Alcoa named one of China’s Top 100 Green Companies
Alcoa has been named one of China’s Top 100 Green Companies by Green Company Magazine in its annual ranking of corporate sustainability practices. It is the second year in a row Alcoa has been recognised by the publication for environmental leadership. The ranking was initiated by Green Company Magazine, Chinese Entrepreneur Association and Daonong Center for Enterprise, a leading Chinese think tank on developing entrepreneurship. Joining Alcoa on the list are other world-leading multinationals such as General Electric, Volkswagen China, P&G, as well as China national top companies like Lenovo and Bao Steel.
UK MPs are set to launch an investigation into the involvement of British-connected shell companies and London-listed mining groups in opaque deals to acquire prime mining assets in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one of the poorest countries on Earth. The MPs’ interest in DRC’s natural resources has emerged as Glencore, the commodity trader whose 2011 flotation made six executives billionaires, is facing calls from the campaign group Global Witness to explain investments in the country it has made alongside Dan Gertler, an Israeli businessman and close friend of DRC’s president, Joseph Kabila.
Tomari shutdown leaves Japan without nuclear power
Japan switched off its last working nuclear reactor on Saturday night, leaving Japan without energy from atomic power for the first time for more than forty years. Hundreds of people marched through Tokyo, waving banners to celebrate what they hope will be the end of nuclear power in Japan. Until last year, Japan got 30% of its power from nuclear energy. While the national government has yet to set a clear direction for the power sector, local authorities have blocked the restart of any reactor that was shut because of last year’s disaster or has since gone offline for routine checks.
China makes green building centrepiece of efficiency plan
30% of new construction in China will be energy efficient by 2020, says a document released by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. China wants its building sector energy consumption ratio to be closer to that of developed countries and plans to provide incentives for green buildings, raise industry standards and foster development of related industries.
Greater use of fracking is backed by UK’s environment watchdog
Fracking, the controversial technique for extracting the new energy source of shale gas, should be allowed to go ahead, Britain’s top environmental regulator has said. The hydraulic fracturing of shale rock, which has been blamed for causing earthquakes and polluting ground water and has generated fierce opposition from environmentalists, should proceed as long as it is monitored carefully and is accompanied by measures to minimise carbon emissions, said the chairman of the Environment Agency, Lord Smith of Finsbury.
UK Government’s charity tax cap will cost 10,700 jobs, claims report
The total cost of the UK Government’s decision to cap tax relief on charity donations could be £1.5 billion a year, new research suggests. An analysis by the economic forecasting consultancy Oxford Economics found that a £500 million-a-year real-terms cut in charity incomes would cost between £1.2 billion and £1.5 billion in lost benefits to society. It would also lead to around 10,700 job losses at charities. The new figures come as leading members of the charitable sector met government ministers to discuss the cap and its effects on large charities.
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