"ESG" has gone from the buzzword that every investment advisor, company and government official had to be familiar with and append to every single piece of business they were involved with - to becoming "the latest dirty word in corporate America". Such was the topic of a new WSJ article that all but officially marks the formal funeral for one of the biggest grifts on Wall Street. The report notes that many businesses are distancing themselves from the term due to growing investor disapproval, political... Читать дальше...
Current lithium extraction and refinement methods are outdated, often harmful to the environment, and ultimately inefficient. So much so that by 2030, lithium demand will outstrip supply by a projected 1.42 million metric tons. But there is a solution: Direct lithium extraction (DLE). For this graphic, Visual Capitalist partnered with EnergyX to try to understand how DLE could help meet global lithium demands and change an industry that is critical to the clean energy transition. The Lithium Problem... Читать дальше...
Despite big promises over the last few years, we still appear to be far off achieving electrified freight transport, capable of carrying heavy loads over long distances using battery power alone. Although lithium-ion batteries are becoming more powerful thanks to greater investment in research and development in recent years, they are still not capable of powering huge trucks to carry cargo across countries. However, while just a few companies were previously aiming to develop the technology, now... Читать дальше...
For a decade, Argentina’s governments have viewed the 7.5-million-acre Vaca Muerta, or Dead Cow, shale formation as an economic silver bullet. Since President Cristina de Kirchner nationalized YPF in 2012, Peronist administrations have viewed exploiting the Vaca Muerta as a means of funding excess fiscal spending while restoring the economy to growth. Regardless of rising hydrocarbon output, Argentina has slipped into its worst financial crisis since the 2001 economic collapse. Last year, inflation... Читать дальше...
In December, U.S. President Biden announced the launch of the American Climate Corps to train young people in high-demand skills for jobs in the clean energy economy. As part of the Biden administration’s aim to accelerate the green transition, it plans to get the country’s youth population involved in the transition through training and awareness schemes for green energy and clean technology. Following several delays, the Biden administration launched the American Climate Corps (ACC) programme in September... Читать дальше...
Trade between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan in 2023 increased sixfold year-on-year, hitting $266 million, a certain sign that engagement between the war-stricken nation and its northern neighbors is flourishing despite the Taliban’s ascendancy. Afghan news agency Tolonews cited an Industry and Trade Ministry representative in Kabul as saying that imports from Uzbekistan over that period reached $239 million, while $27 million of goods went in the other direction. “Most of our exported items to Uzbekistan are dried fruit... Читать дальше...
