The Week in impact investing: Sustainability disruption

The European Union has drafted plans to build up forests, grasslands and other natural “carbon sinks” that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to help curb climate change, according to a draft document seen by Reuters on Tuesday.  Carbon sinks have gained in importance as countries strive to reach “net zero” emissions by 2050, the goal scientists say the world must meet to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Net zero emissions means emitting no more greenhouse gases than can be balanced by removing gases from the atmosphere. EU forests, grasslands, croplands and wetlands altogether removed a net 263 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) from the atmosphere in 2018, according to the European Commission. That tally also accounts for the amount of CO2 released when trees were cut down or wildlands burned.

The shift to Industry 5.0 could lead to job losses if workers are not retooled and reskilled, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned. In a special supplement titled, “Capturing the Digital Economy: A proposed measurement framework and its applications,” experts also said shifting to Industry 5.0 from Industry 4.0, however, would still lead to increased consumption and job opportunities if workers are able to adapt. “Data suggest that, while effects of technology improvements observably reduce labor demand as a result of substitution, positive job impacts coming from consumption and new labor requirements may compensate,” the ADB said.

Every industry needs to step up and commit to environmental goals, but tech has a big problem – 53.6 million tonnes worth of a problem, to be exact.  According to the Global E-waste Monitor, that’s how much electronic waste, known as e-waste, was generated globally in 2019. Even worse, only 17.4% of it was correctly recycled, meaning 83% was discarded through improper means – mostly in landfills, which could leak harmful toxins into the earth.