Today’s ESG Updates
- Europe Faces Record-Breaking Heat: The UN climate chief warned that the ongoing European heatwave is a “brutal” reminder of the climate crisis.
- EU Carbon Permit Plan Faces Resistance: Six countries are pushing back on the EU’s plan to reduce free carbon permits, citing rising energy costs.
- Spain Announces €9 Billion Social Climate Plan: Spain announced a major climate investment targeting housing efficiency and decarbonizing transport.
- DRC Faces Ebola and Conflict Crisis: The WHO warned of a catastrophic collision of Ebola cases and ongoing conflict, limiting humanitarian access.
UN climate chief warns of human and economic climate impacts driving Europe’s heatwave
Record-breaking temperatures were reported across the European continent this week, with London experiencing 35.1 degrees Celsius (around 95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. In a statement released yesterday, Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said, “This latest heatwave in Europe is a brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis, both human and economic. The main culprit is the world’s addiction to burning coal, oil, and gas, and destroying forests.”
“This climate-driven heatwave is double-jeopardy, at a time when the latest war in the Middle East is showing the soaring costs of depending on fossil-fuel imports,” Stiell added. He urged governments to curb their fuel usage, asking nations to kick the “fossil fuel addiction.”
In France, several have died as a result of the rising heat, with the country issuing an orange heat wave alert, the second-highest warning level. Temperatures are expected to remain high through Friday.
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Further reading: Europe’s sizzling heat is a ‘brutal reminder’ of global warming, UN climate chief says
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Countries oppose EU’s Emissions Trading System plan
Six countries are resisting the European Union’s plan to slowly cut back on free carbon permits for industries. Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Greece have presented the European Commission with a joint paper, asking for more freedom around the rules. As the war in Iran has driven up energy prices, the six countries are asking the Commission to issue permits at last year’s rate to help combat rising energy costs.
The Commission’s proposal aims to cut carbon costs by €4 billion by 2030. Countries committed to the energy transition, including Sweden and Spain, have asked the EU not to weaken the carbon permit plan. EU ministers will discuss the paper at a meeting Thursday, with planned adoption expected by the end of June.
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Further reading: Six countries resist EU plan to reduce free carbon permits
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Spain announces €9 billion Social Climate Plan
Spain revealed its Social Climate Plan this week, allocating €9 billion to housing and decarbonizing the transport sector. Of the €9 billion, €4.7 billion would go towards improving housing policies and increasing energy efficiency. The plan would also designate €4.3 billion to decarbonize the transportation sector.
Speaking about the new plan, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that “the energy revolution cannot be allowed to benefit only those who can afford to change their car, install solar panels on their roofs or refurbish their homes without public support.” He argued that this plan will speed up the energy transition, citing the economic growth in Spain with an increase in renewable electricity generation.
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Further reading: Spain unveils climate social plan with €9 billion for energy transition
DNC hit with humanitarian crisis, as conflict in the country inhibits medical aid
An Ebola outbreak combined with conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could have severe consequences. The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X, “Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response.” The WHO has recorded 900 suspected cases of Ebola, 220 suspected deaths, and 10 confirmed deaths since the outbreak started in the middle of May.
While Tedros stated that “stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,” conflict in Eastern DRC has made it especially challenging for frontline workers. Uganda’s Health Ministry announced a temporary closure of its borders with the DRC on Wednesday, allowing only humanitarian operators, food and cargo transportation, and authorized response teams into the country.
In a statement, Tedros said, “We urge all warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to contain this outbreak. To allow us safe and sustained access for medical teams. We plea to prioritise human survival above everything else.”
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Further reading: DRC facing ‘catastrophic collision’ of Ebola and war, WHO chief warns
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — In the Cover Photo: Silhouetted figures walk against a brilliant sunset sky. Cover Photo Credit: Hüsna Kefelioğlu.
