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The clean energy revolution needs green workers, fast

Oct 9, 2023
If there aren’t people ready to build, install, and maintain the solar panels and electric cars that money is paying for, billions in federal funding dollars could go to waste.
A Qcells employee takes part in hands-on training with Georgia Quick Start. To make the transition to green energy, new workers will need to be trained for specialized manufacturing jobs.
Courtesy Georgia Quick Start.

Climate change put a dent in Levi's sales. It's likely to do the same for other products.

Oct 6, 2023
Because nobody's thinking about wearing denim when it's 110 degrees outside.
Warming temperatures have contributed to soft sales for denim, according to Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh.
Getty Images

Climate change means more extremes for Washington hops farmer

Sep 25, 2023
After a cold spring and unseasonably hot and dry summer, Patrick Smith of Yakima is seeing some abnormalities in when his crops mature.
"Overall, I'd say that the apple crop statewide is looking quite good," Washington farmer Patrick Smith says.
Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images

A plan for alleviating poverty and climate change

The two challenges are interrelated, and a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute says they must be addressed in tandem.
It'll take investment equal to about 8% of global GDP annually to close both the economic empowerment gap and the net-zero transition gap, according to the McKinsey Global Institute,
China Photos/Getty Images

Is climate change a blind spot for CEOs? Or a problem for the next guy to worry about?

Sep 14, 2023
The Economist's Charlotte Howard explains why companies aren't doing more to prepare for business risks posed by climate change.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Citrus industry flowers in Georgia as winters get warmer

Sep 5, 2023
Citrus, a relatively new crop for the state, is taking root thanks to the combined forces of climate change, crop science and disease in Florida.
Jake Price, a scientist at the University of Georgia, walks among citrus trees he’s growing as part of an experiment to find varieties that can withstand cold weather.
Emily Jones/WABE/Grist

Is climate change pushing more investors to ESG funds?

Rich Nuzum of Mercer says ESG funds reflect concern for the planet, but this year they’ve underperformed the overall stock market.
DNY59 via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

The clean energy transition is underway. But where will the workers come from?

Aug 29, 2023
Finding and training workers to install solar panels and maintain electric vehicle charging stations is a massive undertaking.
Language written into the Inflation Reduction Act prioritizes trades with apprenticeships for subsidies. This means  worker scarcity is unlikely in higher-paid, higher-skilled fields.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Occidental Petroleum makes a $1.1 billion bet on carbon capture technology

The giant U.S. oil and gas company is paying over $1 billion for a carbon-capture tech firm.
To make progress against climate change, we'll need to invest in technologies that pull carbon dioxide out of the air,  in addition to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

How businesses can better prepare for climate change

Along with the obvious human case for looking out for employees, climate change poses a serious threat to productivity and retention.
Ralph Freso/Getty Images