Environment

The Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a law on Wednesday that prohibits local government in his state from promoting and?funding?diversity?initiatives. He claims such programs are discriminatory against certain groups, like white men. Republican state leaders in the United States and President Donald Trump’s administration have rallied to oppose diversity, equity and inclusive (DEI). Civil rights activists say DEI practices address historical inequities faced by marginalized groups such as women, the LGBT and racial/ethnic minorities. DeSantis stated on Wednesday that "I think the white males have been discriminated against" by DEI. DeSantis’ office stated that the bill prohibits local...

Officials said that two people died after a chemical 'leak' at a sliver scatalyst?plant?in Kanawha County in West Virginia on Wednesday. In a?statement posted on Facebook by the county commission, it was revealed that the incident took place at Catalyst Refiners, located in the unincorporated Community of Institute. One?person is in critical condition, according to the statement. Kanawha County's Deputy Attorney Christopher Settles stated that more than 30 people were transported to hospitals, including?seven first responders. Some of these individuals traveled as a precaution. Ben Salango, President of the Kanawha County Commission, said that there would be national and state...

Officials said that two people died after a chemical spill at a silver catalyst production facility in Kanawha County, West Virginia, on Wednesday. In a Facebook post, the county commissioner said that the incident happened at Catalyst Refiners, in the unincorporated Community of Institute. They added that one person is?in a critical condition. Around 20 other people needed medical treatment. Ben Salango, the Kanawha County Commission president, said at a press conference that there would be investigations conducted on a national, state and even local level about this chemical release. County officials cited preliminary information to say they believe a...

Environmental activists will protest outside SpaceX Starbase launch 'facilities' on Tuesday, ahead of the highly-anticipated IPO 'of Elon Musk’s company. They'll be pressuring public pension funds to reject the deal because they're worried about safety and pollution issues. The South Texas Environmental Justice Network has announced that its members will protest Tuesday outside the main entrance of SpaceX as it begins three days tours and meetings with Wall Street analysts. Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of Network, has urged investors to boycott the IPO. She also lobbied against the purchase of shares by the New York City Comptroller Mark Levine for the...

Kevin Warsh, the U.S. president Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, will say to lawmakers during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he "is committed to ensuring the conduct of monetary policies remains strictly independent", according to prepared remarks that were released on Monday. The 56-year old former Fed governor and financier will say to members of the Senate Banking Committee that he is "committed to working with both the Administration and Congress in non-monetary issues which are within the Fed's mandate". Warsh stated in his prepared remarks that Fed independence "reaches its peak" when it comes to...

Chicago wheat futures rose Monday on the back of a?dryness? in U.S.-growing regions, and fears that the ceasefire agreement between?the United States and Iran? may break down. The war fears boosted corn and soybeans, but they were also hampered by expectations for rapid U.S. plantings. Chicago Board of Trade's most-active wheat climbed 1.2% at 1118 GMT to $6.06-3/4 a bushel after firmness in the previous week. Corn increased 0.06%, to $4.48-3/4 per bushel. Soybeans remained unchanged at $11.67-1/4 per bushel. Oil prices increased after the U.S. announced that it had seized a cargo ship?from Iran attempting to break its blockade....

U.S. legislators criticized Energy secretary Chris Wright for ordering that aging coal plant remain open in hearings held on Wednesday and Thursday, saying: 'the action will raise the already high power bills for steelmakers and consumers. Wright's department ordered in December that two Indiana coal plants, which had planned to?close permanently?, remain open. They said this would reduce the risk of power outages and provide affordable electricity. CenterPoint Energy's and Northern Indiana Public Service Company's coal plants were to be replaced with natural gas or other sources of power. NIPSCO estimates that it will cost them $100 million to maintain...

Euronext's?wheat finished mixed on Thursday, as weather risks for U.S. crops played out against technical trading factors. Technical trading factors and crop performance played a role in the final outcome of Thursday's Euronext wheat. May milling grain settled 0.1% lower at 194.00 Euros ($228.42), after earlier?touching an almost two-month low of 193.50 Euros. September futures finished 0.6% higher at 205.75. The European market was helped by a rally in U.S. Wheat, amid fears that the cold weather forecast would cause further stress to crops already suffering from drought. A futures dealer stated that "the U.S. has been identified as the...

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced on Thursday that it expected to continue its efforts to 'develop rules' to'manage' the country's'surging' 'data center electricity demands by June 2026. This is weeks later than their initial target date. As the industry builds out its energy-intensive data centres, which are increasingly used to develop artificial intelligence, there is concern about the soaring power bills and risk of "blackouts". These concerns sent regulators scrambling for new rules to manage this giant new "demand source". Some of these might require data centers to bring their own power supplies. Last year, Chris 'Wright, the...

A new study shows that shareholders have submitted 184 proposals to promote environmental, social, and governance themes in U.S. firms so far this proxy season. This is about half of what they did last year, as Republicans work 'to shift corporate control from investors to managers. According to Michael Passoff, CEO and co-author of the report, a proxy voting service for sustainable investors, 355 proposals were filed at a similar point last year during spring proxy season. These proposals encourage companies to report more about their carbon emissions and workforce diversity. Although most proposals are not binding, they may lead...

The largest U.S. Civil Rights group sued xAI and a subsidiary on Tuesday, claiming that they operated illegally more than?two dozen gas turbines to power Colossus '2 data center in Mississippi, posing a?health risk to local -residents. Earthjustice, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the?NAACP represented by Earthjustice sued xAI, a subsidiary of MZX Tech and alleged that they had violated the federal Clean Air Act, by operating 27 gas-fired generators without obtaining the necessary air permits to power xAI?s?Grok?chatbot. Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI invested more than 20 billion dollars to build a data center in Southaven, with...

Big Tech has reshaped the funding landscape of new nuclear technologies. It is seeking to boost electricity supply for power hungry AI data centers. Deals are being signed that offer both?funding for nuclear companies and a more clear path to make money. A number of?U.S. The U.S. is developing modular reactors which are smaller, more advanced and more scalable than conventional nuclear power plants. But no commercial electricity has been produced yet due to challenges like financing and unique risks. The sector is gaining momentum due to the need to provide enough energy to power the data centers in the...

Climate advocacy group calls on investors in Japan's largest banks to vote against the board members of three trading firms and three banks for failing to manage risks associated with investments in fossil fuel production. According to presentations seen by the, environmental advocacy group Market forces argues that directors fail to monitor material financial risks for banks and trading house's businesses. The presentations were made to institutional investors at the banks Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group as well as Mizuho Financial Group and trading houses Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Corp. The investors' reactions...

The price of iron ore futures dropped on Tuesday, as the Australian supply recovered from Cyclone Narelle's disruptions. Weak lending data and no signs fiscal easing were also weighing on sentiment. As of 0257 GMT, the?most-traded iron ore contract for September on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange?traded at?0.46% less than its previous price of 755.5 yuan (US$110.80) per metric ton. Singapore Exchange benchmark iron ore for May was $103.2 per ton, 1.39% less. Customs data released on Tuesday showed that China's iron ore imports in March increased 11.5% compared to the previous year. Data from the General Administration of Customs shows...

Chicago oilseeds and grain futures fluctuated on Friday between 'gains and losses' as investors watched?developments? in the Middle East, amid mixed signals?from the U.S.?and Iran?about efforts to?end the war. The Chicago Board of Trade's (CBOT)?most active?corn contract gained 0.1%, to $4.67-1/4 a bushel. It has been up 0.4% this week. CBOT Wheat lost 0.1%, to $6.04 1/2 a bushel. However, it was up 1.6% this week. Soybeans rose 0.1% to $11.74 1/2 a bushel to bring the weekly gain to 1.1%. As they are used as biofuel feedstock, corn and soybeans tend to follow the movements of oil prices. Oil...

Iron ore futures fell on Friday as traders unwound their?supply disruption bets following Tropical Cyclone Narelle's spared of vital port infrastructure in Western Australia. As of 0330 GMT, the most-traded contract for May iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange?traded at $813.60 ($117.60) per metric ton. The contract has still gained 0.13% this week. On the Singapore Exchange, the benchmark April Iron Ore was $107 per ton. This is a 0.32% decrease. This week, it has fallen 1%. Atilla Widnell is the managing director of Navigate Commodities. She said that iron ore futures will?likely experience a temporary corrective, because traders...

Iron ore futures were higher on Thursday due to a concern over the supply of iron ore from Australia, following the closure of key ports in the Pilbara region because of a cyclone. The most-traded May iron ore contract at China's Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 0.18%, to 817 Yuan ($118.40), per metric ton. As of 0711 GMT, the benchmark April iron ore traded on Singapore Exchange was trading at $107.35 per ton. The operator of the iron ore port said that the key ports were closed on Thursday due to a tropical storm which struck the resource-rich Pilbara region. Pilbara...

Itochu Trading House announced?on Tuesday that it will form a Japanese joint venture with Electronic Recyclers International to recycle electronic equipment. Itochu plans to purchase a stake in ERI but has not disclosed the details. Japan has increased its efforts to recycle resources as geopolitical risk increases the need for recycling systems at home. Koichiro Nishimura, CEO of Itochu’s Belong used mobile device division, stated that Japan's recycling rate for electronic devices was only 20%. This means there's still significant room for growth. He added that "recovering and recycling Japan's urban mines" is essential to reduce environmental?impacts and promote sustainability....

Iron ore futures rose Monday, boosted?by high shipping rates. Other steelmaking ingredients, such as coking coal, also gained, as countries booked coal cargoes to?use for their energy needs?due to a spike in oil and gas prices. As of 0324 GMT, the most traded May iron ore contract at China's Dalian Commodity Exchange was 0.86% higher. It was trading at 818.5 Yuan ($118.46), a metric tonne. The benchmark April Iron Ore at the Singapore Exchange was down 0.26%, or $107.95 per ton. According to a report from Shanghai Metals Market, iron ore and coke have held up well despite the Middle...

As EVs get cheaper and emissions targets are met, the market will be supported by a battery-electric vehicle share of 23% in 2026 in 'the European Union and Norway and a share of?28% in '2027. European 'campaign' groups say Europe is on the right track in its transition to electric vehicles and that it can be profitable for the carmakers. They pushed the European Commission last December to reverse the effective ban on the sale of new internal combustion engines cars starting 2035. T&E stated that 'battery-electric cars prices have fallen in average by 4 percent in 2025 due to...

According to documents released by the Chinese government on Thursday, China will reduce its carbon intensity - or carbon emissions per unit gross domestic product - by 17% in its current five year plan. This is an acceleration of the previous period between 2020 and '2025. China's new five-year plan released on Thursday called for the replacement of 30 million metric tonnes per year with renewables, and pushing towards peak coal. However, it did not set further limits on coal use. China's carbon intensity was reduced by 12% during the five-year plan which ended last year. According to a report...

T&E, a campaign group for transport and the environment, said in a report on Monday that scaling up production in Europe would reduce the 'cost gap' between EU-made and Chinese batteries to 30%, down from the current 90%. The group urged the EU, through its "Made in Europe", plans, to support this sector. The EU executive will propose its "Industrial Accelerator Act", which requires that local products be given priority when using public funds. It is intended to cover "key sectors" such as batteries, solar, wind, hydrogen manufacturing, nuclear power, and electric vehicles. Some automakers claim that local content requirements...

South Korean shares have surged by 50% in the first two month of 2026, and other emerging markets are also showing double-digit gains. Even the most ardent EM bulls must wonder if this raging?rally will continue. South Korea's figures are stunning. The benchmark KOSPI has more than doubled over the past six months and is now up 175% since the "Liberation Day tariff chaos" of U.S. President Donald Trump in April last year. This is after a 75% increase in the calendar year 2025. Shares of Samsung, the top memory chipmaker in the world, almost doubled this year and more...

Tata Motors' CEO stated that the company is confident its new, low-priced 'Punch EV' will be able to crack the 'dominant budget segment' of the third largest 'car'market in the world for electric vehicles. Approximately 65% of India's 4.6 million passenger cars sold last year had a price below $13,200. Just 1.6% of the affordable cars sold in India last year were EVs. In India, there are currently only a few EVs in the lower-price range. Shailesh C. Chandra, a reporter at the Reuters news agency, said that buyers are held back by concerns about their battery life and range...