Tag

Sustainability

Feature

Sovereign wealth funds lack climate plans

China announced that it will invest its gigantic foreign exchange reserves more heavily in green assets in the future. A rethink is urgently needed because sustainability considerations have hardly played a role in investment decisions so far. According to rumors, the largest fund even wants to invest $19 billion in the oil giant Saudi Aramco. At present, sovereign wealth funds around the world are finding it difficult to switch to green investments: Their profitability is uncertain and the switch entails costs.

By Nico Beckert

Opinion

The limits to US-China climate cooperation

The US made it clear that it will not compromise on climate policy cooperation with China on the contentious issues of Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The tensions between the two countries so far prevented them from agreeing to binding climate commitments. Nevertheless, in the coming years, both countries will have to be judged on how they translate climate policy promises into action.

By Redaktion Table

Opinion

Foreign money continues to flow into China's coal industry

China's coal phase-out has so far been little more than lip service. The country builds and plans a large number of fossil-fuel power plants and invests in corresponding projects worldwide. Even worse, foreign investors continue to pour money into China's coal industry projects. German financial firms are among them.

By Redaktion Table

Feature

Land of empty plates

Beijing has passed a law that aims to punish food waste with heavy fines. The main reason is not concern about a food shortage, but the fear of becoming too dependent on foreign countries due to the consumption needs of the growing middle class. China has to import more and more food.

By Frank Sieren

Feature

The disputed question: What is 'sustainable'?

Without massive green investments, climate targets will be hard to achieve. EU states are already wrangling intensively over what counts as green. Beijing is now seeking common standards with the EU. But the European side hesitates: Chinese requirements are weaker and ignore social issues such as forced labor. Critics now fear that the EU will move closer to China in the negotiations and lower its standards.

By Nico Beckert