Green Matters – December 7, 2020

The Tides of the Economy: Always shifting.

• How the must-have hipster vessel of DIY authenticity also became a foreboding signal of the economy (marker) 

• The death of the department store and the American middle class (vox) 

• Barry Ritholtz 2021 Outlook Year in Preview (ritholtz) 

• Wages for the top 1% skyrocketed 160% since 1979 while the share of wages for the bottom 90% shrunk (epi)

• 42% of people falling behind as COVID-19 widens the wealth gap, report finds (CNBC)

Change: The one thing we can count on. 

• We’re at a turning point on climate change. But most countries are still choosing fossil fuels over clean energy, report says (CNN) 

• City transportation ecosystems are suddenly getting more diverse, creating an opportunity to (finally) rethink the car (wired) 

• How COVID-19 is changing our food system (quartz)

• Six innovative solutions to the housing crisis (ssir)

Crypto & Digital Currency: The advances continue.

• Will central-bank digital currencies break the banking system? (economist) 

• Bank of Canada may be accelerating digital currency plans (decrypt)

• Visa partners with Ethereum digital-dollar startup (forbes) 

• The Ethereum 2.0 Beacon Chain is here. Now what? (consensys)

Greenwashing: Let’s get real.

• Research firm TerraChoice highlights the seven sins of greenwashing? (ul)

• Unraveling the ambiguity of Net-Zero pledges (newclimate)

• NASDAQ asks SEC to require one woman and one “diverse” director on board for each listed company (nytimes)

Sustainable Investing: Align your dollars with the rest of your life.

• Gen Z is pushing wealthy parents to more sustainable portfolios (financialnews)

• Most investors now believe ESG has a positive impact on returns (globest)

• Harvard team quantifies true corporate profit by adding or subtracting impact from bottom line (bloomberg)