Bill McKibben on the Triumph of Activism in the Wake of the Delay of the Keystone XL

While Bill McKibben is among those who want the President to kill the Keystone XL project, he heralds the delay as a victory for environmental activists.  Another delay means that oil is not flowing from Alberta to the Gulf Coast and that in and of itself is a great accomplishment.

"Every day we delay a decision is a day when 830,000 barrels of oil stays safely in the ground." 350.org founder McKibben explained. He also went on to say that the fight will continue. "Together we’ve kept them at bay for three years now, and will continue to until perhaps the beginning of next year it seems," McKibben said. "The climate fight can’t be delayed. We need to keep building the movement, and we need to keep putting heat on leaders like President Obama till we win not delay the decision on the Keystone XL pipeline."

Video - Interview with Bill McKibben: Obama Can Salvage His Climate Legacy by Rejecting Keystone XL Oil Pipeline

Bill McKibben, co-founder and director of 350.org, joins Democracy Now to discuss "Draw the Line," a national day of action this Saturday to protest the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Already this week on Monday, 13 people were arrested during a protest in Houston in front of the offices of TransCanada, the company behind the controversial project. McKibben has just come out with the new book, "Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist." McKibben argues that Obama's pending decision on whether to approve or reject the Keystone XL's construction is a historic opportunity. "If [Obama] says no to the Keystone pipeline, he will be the first world leader ever to say, 'Here is something we are not going to build because of its effect on the climate,'" McKibben says. "It might have the effect of unfreezing the climate negotiations that have been wrecked ever since Copenhagen ... Sometimes Obama, correctly, can blame his absurd Congress. But in the case of the Keystone pipeline, he gets to make the call himself. So he darn well better make that call."

Video - On Sept. 21st, Draw the Line on Keystone XL

For the past two years, a grassroots movement has erupted to confront President Obama over the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. On September 21st, 2013, we will draw the line on Keystone XL and the tar sands to tell him that keeping his climate promises means rejecting Keystone XL.

Video - Protest Against the Keystone XL "Draw The Line"

Working Paper - China’s Overseas Investments in the Wind and Solar Industries: Trends and Drivers

Shifting to a low-carbon economy will require current emitting countries and projected future emitters to rapidly scale up their investments in renewable energy. China is already the leading global investor in renewable energy infrastructure, and is increasing its overseas investments in renewable energy, particularly solar and wind. This working paper aims to help policymakers, investors, and researchers better understand the trends in China’s overseas investments in the wind and solar industries, as well as the factors behind those trends.

European Commissioner for Climate Action Urges Development Banks to Divest from Fossil Fuels

The European Union (EU) Commissioner for Climate Action has urged development banks to cease supporting fossil fuels and divest from related projects, plants and infrastructure.

Connie Hedegaard is the first ever EU Commissioner for Climate Action. Prior to 2010, She was an accomplished journalist and a distinguished politician. When she was elected to the Danish Parliament in 1984 she was the youngest person ever to be a Danish MP. In 2007 she was appointed the Danish Minister for the Environment where she set up the 2009 UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen. In 2008 she published Da klimaet blev hot, [When the climate got hot]. In addition to her work as a politician, journalist and author she is also a lecturer who has sat on a number of committees and boards.

Video - Bill McKibben on Faith & Fossil Fuel Divestment

350.org founder and author Bill McKibben talks about the need for churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions to divest from the fossil fuel industry. To learn more and join the campaign visit: http://gofossilfree.org

Video - A Debate about the 350.org Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign

DemocracyNow.org hosted a conversation about how to confront global warming it with 350.org founder Bill McKibben and journalist Christian Parenti. Some have called 2013 "year zero" in the battle over climate change. This comes as 2012 was a year of extreme weather, from the melting of the Arctic, to Superstorm Sandy, to the massive typhoon in the Philippines. It was also the warmest year on record in the United States, with massive droughts and frequent wildfires. In the U.S. presidential debates, neither of the major party candidates took on climate change. But right after the election, McKibben and 350.org hit the road to begin a campaign focused on confronting the role of the fossil fuel industry -- what McKibben calls, "Public Enemy Number One to the survival of our planetary civilization."

Event - The Conference Board Summit on Sustainability

The Conference Board Summit on Sustainability will take place on June 4 and 5, 2013 in New York, NY. The Summit brings together sustainability experts, practitioners, and institutional investors share the latest perspectives on how corporations are transforming their global operations by integrating sustainability into a long term return-on-investment strategy.

Businesses, foundations, universities, governments and consumers are actively seeking solutions for an increasing number sustainability concerns, creating a new “sustainability market.” In this environment, corporations benefit by promoting innovative technologies, resource-efficient business processes, and new methods and partnerships for research and development.

Event - Cleantech Forum 2013: Sustainability Meets Innovation

Last call for the Cleantech Forum, which will take place in San Francisco on March 18, to March 20,  at the  Hyatt Regency San Francisco. The forum seeks to answer the question, "how can environmental sustainability and innovation be top of mind for customers and corporations, but not deliver the right returns for investors?"

Cleantech Forum 2013, Sustainability Meets Innovation: Reigniting Cleantech, will tackle the disconnect by convening cleantech’s most prominent investors, entrepreneurs, and supporters with the world’s largest corporate strategics, sustainability leaders, and technology buyers.

For more information click here.

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Environmental Comportment Impacts Stock Valuations

According to a Deloitte report, information about a company's environmental conduct directly impacts its market value. The report from is titled, “Drivers of Long-Term Business Value: Stakeholders, Stats and Strategy.” The research drew on an MIT study of US publicly traded companies from 1980 to 2009. The 30 years of data reviewed in the study showed that stock prices dropped an average of 0.65 percent within a two-day window following the release of negative environmental news.

The risks from bad news appear to be greater than the benefits of good news. As reviewed in the study, investors tended to react more strongly to negative environmental news with the effect getting stronger with each passing decade. While positive news on a company’s environmental behavior produced an average increase of 0.84 percent in the stock price, the study shows that the increased valuations have decreased over time.

Annual US SRI Conference for Responsible Investors (Event)

The largest and longest running annual US SRI Conference moves to east coast for 2012. Early bird registration rate savings have been extended to July 10th for The SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing. The event will take place October 2-4, 2012 at the Mohegan Sun Conference Center in Connecticut.

Countervailing Duties on Chinese Solar Cells (Video)

SolarWorld says the countervailing duties leveled against Chinese solar cells is "validating." In this video Ben Santarros speaks with Steve Leone about the International Trade Commission's ruling against Chinese cells. The US Government has found that illegal subsidies were indeed at play. This interview was published on March 21, 2012 by RenewableEnergyWorld.

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Sustainable Investing with Green Alpha® Advisors

You won't hear traditional investment managers say this: The Earth is warming, some formerly abundant resources are becoming scarce, populations are increasing, and the global economy is beginning to change to reflect these realities.

New Tool Helps Companies with Water Risks

A global online tool launched by WWF and German development finance institution DEG (Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH) enables companies and investors to address their water-related risks. WWF and DEG have created a practical online questionnaire that not only identifies water risk in supply chains and investment portfolios, but also provides practical steps to mitigate risk.

Implications of US Duties on Chinese Solar

The US Department of Commerce is imposing duties on Chinese solar manufacturers who are unfairly benefiting from China's export subsidies. The countervailing duties (CVD) is 3 to almost 5 percent. These modest duties were arrived at by the math done by the Department of Commerce in their ruling. Based on the Department of Commerce's numbers, Chinese solar companies aren't as heavily subsidized as many believe.

The Water Resources Investor Event

Water in the west is both a challenge and an opportunity. A Water Resources Investor Event is being held in Santa Barbara California on April 12 and 13. Water rights trading and water resource development are emerging markets that are creating abundant business opportunities. However, these new markets are not always easily understood. WestWater Research and American Water Intelligence are coming together to provide information and direction to water trading and development opportunities through a series of thought-provoking, regional conferences.

FTs Investing in a Sustainable Future Event

FTs Investing in a Sustainable Future conference takes place on March 29, 2012 at the Hudson Theatre, New York. The conference is a must attend for investors interested in learning what the leaders of some of the world's largest multinational corporations are doing to profit and grow.

New Wind Energy Venture in Texas

Another wind energy venture has been announced for Texas. Energy companies have been pouring millions of dollars into building and operating wind farms in West Texas, helping to transform the oil country into one of the nation's leading hubs for green energy production. One quarter of the nation's wind energy is generated in Texas. Wind power is constitutes 7 percent of Texas' energy which is 4 percent more than the national average. At present Texas generates more than 10 gigawatts of wind energy.

US States Renewable Energy Ranking

The accounting firm Earnst & Young ranked US states in terms of their renewable energy markets and infrastructure as well as their suitability for individual technologies.

Predictably, California led the pack, followed by New Mexico, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Texas.