Where theory and practice meet: Sustaining and impactful, and especially for governance fiduciaries.
Scientists said that this year was on track to become the warmest on record as the global surface air temperatures breached the threshold of 1.5C for each of the past 12 months and seas had reached their warmest for 15 months in a row.
June was the 13th consecutive month to be the hottest on the books, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said. At a surface air temperature of 16.66C, this was 0.14C above the previous June high set last year.
As having seen the coffee and cocoa plantations in Costa Rica recently, I can say that the “change” is having a negative impact on these commodities.
Deadly heat waves are upending daily life in large parts of the U.S., Europe and Asia, as warming oceans and unprecedented humidity fuel one of Earth’s hottest summers on record.
Meteorologists say last month was the hottest June on record and 2023 could be the hottest year ever if July’s record temperatures continue, straining businesses and threatening power grids.
Several factors are contributing to the record heat this summer, said Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. Among them: Unusually warm oceans are raising humidity levels; several heat domes are trapping warmth around the world for longer than usual; and jet streams are causing deadly storms like the ones in Vermont this month to move slowly.
The hot seas and a recurring warm climate pattern called El Niño are compounding the effects of climate change, which scientists say is contributing to higher global temperatures.
Scientists, residents see changes in ecosystem of forests that make regions ripe for conflagration
Ecologists who’ve spent years in the field studying the forest say they see new swings of extreme rainfall followed by drought in the region, an expanding range of insect pests that are making forests more susceptible to fire, and shifts in the rich soils and permafrost that absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere. These changes are now combining with past fire management practices that some critics say have worsened this year’s conflagration.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/canadian-fires-signal-new-frontier-in-climate-change-a57788b2
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has broken ranks with the German Green Party on the subject of atomic energy and urged the government not to abandon the technology.
FGA and Commonfund Institute recently announced joint study on governance in higher education, the Commonfund-FGA Benchmarking Study of Governance (CFSG). In this second major phase of research, the group found results that validated and confirmed the findings of the initial five-year study of public pensions at Marquette University. Asset owner governance considerations remain critical for mission development, financial outcomes and addressing complex issues.
https://www.commonfund.org/blog/key-governance-factors-prove-to-be-quantifiable
This is an excellent interview and captures a number of timely issues and dilemmas facing the contemporary company, CEO and board.
Last day to register!
https://www.marquette.edu/business/companies/sustainability.php