Today’s ESG Updates
- Trump Pauses Global Tariff Hike: President Donald Trump backed away from raising global tariffs to 15%, keeping EU and UK exports at 10% and providing continuity for trade relations.
- Supreme Court to Hear Boulder Climate Case: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy’s appeal against Boulder’s 2018 climate lawsuit, which seeks compensation for local climate damages.
- Sam Altman Defends AI Energy Use: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman compared AI’s energy consumption to the cost of “training a human” and emphasized the need for renewable-powered data centers.
- Endesa Boosts Grid Investment: Spain’s Endesa announced a €10.6 billion three-year plan to upgrade electricity networks, cutting some renewable investments to strengthen infrastructure after the 2025 blackout.
Trump pauses global tariff increase, maintaining 10% duties for EU and UK exports
Donald Trump backed away from his threat to increase new global tariffs to 15%, sparing both the European Union and the United Kingdom from higher rates. Exports to the United States will remain subject to a 10% tariff under the new regime that took effect Tuesday morning.
UK exports were already facing 10% duties, plus Most Favored Nation (MFN) rates, under Trump’s earlier “Liberation Day” tariffs. The decision provides continuity and avoids further disruption for British businesses. EU exports had previously faced either a 15% tariff or the MFN rate, whichever was higher. The European Parliament froze ratification of the EU-U.S. trade deal amid concerns that Trump’s latest tariff move may breach last summer’s transatlantic agreement.
The new tariffs are imposed for 150 days under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. During that period, the administration may investigate further sectoral tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. After 150 days, Congress could vote to extend the tariffs.
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Further reading: Trump spares EU and UK from higher tariff rates for now
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U.S. Supreme Court to hear oil companies’ appeal in Boulder climate lawsuit
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by oil companies ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy, asking the court to dismiss a climate change lawsuit filed by officials in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder’s 2018 lawsuit accuses the companies of violating state law by contributing to climate change and misleading the public about their products’ roles, and seeks compensation for costs the city and county have incurred in addressing climate impacts. The companies argue that Boulder’s lawsuit would illegally interfere with the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
The Supreme Court took up the appeal after a lower court allowed the case to proceed and the Colorado Supreme Court denied the companies’ earlier effort to dismiss it. The Trump administration backed the oil companies’ appeal.
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Further reading: US Supreme Court to hear bid by oil companies to toss climate suits
Related Articles
Here is a list of articles selected by our Editorial Board that have gained significant interest from the public:
Sam Altman defends AI energy use
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, defended the energy consumption of AI systems and the data centers that power them. In an effort to ease concerns, he compared the energy required to power AI to the energy needed for human development. He said that to “train a human,” there’s a need for roughly 20 years of life, as well as all the food that they would consume, before becoming smart.
Altman acknowledged that concerns about total AI energy use are “fair” and stressed the importance of transitioning to renewable energy sources, such as nuclear, wind, and solar. He also dismissed claims about excessive water use at AI facilities as exaggerated. Data centers consumed about 1.5% of global electricity in 2024, and, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), usage is projected to grow 15% annually through 2030. In December, more than 230 U.S. environmental groups called for a moratorium on the construction of data centers in the U.S.
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Further reading: Sam Altman defends AI’s energy toll by saying it also takes a lot to ‘train a human’
Endesa unveils €10.6 billion plan to strengthen Spain’s power grids
Endesa, Spain’s largest power utility, announced a new three-year investment plan totalling €10.6 billion to strengthen and upgrade the country’s electricity networks. €5.5 billion will go into power grids, which is 40% higher compared to its previous three-year strategy, in an effort to reinforce infrastructure, especially after a major blackout hit Spain and Portugal in 2025.
To fund the increased grid spending, Endesa plans to reduce investment in renewables by about 20% to around 3 billion euros, with a more selective focus on wind and energy storage projects. The company expects its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) to grow by 2028 compared with 2025. The target is between €6.2–6.5 billion, up from €5.8 billion in 2025.
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Further reading: Spain’s Endesa increases focus on grid investment under new three-year plan
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Flickr / Trump White House Archived
