Author: Helena Zhu

12 Oct SAMR Fines Meituan for RMB3.44bn over Monopolistic Behavior

發表於 14:42 作者 Helena Zhu

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) fined food delivery giant Meituan [3690:HK] RMB3.44bn (USD533m) for its monopolistic tactic after a six-month investigation, as reported by Caixin on October 8. The fine accounts for 3% of Meituan’s 2020 domestic revenues, which was RMB114.7bn (USD17.8bn). The...

29 Sep Japanese Insurer Tokio Marine Withdraws from Coal Mining Projects

發表於 11:41 作者 Helena Zhu

Japanese insurance company Tokio Marine Holdings [8766:JP] will stop financing and underwriting new coal mining projects both in Japan and abroad from October, as reported by Nikkei on September 27. Last year, Japan’s three largest insurance conglomerates, namely Tokio Marine, Sompo Japan [8630:JP], and Mitsui...

27 Sep Australian Prime Minister Refuses Coal Phase Out Commitment

發表於 15:44 作者 Helena Zhu

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined to commit to a national coal phase-out, as reported by Reuters on September 26. At an interview following a summit at Washington, the Prime Minister said that emissions reduction plans were still in the works, and that he would...

23 Sep Cathay Pacific Commits to 10% SAF Use by 2030

發表於 12:37 作者 Helena Zhu

Cathay Pacific [0293 :HK] pledges to increase the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to 10% of its total fuel consumption by 2030 through its partnership with California-based low-carbon transportation fuel company Fulcrum BioEnergy, as the airline announced in a press release on September 22....

23 Sep TSMC Fires Seven Employees Over Violation of Core Values

發表於 11:21 作者 Helena Zhu

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) [TSM:US] has fired seven employees citing violation of the company’s core values, as reported by Taipei Times on September 23. TSMC is the world’s largest contract semiconductor company with many leading electronics companies as clients, such as Apple [AAPL:US], Intel...

23 Sep Global Fossil Fuel Divestment against Climate Change [Part.2]: Impact

發表於 10:14 作者 Helena Zhu

Part 1 of this article introduced the origin and participants in the divestment movement. The decision to divest from fossil fuels may be driven by pressure from shareholders for environmental responsibility as well as considerations to dampen climate-related risks. With the pandemic starting in 2020, many...

22 Sep China Pledges to No Longer Build Coal Projects Overseas

發表於 16:24 作者 Helena Zhu

President Xi Jinping announced that China will no longer build new coal-fired power projects abroad at the opening meeting of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 21, as reported by The Strait Times on September 22. The president also repeated last year’s...

16 Sep Global Fossil Fuel Divestment against Climate Change [Part.1]: Participants

發表於 15:42 作者 Helena Zhu

The years of 2020 and 2021 saw a wave of financial institutions and funds announcing plans to divest from coal and other fossil fuel investments. From global asset managers to university endowments to pensions and sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions are taking a more serious...

09 Sep Australian Infrastructure Investor IFM to Exit Coal Investment by 2030

發表於 10:49 作者 Helena Zhu

IFM Investors, one of Australia’s largest infrastructure investors, has pledged to phase out thermal coal from its infrastructure portfolio by 2030, as reported by Bloomberg on September 6. The infrastructure portfolio in question includes AUD75bn (USD56bn) of assets in toll roads, airports, and oil pipelines....

08 Sep Korean Air Purchases Carbon-neutral Jet Fuel from SK Energy

發表於 15:25 作者 Helena Zhu

Korean Air [003490:KS] announced a partnership with South Korean petroleum and refinery company SK Energy [096770:KS] to use carbon-neutral jet fuel in its fleet on September 6, according to the airline’s press release on the same day. SK Energy will supply one-month carbon-neutral jet fuel...

07 Sep Singapore Introduces Patrol Robots to Detect Public Bad Behavior

發表於 15:30 作者 Helena Zhu

Singapore is bringing robots to help the police deter bad behavior and ensure public safety, according to The Strait Times on September 6. The patrol robots, named Xavier, began a three-week trial in the busy Toa Payoh Central neighborhood on September 5. The robots’ duty...

01 Sep HKEX, GFEX Collaborate on Developing Carbon Derivatives Market in GBA

發表於 14:53 作者 Helena Zhu

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) [0388:HK] announced its strategic collaboration with Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX) to develop a cross-border carbon derivatives market in the Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) on August 27, according to HKEX’s website. The two exchanges signed a memorandum...

31 Aug China’s MoHRSS, Supreme Court Deem 996 Work Schedule Illegal

發表於 14:22 作者 Helena Zhu

China’s Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MoHRSS) issued a joint statement on August 26, specifying that the “996” work schedule is illegal, as reported by Caixin on August 27. The 996 work culture entails working from 9am to...

04 Aug Pricing Carbon: Emissions Trading Schemes [Part.2]

發表於 11:58 作者 Helena Zhu

Part 1 of this article introduced the concept of Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS), the difference between carbon tax and carbon market, and the development of ETS in China. Other ETS around the World According to the World Bank, by May 2021, carbon prices applied to over 20%...

29 Jul Pricing Carbon: Emissions Trading Schemes [Part.1]

發表於 16:25 作者 Helena Zhu

Emissions trading scheme (ETS), also commonly called carbon market, is regarded as an effective policy measure to incentivize reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Generally, governments or other designated authorities determine a limit on GHG emissions for participants in the carbon markets and allocate emissions...