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<ul><li><keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> aims to develop sustainable and energy-efficient data centres.</li><li>The company became <keyword id="1044624" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbon-neutral" source="Orion">carbon neutral</keyword> in 2007.</li><li>Google emphasis on PUE and a clean global grid to become carbon-free by 2030.</li></ul> Google uses twice as much electricity as the city of San Francisco in its data centres. The amount of energy used by Google is increasing every day as its business grows and overall internet usage grows. Since 2007, the company says it has been carbon neutral meaning, the company says it bought equal amounts of carbon offsets (through land restoration and planting trees) and used renewable energy to make the company’s net operating carbon emissions zero. Following this from 2017, Google also claims to have matched its total electricity usage with renewable energy purchases. Over the years, the company has announced significant steps to use carbon-free energy but still, it operates with some power that emits carbon dioxide. Now, by 2030 Google aims to operate 24/7 electricity on carbon-free energy. Simplifying this, the company will operate every hour with carbon-free electricity. Sounds stressing? Let us tell you how. Efficient data centres and power usage effectiveness (PUE) Google’s data centres are the most prominent source of energy consumption. In order to be carbon-free by 2030, data centres must use clean sources of energy and should be ultra-efficient. Google says that they are the largest annual corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world. But you must be thinking about why energy is so important for Google. Well, every Google search you do requires a tiny amount of energy used by the servers at Google data centres. With millions of searches per minute and trillions per year, it adds up to a whole lot of energy at data centres. Having efficient data centres around the world will help Google to use 100% carbon-free energy. Google focuses on efficient data centres and power usage effectiveness (PUE) which is the ratio of energy used by a computer at data centres divided by the total energy used by the computing equipment. For example, 1 PUE means all of the energy goes to computing equipment and 2 PUE means if 1 unit of energy is used by computing equipment then 1 unit of energy will be used to cool the equipment. The head of energy development for data centres at Google, Maud Texier says, “to manage PUE, the company is using a combination of hardware and software developments. We have invested in new raw materials for servers that emit less heat.” In addition, the company is also using a machine learning program developed by <a href="https://www.deepmind.com/blog/deepmind-ai-reduces-google-data-centre-cooling-bill-by-40">DeepMind</a>. These machines predict the most efficient time to run the heat pumps to cool down data centres. The most difficult challenge — a clean energy grid Having an energy-efficient data centre is not enough, Google also focuses on how the energy is produced. Texier said, “if we have a clean grid then being 100% carbon-free will be easy for the company. If the grid is not clean in a location where the company wants to build a data centre, then there should be a path to make an impact and accelerate the regional grid’s transition.” She also added that Google uses certain algorithms to decide where to establish or execute computing functions for their data centres in order to achieve sustainability. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/whatsapp-is-finally-allowed-to-have-100-million-users-for-its-payments-service/articleshow/90835669.cms">WhatsApp is finally allowed to have 100 million users for its payments service</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-finally-has-an-app-that-will-let-ios-users-switch-to-android-easily/articleshow/90835201.cms">Google finally has an app that will let iOS users switch to Android easily</a>

Google aims to become 100% carbon-free energy by 2030 — here’s how it’s planning to do it

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11965161" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kpmg" source="Orion">KPMG</keyword> US released a new report outlining the accounting firm's <keyword id="12011554" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="esg" source="Orion">ESG</keyword> goals.</li><li>It aims to be <keyword id="12711765" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbon-neutral" source="Orion">carbon neutral</keyword> by 2030 and also released data on the diversity of its workforce.</li></ul>KPMG helps ensure its clients' statements on their environmental, social, and governance work are accurate. Now, a new report from the accounting firm's US arm points to the challenges it faces in these same areas — everything from diversifying its workforce to reducing its <keyword id="12110522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbon-footprint" source="Orion">carbon footprint</keyword>. So-called ESG reporting has become a big part of how many companies hope to demonstrate to customers, employees, and even shareholders that they care about more than just turning a profit.The 50-page <a href="https://www.kpmg.us/about/kpmg-esg-report.html">report</a> shows modest increases in the past three years in the percentage of women and people of color who hold leadership roles at KPMG US. It also outlines the company's new pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. To help it get there, KPMG US will levy carbon-emissions fees on its own operations such as air travel as a way of changing workers' behavior. Funds raised from the fee will go to efforts such as sourcing renewable energy and making lighting upgrades. The report focuses on the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/stakeholdercapitalism/our-metrics">four sustainability pillars</a> defined by the World Economic Forum: people, planet, prosperity, and principles of governance. KPMG US reports that the number of women who hold the rank of manager or higher at the company rose to 40% in 2021 from 38.6% in 2019. Similarly, the percentage of people of color in manager roles or higher grew to 29.4% from 27.8% in 2019. The report also includes a pledge to invest $125 million over the next five years in organizations that promote equity within underrepresented communities. Hiring from historically Black colleges and universities jumped by 40% in the fiscal year that ended in September, the company reported.Laura Newinski, the deputy chair and chief operating officer at KPMG US, told Insider the report is significant not just because it lays out goals but also because it illustrates where the company needs to improve. "That transparency about where we are, which isn't always a perfect picture, is a key part of this journey," she said. <div type="image" title="Laura Newinski" height="1803" width="2400" msid="91192653" hostid="261"></div>Climate is one area where the company, which uses renewable energy for its operations, has more work ahead. Figures released in the report show the carbon footprint of KPMG's US operations rose from 2019 to 2021 despite reductions in some areas relating to office closures and suspended travel during the height of the pandemic. Instead, the increase in carbon emissions is linked to activity outside the company but within its supply chain. KPMG said it will use technology tools to help measure and remove emissions from its operations. Robert Fisher, KPMG US's impact leader, who leads the team helping the company's clients enhance their ESG performance, said it's essential for KPMG to be able to tell its clients that the company is after many of the same goals. "You can't do work in the ESG space if you yourself are not on that journey and aren't credible about what you need to work on," Fisher said.<div type="image" title="Robert Fisher" height="2233" width="2978" msid="91192658" hostid="261"></div>Fisher added KPMG US's own struggles around issues such as employee representation make it easier to help the company's thousands of clients who might be facing similar hurdles. "You really experience the challenges that they might run into," he said. KPMG US's report follows the 2021 release of a <a href="https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about/global-annual-review-2021.html">report</a> from rival PwC in which the company committed to going net-zero by 2030 and released gender pay gap information publicly for the first time. Another firm, Deloitte, has also <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/annual-report-2020/stories/working-towards-net-zero-emissions-by-2030.html">pledged</a> to reach net-zero emissions by 2030 and has laid out its <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/dei-transparency-report.pdf">efforts</a> around diversity, equity, and inclusion. And EY, another big accounting firm, has <a href="https://www.ey.com/en_gl/sustainability/carbon-negative-achievement">said</a> it is offsetting more carbon emissions than it produces and has also <a href="https://www.ey.com/en_us/diversity-inclusiveness/pathways-to-progress/our-ey-us-d-and-i-journey">reported</a> on its diversity efforts.

A new report from Big 4 accounting firm KPMG outlines its progress on diversity and inclusion and how it plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2030

<ul><li>India would have to dedicate 5.9% of its GDP towards climate finance. </li><li>A key challenge for India would be land availability as the report pegs that it will need 45 million hectares of land than it has, towards its green initiatives. </li><li>Over three-fourths of India of 2050 is yet to be built, thus green policies need to be proactively put in place, the report says. </li></ul>India will need to invest an estimated $12.1 trillion by 2050 to achieve carbon neutrality, says McKinsey &amp; Company report on ‘Decarbonising India’. This would require the country to dedicate 5.9% of GDP towards climate finance, said the report released on Thursday. “India will need an estimated $7.2 trillion of green investments until 2050 to decarbonise in the LoS (line of sight) scenario and an additional $4.9 trillion for the ‘Accelerated’ scenario (about 3.5 percent and 2.4 percent of India’s GDP through this period respectively). 50 percent of the investment required for decarbonisation is economically viable, particularly across renewable energy, auto and agriculture; others would need policy support,” the report said. The report comes on the heels of the 27th Conference of the Parties (<keyword id="12515304" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cop27" source="Orion">COP27</keyword>) by the United Nations, scheduled to be held from 6-18th November in Egypt, this year. Over three-fourths of India of 2050 and 80% of India of 2070, is yet to be built. The next set of policies across key sectors like power, cement and agriculture will determine whether India can effectively contribute to a carbon-free world. India is the world’s third largest emitter, creating 2.9 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide every year, which is 4.9 percent of annual global emissions, the report states. If this goes unchecked, India has the potential to generate 11.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2050. “Right policies, set up now, will enable India to add low carbon capacity in the next two decades thereafter,” claimed McKinsey. Five sectors which contribute to roughly 70 percent of India’s overall emissions are power, transportation, steel, cement and agriculture. The primary driver of carbon emissions in India is the power sector (coal, oil, gas) which accounted for 34% emissions. This was followed by agriculture (18%), primarily methane from cattle and rice cultivation. Other key emitters include transport (9%), water waste (6.2%) and buildings (4.5%). “Boldness in sustainable investments helps. This is what happened with the gradually increasing adoption of electric vehicles and solar energy. Even though coal mining districts of India will lose employment, construction jobs will increase and new renewable energy sectors will pop up, generating at least 30 million jobs,” said Rajat Gupta, Asia leader of the Sustainability Practice, McKinsey &amp; Company, who was also part of the core team that contributed to the national solar mission. Indian sustainability initiatives have also reaped results. “Tailwinds like reducing costs of renewables, EVs and progressive policies exist, e.g., the implicit carbon tax on transportation fuels of $140 to 240/tCO₂e is helping the electrification of mobility,” the report said. Key challenges towards India’s green future The plan has many challenges that go beyond policies and investments. India will need 45 million hectares more land than that’s available to drive its green initiatives. There is an increasing need to optimise current land use. In automotive, 100% of two wheelers, three wheelers and light truck sales may need to be electric early in the next decade. All car sales would have to be electric by 2035 and trucks by 2050. The pace of renewable capacity addition needs to pick up – from 10 gigawatts to 40-50 gigawatts per year and green steel needs to become competitive. Moreso, battery costs will have to decline by 40% by 2030, green hydrogen by two-thirds by 2035. Farmers have to adopt new practices for rice cultivation, the report reveals. The shift to sustainable-farming practices however could help generate additional farmer income of ₹3,400 per hectare per year, as per the line of sight scenario, the report calculated. “We need to intensify our efforts towards building more urban forests but also make our current forest more dense. Higher adoption of electric vehicles and green hydrogen are needed. Use of carbon tax especially in the steel sector is needed towards making greener investments in India,” said Divy Malik, Associate Partner at McKinsey &amp; Company. The shift towards greener alternatives however will help it reap monetary benefits too. India can save $1.7 trillion in forex which would otherwise be spent on energy imports (oil and coking coal) till 2070, adds the report. Moreover, it also holds the potential to become a manufacturing and R&amp;D base for cleantech like EVs, batteries and electrolysers.

India needs to invest $12.1 trillion to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050: McKinsey

<ul class="summary-list"><li>World Cup organizers will buy carbon offsets to help cancel out greenhouse gas emissions.</li><li>Climate advocates say the offsets aren't backed by projects that truly reduce emissions. </li></ul>This article is part of Insider's weekly newsletter on sustainability, written by Catherine Boudreau, senior sustainability reporter.Qatar World Cup organizers jumped into one of the most hotly debated climate issues when it announced the tournament would be "carbon neutral." It's a bold ambition for Qatar, a top producer of fossil fuels that moved the World Cup to winter for the first time to protect attendees from blistering heat in one of the fastest-warming regions of the world.The most controversial part of the goal is that it rests on the purchase of carbon offsets tied to projects outside the World Cup. In theory, they would cancel out nearly half of the <a href="https://www.qatar2022.qa/sites/default/files/2022-08/greenhouse-gas-accounting-report-en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">3.6 million tons of greenhouse-gas emissions</a> the tournament is estimated to generate from flights in and out of Doha, accommodations for players and fans, and infrastructure including <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/qatar-world-cup-stadiums-cost-money-spent-new-venues-built/k9ch799jumrh6tq9gnwo7zob" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">seven new stadiums</a>. Days before the World Cup kicked off, <a href="https://www.qatar2022.qa/en/news/qatars-new-solar-power-plant-to-help-the-country-deliver-a-carbon-neutral-fifa-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">organizers said they expected</a> that a new 800-megawatt solar farm would help avoid about 1.3 million tons of emissions. Free public transport in a compact area, stadiums built to green standards, efforts to divert waste from landfills, and a new tree nursery would also help reduce emissions, they said.But climate advocates are skeptical <a href="https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Poor-tackling_-Yellow-card-for-2022-FIFA-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">following an analysis by Carbon Market Watch</a>. The climate advocacy group found that the World Cup underestimated the emissions from building stadiums and that the carbon offsets purchased so far failed an integrity test: They're backed by wind and hydropower projects in Serbia and Turkey that likely would have been constructed anyway. In climate circles, this issue is known as "additionality.""Renewable energy projects are economically competitive and viable in most regions around the world," said Gilles Dufrasne, a researcher for Carbon Market Watch and author of the report. "Buying credits from these projects doesn't make any difference to emissions because it just sends money to a project that doesn't need the extra revenue."Qatar's Supreme Committee, a government agency organizing the World Cup with FIFA, told Insider that <a href="https://www.qatar2022.qa/en/sustainability" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">sustainability defined all its planning</a> and offered a blueprint for future tournaments and development in the country. The committee didn't address questions about its purchase of carbon credits. The Global Carbon Council, the Qatar-based carbon-offset program <a href="https://products.markit.com/br-reg/public/public-view/#/holding" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">supplying the credits</a>, didn't return a request for comment. But the <a href="https://www.globalcarboncouncil.com/the-global-carbon-council-gcc-has-been-conditionally-endorsed-to-the-icroa-code-of-best-practice/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">council's website states</a> that it has approval from the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, which is overseeing a global effort <a href="https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">to offset emissions from air travel.</a> The two largest carbon-credit programs, Verified Carbon Standard and Gold Standard, no longer approve renewable-energy projects unless they're in the least-developed countries. Steven Zwick, a representative for Verra, the company behind the Verified Carbon Standard, said that by 2019 most large-scale renewable-energy projects no longer needed carbon credits to attract investors. The controversy has underscored what little global regulation exists for carbon markets, which are exploding as countries and corporations try to achieve their own climate goals. The UN and other organizations are working on standards, but those efforts <a href="https://www.climatechangenews.com/2022/11/18/greenwash-alert-as-cop27-draft-allows-double-claiming-of-carbon-credits/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">are dogged by similar concerns</a> about integrity.Even if the carbon offsets purchased for the World Cup did represent real emissions reductions, it still wouldn't be enough to call the tournament "carbon neutral," according to Dufrasne. His analysis found that organizers underestimated emissions from the permanent new stadiums, potentially by a factor of eight.This is because the World Cup will only be responsible for emissions generated during the tournament, rather than the lifespan of the new stadiums. Dufrasne found a FIFA report mentioning that stadiums last 60 years.That method only makes sense if stadiums weren't solely constructed for the World Cup and would regularly be used in the future. But past tournaments have left behind many white elephants.The Supreme Committee said Qatar is developing legacy uses for all tournament venues, such as local football teams, and will remove and donate nearly 170,000 seats to other countries in need of sports infrastructure. One stadium was built out of shipping containers and will be dismantled after the tournament and rebuilt overseas.Karim Elgendy, an urban-sustainability consultant who worked on the Qatar World Cup, said Doha, the capital, doesn't need seven stadiums in a country with a <a href="https://www.psa.gov.qa/en/statistics1/StatisticsSite/pages/population.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">population of about 3 million</a>. Elgendy said some of the emissions associated with building them should be attributed to the World Cup — but not all.He added that scrutiny of the carbon-neutral pledge is fair, but organizers are trying to do the right thing. "I don't think it's greenwashing," he told Insider, adding that no previous World Cup — nor any of the annual UN climate summits — had attempted to go carbon-neutral. He doubted that the US, Mexico, and Canada, which will jointly host the 2026 World Cup across 16 cities, would strive for the same goal.

Qatar promised a carbon-neutral World Cup. Climate advocates call that pledge misleading.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Japan Airlines is looking at the feasibility of hydrogen-electric aircraft via three new partnerships.</li><li>The use of hydrogen over kerosene would decrease aircraft CO2 emissions but limit range and capacity.</li><li>According to the World Bank, more than 98% of the world's hydrogen is made using natural gas or coal.</li></ul>One of Asia's largest airlines is placing big bets on hydrogen.In mid-November, Japan Airlines announced a series of deals with global manufacturers of hydrogen-electric aircraft and engines to explore the feasibility of flying emissions-free passenger planes.These forward-thinking manufacturers are big names in the hydrogen industry and include Germany's H2Fly, California's Universal Hydrogen, and the British-American company ZeroAvia. All three have successfully <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/power-players-aviation-sustainability-electric-hydrogen-flight-2022-5">flown hydrogen-powered aircraft</a> this year.The technology uses a hydrogen fuel cell to generate electricity and run electric motors, or hydrogen can be combusted to power engines.In either case, existing jet engines could be converted to work on hydrogen fuel, and the flights would be carbon-free so long as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hydrogen-energy-help-climate-crisis-but-still-hurdles-2023-10">"green" hydrogen</a> was used, or hydrogen made using renewable energy.An August study from the <a target="_blank" href="https://theicct.org/publication/fuel-cell-retrofit-aug23/">International Council on Clean Transportation</a>, a US nonprofit think tank, found hydrogen fuel cells using green liquid hydrogen could reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 88%.<h2>A growing market</h2>With hydrogen proving a popular solution and world governments <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aviation-industry-net-zero-by-2050-disagree-decarbonization-2023-12">committing to net-zero emissions by 2050</a>, Japan Airlines' new partners are all racing to capitalize on the growing hydrogen market.In March, Universal Hydrogen flew the world's first hydrogen-powered regional airliner — an ATR 72 turboprop nicknamed Lightning McClean, which operated on hydrogen in only one engine for safety reasons.<div type="image" title="First UH liquid hydrogen flight on ATR 72." height="1706" width="2560" msid="106192276" hostid="261" sizebytes="127162"></div>The success is part of the company's development of ATR 72 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startups-hydrogen-aircraft-market-aviation-aerodelft-joby-climate-carbon">conversion kits</a>, for which it has secured 250 orders. The kits would allow operators to fit existing kerosene-burning aircraft engines with hydrogen-fuel-cell powertrains.ZeroAvia, a competitor, is pursuing a similar venture with the hydrogen-electric engine it's building for passenger aircraft, describing hydrogen fuel as the "only viable, scalable solution for zero-emission aviation."<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zeroavia-wins-amazon-shell-funding-transform-aviation-industry-hydrogen-2021-2">With backing from Bill Gates, Amazon, and Shell</a>, ZeroAvia hopes to create powertrains capable of powering planes with anywhere from nine to over 200 people on board by 2040.<div type="image" title="ZeroAvia's world's first hydrogen-electric passenger plane flight" height="1667" width="2500" msid="106192277" hostid="261" sizebytes="148232"></div>The company <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-first-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-passenger-aircraft-flight-2020-10#however-this-hydrogen-electric-flight-isnt-the-projects-only-flight-to-have-taken-place-so-far-2">operated its first hydrogen-electric flight</a> in January using a 19-seater turboprop.Meanwhile, H2Fly operated the world's first piloted liquid-hydrogen flight in September using its four-seater HY4 demonstrator aircraft. The company said it's looking to size up to regional airliners soon.Other plane makers, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-a380-demonstrator-jet-that-will-test-hydrogen-powered-engines-2022-2">Airbus and Embraer, are also building hydrogen-powered aircraft</a> as part of their decarbonization efforts.<h2>Hydrogen powertrains are not strong enough yet to power large airliners</h2><div type="image" title="H2FLY's H2Y hydrogen plane flying." height="683" width="1024" msid="106192278" hostid="261" sizebytes="46660"></div>For now, the small prop planes are likely to remain the popular option for hydrogen-powered engines because the current technology is not strong enough to power the medium and large airliners that make up most of the world's passenger jets, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.This is likely not an issue for Japan Airlines, though, as its new partnerships are directed at deploying hydrogen aircraft on short, regional routes around Japan."JAL group already operates 50 regional aircraft which will be relevant to hydrogen-electric propulsion technology in the foreseeable future," James Peck, ZeroAvia's chief customer officer, said in a press release.The airline's regional connector, Japan Air Commuter, already operates a small fleet of ATR 72 planes, so its investment in Universal Hydrogen could prove lucrative thanks to its conversion kits for the turboprop.There's a downside to using hydrogen on these tinier planes, though.Because hydrogen is light and requires a lot of storage space because of the immense volume needed compared with kerosene, these smaller aircraft sacrifice range and payload capacity — meaning they could become a cost burden for operators.But the range issue could be remedied with the use of liquid hydrogen over gaseous hydrogen, as shown by H2Fly's recent flight. According to the company, its September H2Y flight soared 932 miles using liquid hydrogen but only 466 miles using gaseous hydrogen."In the years to come, battery-electric and hydrogen-electric propulsion systems will enable us to build aircraft that are quieter and make mid- to long-range air travel possible with zero emissions," Universal Hydrogen said.<h2>The debate between 'green' and 'blue' hydrogen</h2><div type="image" title="Hydrogen renewable energy production pipeline - hydrogen gas for clean electricity solar and windturbine facility." height="3359" width="5015" msid="106192279" hostid="261" sizebytes="738898"></div>In addition to range and capacity problems, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-hydrogen-fuel-industry-explainer-2020-1">hydrogen engines</a> have faced pushback from environmental advocates who worry that hydrogen production will further the fossil-fuel crisis.In October, the Biden administration announced $7 billion in funding to create "clean" hydrogen hubs, two-thirds of which were planned to be dedicated to producing green hydrogen via electrolysis — the process of splitting water into hydrogen and water.This, however, leaves room for what's known as "blue" hydrogen, created from a combination of natural gas and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-first-commercial-carbon-capture-facility-opens-2023-11">carbon capture and storage</a>.The process is considered carbon-neutral, but environmentalists say the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-hydrogen-fuel-industry-explainer-2020-1">burning of natural gas</a> inherently means excess methane emissions — which is a much more potent greenhouse gas compared with CO2, though it doesn't sit in the atmosphere as long.According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/energy/unleashing-power-hydrogen-clean-energy-transition">World Bank</a>, more than 98% of the world's hydrogen is made via natural gas or coal — meaning just a small portion is truly zero-emissions green hydrogen. "Gray" hydrogen — the same as blue minus the carbon capture — is the most abundant."It takes a lot of energy to capture the carbon dioxide, and that comes from burning even more natural gas," Robert Howarth, a professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University, told Business Insider's Catherine Boudreau in October. "So it's not a surprise to me that the oil and gas industry likes the idea of blue hydrogen."However, Brian Korgel, the director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, told BI that the companies vying for hydrogen-hub funding had to meet strict criteria."There's some safeguards," Korgel said. "These projects have to meet emissions standards, and it's not in companies' benefit to do the smoke-and-mirrors thing because they won't get the grant money, which ratchets up over time."

Japan Airlines is looking at hydrogen-electric-powered aircraft as a solution to the aviation industry's carbon problem

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12175986" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="athletes-unlimited" source="Orion">Athletes Unlimited</keyword> inked a seven-figure deal to make <keyword id="11896309" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> brand Aspiration its eco-partner.</li><li>With the partnership, AU is set to launch the first US-based carbon-neutral pro <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword> leagues.</li></ul>Athletes Unlimited is all about tackling the unprecedented.The network of women's professional sports leagues reinvented the scoring systems in <keyword id="11948202" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="softball" source="Orion">softball</keyword>, <keyword id="12439206" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="volleyball" source="Orion">volleyball</keyword>, lacrosse, and <keyword id="11896035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="basketball" source="Orion">basketball</keyword> while bringing each game to the masses. It enabled professional athletes to become mothers <a href="https://www.insider.com/athletes-unlimited-pregnancy-policy-enables-pro-athlete-mothers-2021-5">without compromising their sports careers</a>, empowered athletes to have a say — and a stake — in their leagues, and gave women the chance to sustainably play at the highest levels of the sports they love.Now, the leagues are setting the standard in a brand new category; Athletes Unlimited is set to operate the first-ever carbon-neutral professional sports leagues in the United States.<div type="image" title="athletes unlimited" height="1666" width="2222" msid="88212392" hostid="261"></div>Athletes Unlimited announced Friday that it had struck a seven-figure deal — the network's largest to date — to make Aspiration the official eco-partner of each of its leagues. The partnership, which runs through 2023, will see the sustainability-focused financial firm expand its AU investment beyond softball and into all four AU sports leagues while using its specialized products and services to help the network reduce its carbon footprint."It's incredible to reach this point and in particular that we are reaching this new benchmark with an innovative partner who has been with AU since the beginning and is now significantly expanding their involvement," Athletes Unlimited CEO Jon Patricof told Insider. "It's recognition that the growth of our network of leagues, our expanded media presence, our 200 world-class athletes, and our collaborative approach to partnerships are resonating."In addition to analyzing Athletes Unlimited's current environmental impact and developing plans for mitigating the damage, Aspiration is set to integrate sustainability programming directly into AU gameplay. In AU basketball, for example, every made three-pointer will yield 10 planted trees; in softball, Aspiration will continue its 2020 efforts to plant 100 trees for every run scored.<div type="image" title="Cat Osterman wins the inaugural Athletes Unlimited championship." height="2473" width="3298" msid="88212393" hostid="261"></div>Fans will have a chance to get involved with the conservation efforts, too. Each ticket to an Athletes Unlimited event will help fund carbon removal projects worldwide through Aspiration's "Planet Protection" initiative.Patricof noted that "sustainability has been a priority for staff, players, and fans" of Athletes Unlimited since its inception. Each AU season across all four sports takes place at a single venue in one city, and "inherently that model has limited athlete air travel and allowed us to operate more efficiently."Additionally, the AU "Athletes Causes" program has enabled players to donate 50% of their season bonuses to "a range of environmental causes" on the network's dime.<div type="image" title="athletes unlimited" height="1666" width="2222" msid="88212394" hostid="261"></div>"All of that said, it would have been very difficult for AU to take on a commitment to carbon neutrality without Aspiration's expertise and support," Patricof said. "With their help, we will be measuring our carbon footprint and undertaking a thorough review of the ways in which we can reduce our carbon output.""Aspiration is an expert and leader in sustainability services, and we are fortunate that they will be dedicating resources to us to review and improve our practices across the board," he added.Through the newfound partnership, Aspiration will promote sustainability efforts through physical and digital imagery at playing facilities across all of AU's leagues. The brand will also be a presenting sponsor for five national broadcasts per season in each sport.<div type="image" title="Athletes Unlimited athletes in volleyball and basketball are set to wear &quot;Aspiration&quot; patches on their jerseys in 2022." height="853" width="1280" msid="88212396" hostid="261"></div>Plus, Aspiration is set to become the first-ever jersey sponsor in AU's network. Volleyball and basketball players will boast sleek Aspiration patches on the chest of their uniforms for the upcoming 2022 campaigns."Aspiration is a leader and innovator on so many fronts, and that has been the AU ethos since the beginning," Patricof said. "We are both organizations that are reshaping our industries and have a commitment to sustainability and community.""We are growing dramatically but committed to being open-minded and creative in our work with partners," he added.<a href="https://www.insider.com/athletes-unlimited-basketball-wnba-players-courtney-williams-inaugural-season-vegas-2021-11">Athletes Unlimited's first basketball campaign</a> will kick off on January 26 in Las Vegas. Volleyball will embark on its second season beginning in mid-March.

Athletes Unlimited set to operate first carbon-neutral pro sports leagues in the US via massive new deal

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9147787" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="paul-constant">Paul Constant</keyword> is a writer at Civic Ventures and cohost of the "<a href="http://www.pitchforkeconomics.com/">Pitchfork Economics</a>" podcast with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nick-hanauer">Nick Hanauer</a> and David Goldstein.</li><li>In the latest episode they spoke with <a href="https://regenerativecrisisresponsecommittee.org/sarah-bloom-raskin">Sarah Bloom Raskin</a>, a member of the Biden Administration's Regenerative Crisis Response Committee.</li><li>Raskin says the committee is working to understand what kind of <keyword id="6404408" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Carbon-footprint">carbon footprint</keyword> publicly traded companies have.</li></ul>When we think of combating climate change, our minds tend to turn to green energy like solar or wind power. But the world of finance has a tremendous impact on the environment, and we'll never be able to steer away from impending climate calamities until big business takes action. Remarkably, Sarah Bloom Raskin says in the latest episode of <a href="https://pitchforkeconomics.com/episode/fiscal-policy-can-help-save-the-environment-with-sarah-bloom-raskin/">"Pitchfork Economics</a>," financial firms have largely never even considered climate change in their financial plans and projections: "It just hasn't been incorporated as a particular factor that is producing economic costs," she said. Given that experts predict climate change will <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/cost.pdf">cost the United States nearly two trillion dollars in GDP per year </a>by the end of this century, this statement might sound absurd. But Raskin knows what she's talking about: As the former deputy secretary of the US Department of the Treasury and a former governor of the Federal Reserve Board, she has spent her career closely observing the activities of banks, Wall Street firms, and other entities that shove billions of dollars around in any given workweek. <h2>The good news is, big business is finally starting to acknowledge that climate change is happening. </h2>As Germany faces biblical flooding and the United States is wracked from coast to coast with heat waves, droughts, and wildfires, the threat is now too real to ignore. And now Raskin is a member of the Biden Administration's Regenerative Crisis Response Committee, which is working to recommend a new suite of monetary and financial regulations to guide the United States to carbon neutrality by 2050. Raskin is tasked with helping to envision regulations that can be employed by the Federal Reserve, the SEC, the FDIC, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, among other financial regulatory institutions, to address climate change.Raskin is right now considering all of her options for how to create environmentally sound fiscal policy. "Maybe what we want is to have a better understanding of what kind of carbon footprint a particular publicly traded company has - and what risk that carbon footprint might cause for them," she said. The solution for that might be to call on the Securities Exchange Commission to require the company to release an environmental disclosure to shareholders, so "investors will then have a better ability to make decisions regarding where their capital goes and where they choose to invest."Raskin said "there's quite a bit of momentum for" requiring environmental impact disclosures. And it's not an unusual request to make: Publicly traded companies already have to provide hundreds of pages annually documenting potential risks that they face. A new requirement to reveal environmental risks falls well within these pre-existing guidelines. <h2>The committee is also examining the concept of an environmental stress test for financial institutions. </h2>"The stress test was a regulatory innovation used after the [2008] financial crisis to determine whether a regulated institution, particularly a bank, could withstand the shock of a particular magnitude, and what would happen to that bank if that shock was long-lasting," Raskin explained. If banks are unable to prove that they'd survive another Great Recession, for instance, they are barred from paying dividends out to shareholders until they can demonstrate that their foundations are more solid. Raskin says European institutions are working to establish an adverse climate stress test for banks and other such institutions. If London suffered the extraordinary floods or long-term droughts that are plaguing other parts of the world, for example, would their banks be able to continue to serve their clients, or would a bailout be necessary? Raskin and the rest of the committee is hard at work compiling a list of financial regulations and procedures for President Biden to take under consideration. And the best part is, because the policy would be delivered through existing financial regulatory structures, these financial regulations are unlikely to get held up in a partisan Congressional gridlock. "I think it can all be done without new legislation," Raskin said. Policies like stress tests and disclosures already exist and are well-known to financial workers. And while "they haven't been used to deal with this particular existential risk that confronts us," Raskin explained, "they can be and they need to be." Now that the climate crisis has been proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, to be real, it's time for Big Finance, with the help of smart regulators like Raskin to adapt and respond to this new reality.

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