🌍 Insights, News, and Solutions for Climate Founders - September 15th, 2023
Happy Friday, innovators 🌿
Welcome back to Sustainability Bulletin, your weekly source for climate innovation. We’ve rounded up the most interesting stories from the week, and thrown in some helpful startup resources.
Struggling with funding?
We’re hosting a free workshop for anyone looking for funding at the moment that would like to learn more about alternatives to VCs - next Tuesday 19th (10am).
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🌍 Top Sustainability Headlines
Stay up to date with global, trending news articles in the sustainability space
More than 3,000 arrested at climate change protests in the Netherlands
Thousands of citizens took to the streets to protest the government’s subsidies towards fossil fuels. 25,000 activists marched along the A12 motorway entering The Hague, blocking all traffic. Read the full story in The Independent.
New files shed light on ExxonMobil’s efforts to undermine climate science
Documents revealed by Wall Street Journal show that executives would privately downplay the links between fossil fuels and climate change, despite them publically supporting the scientific evidence and announcing several pledges to improve carbon emissions. Read more on The Guardian.
Iron Dust Could Reverse the Course of Climate Change
Fertilizing our oceans with iron can directly draw carbon out of the atmosphere for an affordable rate. Iron dust clouds were previously naturally blown into oceans, causing algae to bloom and photosynthesize and carbon dioxide levels to drop. John T. Preston, Dennis Bushnell and Anthony Michaels discuss why this method should be the next mitigation focus for US Government. Read on The New York Times.
Environmental activists killed at a rate of one every other day in 2022
A report by Global Witness has revealed that 177 people, and possibly more, were killed last year for defending the environment. 1/5 of these deaths took place in The Amazon rainforest, and the highest % of deaths took place in Colombia. Read the full article in The Guardian.
More news: quick links
Biden’s climate law is reshaping private investment in the United States | New York Times
France investigates deaths of four Champagne workers in heatwave | Guardian
Boom in ‘sustainable’ debt fuels scrutiny of green labels | Financial Times
El Niño and a hotter, wetter climate aid spread of disease | Financial Times
Young people take 32 European countries to court over climate policies | Guardian
We have options to limit warming to 1.5⁰C if climate efforts don’t go as planned | Imperial College London
Environment Agency failing to monitor water firms in England, data suggests | Guardian
🚀 Startups, Business, and Sustainability
Startup and business news
Content creators hold back on promoting sustainability amid greenwashing fears »»
French car battery startup Verkor secures €2bn for first plant »»
Bootmaker Dr Martens to offer repairs in sustainability step »»
Citing sustainability, Starbucks wants to overhaul its iconic cup »»
BT plays it cool with new sustainability solutions »»
Google Cloud Is Betting On Gen AI To Drive Sustainability »»
Is climate change a blind spot for CEOs? Or a problem for the next guy to worry about? »»
Startup Tools
Impact Nexus | Free ESG Assessment and GHG & Impact Calculator tool for startups 📋🌿
Your Juno App | Finance support and advice tailored to women, with modules for freelancers and entrepreneurs 💁💰
Startup Spotlight
Global Sisters
An Australian non-profit organization called Global Sisters is set to initiate a three-year pilot initiative aimed at assisting women with disabilities and their caregivers in launching and expanding their own businesses. This endeavor has been made possible through a generous grant of US$500,000 (equivalent to $736,579) provided by Google's philanthropic division, Google.org.
Mandy Richards, a social entrepreneur who established Global Sisters in 2016, emphasizes the crucial role that women-led micro-businesses play in the economy, often overlooked as its unsung "backbone."
Carbon Crusher
Creating infrastructure that is environmentally friendly and reduces carbon emissions is a pressing concern for urban areas. An Oslo-based company known as Carbon Crusher has devised an innovative solution for constructing low-carbon roads. Instead of relying on traditional heavy oil, they employ plant-based alternatives, significantly lowering the roads' carbon footprint.
🌲 Adapting to the Anthropocene
“Climate change shakes up the recipe at Champagne’s oldest maker”
Champagne Ruinart has released a new cuvée, its first in decades, to adapt to rising temperatures and shortened growing seasons. Read more on Washington Post.
More from Adapting to the Anthropocene
Climate change is reshaping the landscape of the mortgage industry »»
Climate change is set to make our holidays look very different »»
The Australian birds putting their stamp on the urban environment »»
US cities are about to get a lot greener with $1 billion for tree planting »»
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to share with your friends or leave a comment. See you next week 👋