Today’s ESG Updates
- Climate Change Triggers Early Tree Flowering Across the UK: Experts warn that unusually early tree flowering caused by climate change could pose serious risks to ecosystems and biodiversity.
- Builders Vision Names Matt Knott as New CEO:Builders Vision founded by Lukas Walton introduces Matt Knott and Lisa Forbes, new CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, respectively.
- EU Climate Resilience Plan Faces Questions Over Funding: The European Commission’s new climate resilience proposals have sparked concerns over insufficient funding, despite the EU’s existing budget for climate resilience.
- Most Europeans Concerned About Climate Change but Unwilling to Make Major Sacrifices: A new survey shows that most Europeans are concerned about climate change and its consequences but are reluctant to change their lifestyles or pay higher taxes to tackle the crisis.
Climate change triggers early tree flowering across the UK
Experts are saying that trees in the UK are experiencing an “early spring” due to unusually warm autumn, which can be risky for pollinators.
Climate change adversely affects horse chestnut trees flowering. Chris Nichols, an expert from Woodland Trust, warns that the chestnuts began to bloom and show signs of spring growth more than six months earlier than usual.
Experts are also concerned as England’s ancient oak trees are dying due to the climate crisis caused by the burning of fossil fuels. “An ecological mismatch” is happening as ecosystems and trees are not able to adapt to new climate change conditions.
These changes can lead to detrimental consequences, such as tree mortality, possible re-release shoots from dormant buds on the trunk or branches or tree’s crowns becoming significantly smaller. “Rewetting woodland and slowing the flow of the rains we do get” can help the trees, proposed Dr Kate Lewthwaite.
Moreover, high winds due to El Niño could also harm trees and cause mass die-off. Many trees are “weakened from that stress”, Kevin Martin, the head of tree collections at Kew Gardens, said.
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Builders Vision names Matt Knott as new CEO
The firm announces new leadership appointments: Matt Knott as new CEO, and Lisa Forbes as Chief Strategy Officer.
Builders Vision, a US-based company, founded in 2018 by Lukas Walton is known for its philanthropic and investment approach towards sustainability. Key investment areas are healthy oceans, clean energy, and sustainable food and agriculture. The company has more than $20 billion in assets under management.
Matt Knott has been in the firm since 2019, as he joined as President & Chief Operating Officer. Before that he was a President in Feeding America, U.S. hunger relief organization. Walton now steps into the role as Executive Chairman.
Forbes has also been in the firm for several years and served as General Counsel. She also had experience working in software firm Uptake and at Sheffield Asset Management.
Related Articles
Here is a list of articles selected by our Editorial Board that have gained significant interest from the public:
EU climate resilience plan faces questions over funding
The European Commission presented a Climate Resilience Framework and a Climate Resilience Law aimed to prepare the EU for fast changing and frequent climate disasters. However, experts compared this initiative to a “paper tiger” if it remains without proper EU financing.
One of the critics is Delara Burkhardt, who is a German member of the European Parliament. She stated that new initiatives are “a step in the right direction”, but climate risk assessment alone is not enough to protect the population. The lack of finance cannot help to implement plans.
Heather Grabbe from Bruegel, Brussels-based economic thank thank and WWF’s European policy office have related concerns.
However, a European Commission official reported to Reuters that the current EU budget has more than €100 billion for climate initiatives. At the same time critics are concerned that new climate resilience projects need independent finance mechanisms.
Most Europeans concerned about climate change but unwilling to make major sacrifices
YouGov survey shows that many Europeans are worried because of climate change risks and recognize the need to adapt new measures to prevent it, but are not ready to support all climate measures proposed.
Scientists warn that Europe is the fastest-warming continent and risks of natural disasters like droughts, wildfires, and storms only increase.
Some days before Cop31 which takes place in Turkey, the survey showed that the vast majority of residents of six countries, which are France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, and the UK, believe that international cooperation will help to combat the climate crisis more effectively.
Some of the measures that Europeans support include government subsidies to improve energy efficiency, planting more trees, prohibition of single-use plastic, and taxation of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. However, measures that are more financially costly for citizens or change their lifestyle are frowned upon. Some examples are additional taxes on air tickets or restriction of consumption of meat and dairy products.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Idriss Belhamadia
