Methane can trap around 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide. Most methane emissions come from preventable leaks in oil and gas wells and pipelines. Despite new regulations penalising gas and oil producers for methane leaks and major companies pledging to slash their methane emissions, the problem is we can’t manage what we can’t measure. MethaneSAT will locate, measure and make public methane emissions, helping in informed decision making
The US system is highly responsive to democratic, political and often populist demands. SVB sunk, in part, because in 2018, lobbying efforts by smaller banks allowed them to escape tougher rules created only a few years earlier – with bipartisan support. Politics deemed these banks weren’t systemically risky. But they were. Independent central banks may be good at inflation targeting and financial stability, but they struggle to help economic growth or helpful innovations
‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ is the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day. This is a clarion call with particular resonance for India given the barriers to women’s economic participation. Imagine the extraordinary economic tailwinds that can be generated for India if these barriers are dismantled and women have access to capital and technology and supportive public policy frameworks
China is increasingly losing friends and influence and needs a new foreign minister to reset the tone and work to create some goodwill. For now, it is clear that domestic stability is President Xi Jinping’s priority, even as tensions escalate across the region. Talking tough on Taiwan is Xi's way of building up his nationalist credentials, and a way to show strength while the economy around him flounders. But the optics are not good for China in other national capitals, especially in its neighbourhood
The government now expects coal demand to increase by about 50 percent between now and 2030, when it’s set to hit 1.5 billion metric tons. If renewables don’t get built, that may be the only way to avoid blackouts and meet India’s inexorably rising demand for power
Indian pilots are exhausted, battling erratic schedules, consecutive late-night departures and excessive hours. Yet airlines are pushing back against new DGCA rules that mandate longer breaks and shorter work hours for cockpit crew. Fearful of higher costs and restricted operations, carriers want to delay implementation. They shouldn’t
Judiciary and litigation is largely still an old boys’ club, as has been reiterated by many senior female law practitioners. It is a gender justice concern stemming from habitual exclusion, gender bias, profoundly ingrained guilt-ridden self-doubt and inherent work-life balance challenges
International Women’s Day: The Salt Satyagraha was the first occasion when women’s participation in the freedom struggle became a mass movement. As women inspired by Gandhi came out in droves to protest against the British Raj, they also set off winds of change that culminated in the Constitution enshrining gender equality, universal female suffrage and a guarantee against discrimination in employment
Irreversible reduction in production costs of nickel and gas mean that conventional wisdom of commodities markets – low prices cure low prices, and high prices cure high prices – has been turned on its head. It may be bad news for producers – and their shareholders — but cheap nickel and US gas are good news for the planet
Before making a big purchase consumers should ask how stable and established is the brand and whether shareholders will bail out if something goes wrong. There are a variety of potential headaches for customers: Vehicles may lose value, parts can be difficult to obtain and the warranty may not be fully honoured. This is where the option of leasing becomes attractive
In this edition of Moneycontrol Pro Panorama: Indian bond market riding high, advertisers disagree with consumption spending data, gender bias perception higher in affluent women, the rise and fall of mutual funds, and more
If you write a news article or column about climate, the odds are strong it will be too depressing, too repetitive or too wonky to attract eyeballs. But there is more likelihood of people lining up to see a well-crafted movie with messages on climate change. It turns out the best route for delivering climate messages is often an indirect one
If China held its carbon emissions reduction target steady — or brought it down further, in the manner of fellow high-income countries whose pollution is now at a 50-year low — then the world’s climate footprint would have shrunk by about 155 million metric tons, instead of growing by 410 million tons. China's greenhouse footprint boils down to three factors: its economic growth, energy intensity of that growth, and carbon intensity of that energy
India hosts a vibrant ecosystem of infotech companies, ranging from scrappy start-ups to continent-spanning behemoths. All of them were blindsided a few days ago by a government advisory decreeing that companies would need official permission to deploy any AI models on the “Indian” internet
The EU’s carbon tariffs to combat climate change are snarled in complex bureaucracy
While there are benefits of mutual fund investing, investors must consider several parameters while selecting a fund and not just past returns. Since there is a lot of analysis needed while selecting a fund and given the fluctuation in fund rankings in recent years, index funds may be the best option for a passive investor
Perception of gender bias and pay gap is higher among affluent women although there is evidence of greater women's participation at work place and on company boards
Relatively affluent middle-income households drive the demand for high-value discretionary items such as consumer durables, education, health and recreation services, and homes. Unless they get some relief in the form of lower taxes on their incomes and/or consumption, households’ demand, and in turn, investment from India's private sector will stay muted
Overall, there is a trend of users, courts, antitrust authorities and even governments siding with app developers and taking a tougher stand on anti-competitive behaviour by Big Tech
To sustain the current momentum, India’s domestic policies must complement its foreign policy efforts to leverage the benefits of the geopolitical shift from China. Policy and regulatory certainty are the linchpin for attracting investment
Advertising spends are a proxy for consumer sentiment since marketers spend money on advertising to drive sales growth. They are also a leading indicator since advertising spends precede market impact on consumption
The regulator’s nudge and getting adequate disclosures may not be enough to protect small investors and instead, some direct intervention may be need of the hour
Bonds have consolidated their gains after a sharp run-up in early February, and the 10-year sovereign bond may trade at around 7.0% in the near term and head further lower in FY25
Tata Motors’ 25-year journey hasn’t been easy with several missteps coming in the way of profitability and market share in the conventional car segment
A scorching IPO market has made it more appealing for NBFCs, typically used to more flexible operations than banks, to ignore regulations just to grab the opportunity to make a quick buck through financing these.
