this week current climatebringing you the latest news on sustainable business every Saturday. Sign up every week to get it in your inbox.
A 750,000-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center in Illinois.
Getty Images
IIn 2019, Amazon Co-founded The Climate Pledge with a commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Since then, the company’s carbon footprint has increased by nearly 40 percent.According to the company’s sustainability report, Amazon’s carbon footprint was 51.17 million tons in 2019, growing to 71.54 million tons by 2021 Post this weekAmazon said the growth was driven by growth in its consumer e-commerce and cloud businesses during the pandemic, which required building new facilities and expanding its shipping network.
The report attempts to deviate from the total carbon footprint, suggesting that companies should also be judged by whether they have reduced their “carbon intensity,” or the total amount of carbon emissions per dollar of gross merchandise sold. While Amazon continued to reduce its carbon intensity, the year-over-year change was much smaller. From 2019 to 2020, Amazon’s carbon intensity decreased by more than 16%. From 2020 to 2021, it decreased by 1.9%.
big reading
Backup Plans: How Generac Thrives Amid Grid Blackouts and Natural Disasters
Generac CEO Aaron Jagdfeld.
Benedict Treadgrove of Forbes
Milwaukee-based Generac has an 80 percent market share in the home backup generator business and has a six-month order backlog. But CEO Aaron Jagdfeld not only sells “products that people wish they’d never use,” but also has big ideas for the company’s future: home microgrids. He wants to start marketing an “energy independence” package that pairs gas, solar and batteries, all optimized with machine learning software that manages your heating and cooling with an eye toward making money. Read more here.
Discovery and Innovation
The sun is getting more active NASA The current 11-year solar cycle could end up being the strongest on record since scientists first began recording sunspots in 1755, it has been predicted.
Black asphalt stores and retains heat.Roof Waterproofing Manufacturer GAF (part of Standard Industries) has launched a pilot project to see if solar reflective coatings can help reduce temperatures in 10 Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Moroccan The country is installing several gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, aiming to become an exporter to North Africa and Europe, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development said.
bike transport level U.K. Working days rose 47 per cent in the first five months of the year as commuters responded to higher fuel prices.
Sustainability Deals of the Week
Nuclear fusion: UK-based First Light Fusion, a spin-off from Oxford University’s nuclear fusion company, is looking to raise £400m to commercialise, sky news report.
Vertical farming: Japan-based Spread is a vertical farming startup that initially focused on lettuce, $30 million raised in Series A funding as it expands into strawberries and alternative meats.
Climate Technology: San Francisco-based Top Tier Capital Partners owns Raised $925 million New funding for late-stage climate technology investments.
on the horizon
The U.S. Senate could vote as early as this weekend on the Reducing Inflation Act, which includes $369 billion over 10 years for “energy security and climate change programs,” Reuters reportsThe deal, struck by New York Senate Democrats Chuck Schumer and West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, will require all 50 Democratic senators and tie-breaking Vice President Kamala Harris to move forward.
What are we still reading this week
Extreme heatwaves: Surprising lessons from record warmth (Nature)
‘They’re not slowing down’: The rise of multi-billion dollar disasters (Washington Post)
Data Centers Are Facing a Climate Crisis (Wired)
Green Transportation Update
GRACELYNN WAN by Forbes; PHOTO by Getty Images
16 years ago today, before Tesla built its first car, Elon Musk released his “master plan” for the company with the goal of: By selling expensive electric cars, Transforming a non-environmentally friendly car industry into a friendly one will support Tesla’s growth. affordable. “When someone buys a Tesla Roadster, they’re actually helping pay for the development of a low-cost family car,” Musk wrote. The problem is, the affordable family EV is here, but it’s a Chevrolet , not Tesla. General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, Hyundai and other automakers are ramping up production of a slew of new battery-powered models that cost less than current industry leaders. Read more here.
big traffic story
The first Fisker Oceans will be high-end models priced around $70,000.
Fisker
Fisker says pre-orders for its electric SUV are worth more than $300 million
Another potential Tesla competitor, Fisker Inc., is about to begin production of its first electric model and said initial orders for the Ocean SUV could be worth more than $300 million in revenue. While the first 5,000 units it produces will be the $70,000 all-options version, the Los Angeles-based company expects to start offering a cheaper $37,499 version by the end of next year, and also plans to launch a $30,000 mass-market version in 2024 electric car. Read more here.
More Green Transportation News
Nikola buys struggling battery maker Romeo Power for $144 million
GKN Automotive reaches milestone of millions of electric drives
Sky-high gas prices make us all want electric cars, right?Not so, survey says
Under EV Investor Ideanomics, electric motorcycle maker Energica does more than just make bikes
What does Herbert Diess’ departure mean for Volkswagen’s electric future?
For more sustainability coverage, click here.
