Sustainability

By: Eric Wang The discussion about sustainability has become a hot issue in the society and company management field. However, though it attracts much appreciation and applause for the movement, critics have emerged from society's multilevel. A detailed analysis of them may help the movement innovate and redirect to head in the right direction. One of the most well-known to the sustainability concept would be the increasing trend of opposition to globalization. Critics suggest that sustainability is simply an elite game that only adapts to the developed countries' settings. Thus, it may not bring as many benefits as imagined worldwide since there are such huge discrepancies between each part. However, researchers have pointed out that more progressive policy making in environmental ...

By: Rohan Upadhyay President Biden plans to fight climate change and create jobs via infrastructure spending. However, to make America green, the economy must go green: corporations and banks must move towards renewables. Some institutions are considering sustainability. Global banks invested $1.9 trillion in renewables during 2016-2018 after the Paris Accords. 5 American banks also pledged to end Arctic drilling investment. Yet, this transition isn't complete. 33 global banks invested $1.9 trillion in fossil-fuels between 2016-2019. US banks invested double in fossil-fuels over renewables during 2016-2018. Furthermore, the UN initiative to encourage renewable investment - Principles of Responsible Investing - did little to change investors’ portfolios.  Though institutio...

By: Jaime Svinth Consumerism-- we all do it, we all make a living off of it, and, quite frankly, our economy runs because of it. But, it’s 2020, and it’s time to get smart with our consumerism. When it comes to supporting the good of our world- both its people and the environment- we all can contribute, one dollar at a time.  However, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with knowing where to begin making sustainable choices. For some of us, we have already shifted towards supporting more ethical brands and ditching plastic straws, but, for others, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are a few easy tips to help you become the smartest consumer you can be: Start Small With so many options and a culture that asks so much of us, a lot of pressure to consume ethically c...

By: Trevor Jones When you read the headline of this article, what came to mind? Giant Simpsons-esque cooling towers looming over an indistinct grey building? People’s homes and lives crumbling away because of the Chernobyl disaster? Overly complex diagrams of atoms and blueprints of a maze of machinery? For as long as it has existed, nuclear energy has been cloaked in mystery and fear, becoming a polarizing political issue worldwide. The argument against nuclear energy is more than valid: the looming risk of an accident and nuclear waste’s impact on the environment are the two most common reasons to oppose this source of energy. The benefits are significant, too, as nuclear energy provides a stable, consistent, relatively safe, and long-term cost-effective solution to energy without...

By: Rohan Upadhyay How to leverage the economy to fight climate change How do we beat climate change in a cost-efficient way? Addressing climate change is ethically correct. But people are concerned that jobs could be lost and the debt could grow from throwing lots of resources at the problem. What’s the answer? Liberals support the Green New Deal — a bold proposal to fight climate change and rebuild US infrastructure (among other things) with $16.3 trillion of government investment over about 10 to 15-years. The proposal means well and has some points about how it will pay for itself. But the plan is costly and is not too specific about how it will raise money. The Green New Deal over-relies on government spending. This could cause the debt to skyrocket. Also, once governm...

Blackstone has recently made a commitment to cut emissions by 15% on investments within the first 3 years of its purchase. For those who are not familiar with Blackstone, it is an investment firm and is one of the largest owners of real estate anywhere on the planet. Blackstone plans to hold itself accountable, by closely charting its process going forward. While this is a big step for a big firm to take, it's certainly been a trend in the investment industry. Organizations such as UBS, Credit Suisse, and Morgan Stanley all have made their own large commitments to having their investment portfolios be environmentally friendly. At first glance, this initiative seems to be great. Blackstone and other investment companies are stepping up to the task of helping with progressive matters. En...