New Index Helps Countries Boost Food Systems Sustainability –

We are in the midst of a plastic crisis. Plastic pollutes at every stage of its lifecycle from when the oil and gas is extracted to produce it, to the end products that litter our streets, pollute our beaches and harm our wildlife.

The sale of green bonds — a form of debt that funds renewable-energy projects like wind or solar farms, for example — entered another stratosphere in 2021.  Globally, green bonds raised a record $479 billion in proceeds last year, well ahead of the $245 billion sold in 2020, according to Refinitiv data. And bankers expect the asset class to continue smashing records as companies seek to lower their emissions.  “They are here to stay,” said Anne van Riel, BNP Paribas’ head of sustainable finance capital markets for the Americas. “In the last two years we’ve seen a lot of interest in the S in ESG, but now the E is the focus of discussion.”  Countries such as India and Qatar are weighing their first-ever green bonds, while big companies like Apple have made them a part of annual capital-raising plans.  Investors, too, are demanding more green, as they want exposure to companies charting a path toward a zero-carbon economy.

Plans to ban some of the most ‘environmentally damaging’ single-use plastic items in Scotland, including plastic cutlery and plastic straws, have been today (12 October) published for consultation.