BlackRock’s support for shareholder environmental and social proposals has fallen significantly in the U.S., with the world’s largest asset manager voting in favor of less than a quarter of proposals over the past year, according to its latest proxy voting report. Covering the annual meeting season through July, last month’s report reveals BlackRock supported just...Read More

Companies today are adding a new goal to appease stakeholders – a net-zero pledge, or a commitment to release no more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than those taken out Courtesy of: ft.comRead More

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Coastal risks are rising and at the same time we are losing coastal habitats, like mangroves, which can function as a first line of defense for coastal communities. In this study, we used an insurance industry catastrophe model to quantify the economic benefits of mangroves in Florida for reducing coastal flood damages annually...Read More

Hurricanes and tropical storms are estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than US$50 billion yearly in damage from winds and flooding. And as these storms travel across the Atlantic, they also ravage many Caribbean nations. We study coastal ecosystems and how to value the natural coastal defenses provided by mangroves, marshes and coral reefs. In a new study, we map flood risks along...Read More

Protecting our planet from multiple threats – the forest defence with an otherworldly appearance. With their unique ability to survive in the transition zone between land and sea, these salt-tolerant trees are among the most productive and biologically complex ecosystems on Earth. They battle climate change, shield coastlines from tempestuous seas, offer protection and shelter...Read More

Despite their reputation in the 1980s as corporate raiders, most private-equity firms attempt to improve the performance of their portfolio companies through better corporate governance. Historically their business model has been to create value by sharpening the focus and oversight of largely ignored business units inside conglomerates or poorly managed private companies, such as dysfunctional family-run businesses....Read More

With the growing popularity of bamboo, people everywhere are looking for more and more places where they can grow their own bamboo. We generally associate bamboo with the Far East, and especially the tropical jungle zones like Thailand, Bali and the Philippines. But occasionally, someone wants to try growing bamboo in the desert, or in the mountains, or...Read More