*By Tracey Cheek*
Ignorance is a major impediment in the effort to reverse climate change, said the former chief sustainability officer for the Obama administration.
“I think lot of it is lack of awareness, these are topics that a lot of energy nerds like myself have been thinking of for a long time," Christine Harada, the president of i(x) investments told Cheddar on Wednesday.
"But I hypothesize that many of your viewers, when they go to Home Depot ($HD), they don’t think about what is the most green light bulb, unless you actually see the labels that are physically there helping to educate the consumers about that.”
Last week's climate report from the Trump administration cast an ominous shadow ーand according to Harada, if the U.S. fails to initiate change, economic sectors across the board will get hit.
“If we stay status quo I think we’ll be hit mostly from infrastructure ー a lot of cities along the coastline," she said. “I think you're also going to see a lot of shortages with respect to water, with wildfires we’re facing in California ー a lot of forest management-type activities on the front lines as well.”
But millennials tend to lead with their values when they buy.
"They are much more savvy and aware," Harada said, "much more attuned to how we think about the environment and climate and energy, etc."
Younger investors are increasingly interested in environmentally-conscious investing. [A report by TD Ameritrade](https://www.amtd.com/newsroom/press-releases/press-release-details/2018/TD-Ameritrade-Launches-Socially-Aware-Portfolios-Expanding-Access-to-ESG-Investing/default.aspx) revealed that about 60 percent of millennials think making socially-responsible investments is important ー compared to 36 percent of baby boomers.
For millennials and others who want to invest in social good, Harada urges them to "think about investing in the more 'un-sexy' industries ー concrete, infrastructure, transportation, things of that nature."
"Those are the long-lasting investments that really make a big difference on the environment and how we think about extracting greenhouse gases from the atmosphere."
Consider this your sign to pack your bags. Airbnb says Colorado Springs will be a top travel destination in 2024.
A moon landing attempt by a private US company appears doomed because of a fuel leak on the newly launched spacecraft. Astrobotic Technology managed to orient the lander toward the sun Monday so its solar panel could capture sunlight and charge its onboard battery.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has announced that 100,000 businesses have signed up for a new database that collects ownership information intended to help unmask shell company owners. Yellen says the database will send the message that “the United States is not a haven for dirty money.”
A new version of the federal student aid application known as the FAFSA is available for the 2024-2025 school year, but only on a limited basis as the U.S. Department of Education works on a redesign meant to make it easier to apply.
A steep budget deficit caused by plummeting tax revenues and escalating school voucher costs will be in focus Monday as Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature return for a new session at the state Capitol.
The first U.S. lunar lander in more than 50 years is on its way to the moon. The private lander from Astrobotic Technology blasted off Monday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, catching a ride on United Launch Alliance's brand new rocket Vulcan.
Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oil fell last year from record highs in 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors helped worsen hunger worldwide, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday.
Wall Street is drifting higher after reports showed the job market remains solid, but key parts of the economy still don’t look like they’re overheating.
The Biden administration is docking more than $2 million in payments to student loan servicers that failed to send billing statements on time after the end of a pandemic payment freeze.
The nation’s employers added a robust 216,000 jobs last month, the latest sign that the American job market remains resilient even in the face of sharply higher interest rates.
