and India. Public awareness of the pollution problem is growing too. Employers will need to factor in a fatter premium in 2017 if they want to attract and retain the best brains in dynamic but dirty markets.

Energy Dept choice pits Trump against bureaucracy

16 Dec 2016

Rick Perry ran for the White House promising to dismantle the federal energy agency. Now the president-elect wants him to run it. The DOE is already resisting a Trump request to list staffers working on climate change. Animosity from the "deep state" could slow-roll his agenda.

China effluent enthusiasm will survive short stink

28 Nov 2016

Short-seller Glaucus alleges fraud at sewage specialist CT Environmental, the second scandal in the industry this year. It is a dirty business but investors will hold their noses: with greener policies and urbanization pressures, China’s wastewater sector is anything but the pits.

Volkswagen chairman’s position is untenable

7 Nov 2016

Hans Dieter Poetsch was the wrong choice from day one. The former finance director and long-time VW insider is now under criminal investigation in Germany. While Poetsch remains at the helm of the carmaker's board, it cannot properly turn a corner.

Merkel’s climate-change zeal turns into hot air

2 Nov 2016

The German chancellor fought hard for tough global carbon reduction targets. Yet at home, implementation of the Paris accord is gridlocked by fears of job losses, and an important plan has been delayed. If Angela Merkel cools on fighting climate change, the world is in trouble.

Viewsroom: Samsung’s fiery future

13 Oct 2016

Cancelling production of its self-combusting Note 7 smartphone puts the company's reputation as well as $17 bln or more at risk. Cities, businesses and investors are putting Trump and Clinton to shame on climate change. Plus: Brexit politics get shaken up by the pound's decline.

Climate-change hopes meet urban reality

10 Oct 2016

Last year's Paris accord just secured enough national signatories to put it into effect. The real battle, though, will be fought by cities, which account for 75 pct of emissions. Many have pledged to act. Success depends on overcoming bureaucracy, tight budgets and ignorance.

Coal rally may already be out of steam

22 Sep 2016

The steel-making fuel is likely to give producers like BHP Billiton and Anglo American unexpected earnings boosts but there are few reasons to believe in a lasting rally. Weak Chinese metals demand and a potential revival in domestic supply could make gains fragile for investors.

Pentagon and Congress risk collision over climate

15 Sep 2016

The U.S. military, facing supply problems and sea-level rises, is eager to cut out fossil fuels. BlackRock is one asset manager on the same page. Some lawmakers and Donald Trump have no such concerns. Reports released ahead of Climate Week help identify the dangers of inaction.

How Hinkley delivers a bad deal for everyone

15 Sep 2016

The approval of Britain’s new nuclear power plant puts politics ahead of sense. Consumers could end up paying 15 bln pounds in today’s money. New ownership tests erode the country’s reputation for openness. Brexit has undermined Britain’s bargaining power.

Pushy policy can help green finance to grow

1 Sep 2016

Green finance is high on the agenda at the G20. Policymakers see it as a way to fund much-needed infrastructure. Investors are also starting to pay more attention to environmental issues. Though big challenges remain, the top-down effort gives green finance a fighting chance.

Twin engines power BYD in electric car race

29 Aug 2016

The Chinese group's vehicle sales surged in the first half. Government subsidies are fueling growth and BYD's in-house battery unit give it an edge over local rivals. A rare dividend payment reveals the confidence of boss Wang Chuanfu even as competition intensifies.

China’s blue-sky fix does more harm than good

29 Aug 2016

A seat at the global leadership table comes with a big dose of criticism. A vision of blue skies and friendly allies for the G20 meeting shows that the People's Republic needs thicker skin. Solving problems requires facing them honestly and not further distorting market reality.

Cheap wind energy can deal final blow to Hinkley

8 Aug 2016

Electricity from offshore wind farms costs a third less than in 2013. It now undercuts power costs at the two new nuclear reactors planned in the UK. With prices falling further and low project risk, the case for pulling the plug on the Hinkley Point plant is building.

Trump’s environment scorn affronts business sense

20 Jul 2016

The U.S. presidential nominee says he'd protect jobs by ditching the Paris climate accord, nixing energy regulations and favoring farmers over fish in California's non-existent drought. Such jibes neglect both the facts and the likely economic benefits of battling climate change.

VW profit rebound may run out of gas

20 Jul 2016

While the emission scandal's costs are rising, Volkswagen has beaten second quarter operating profit forecasts by a mile. Successful cost cutting and rising sales point to inherent strengths. Yet a new risk looms: a possible slump in car demand due to the shock of Brexit.

Climate is in firing line from Britain’s EU vote

20 Jun 2016

A UK exit from the EU could weaken the fight against global warming. Brussels would lose a key voice for climate action, and coal-loving Poland’s influence would rise. A smaller EU - and go it alone Britain - would also find it harder to sway big polluters like China and the US.

Batteries will short-circuit old business models

16 Jun 2016

Cheap, powerful batteries are almost a mass-market reality. The U.S. storage market could grow 45 pct a year, as prices plunge. It’s great for green energy suppliers, and those who like clean air - but less so for old-school utilities, and possibly makers of batteries themselves.

VW travels in two directions, both bad

31 May 2016

The stricken carmaker is making fewer vehicles than a year ago. Yet it hired more people in the first quarter. Investment and distribution costs grew too. Chief Matthias Mueller may be busy with a still-unresolved emissions scandal, but there’s little sign of needed cost-cutting.

BHP’s $44 bln Brazil lawsuit shows dangers of JVs

4 May 2016

Miners use joint ventures to get places they otherwise couldn’t. But sharing risk can go very wrong. Brazil wants to hit BHP Billiton and Vale with a huge claim for the Samarco mining disaster. It’s a bill neither can afford for a partnership neither really controlled.