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Lion Electric builds $185M battery plant in Montreal

3 years ago

Electric school bus and truck manufacturer Lion Electric is building a $185 million battery manufacturing plant and innovation centre near Montreal, which will be able to produce about 14,000 medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles annually.

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CarbonCure Technologies Inc., a Canadian carbon-tech company that has backing from funds led by Amazon.com and Bill Gates, is planning a new funding round for its expansion and is considering an initial public offering, its chief executive officer said.

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Cushman & Wakefield, a leading global real estate services firm, announced ambitious science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. The firm also pledges to reach net zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2050.

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Extreme weather caused by climate change is set to send property insurance prices soaring over the next 20 years, Swiss Re warned. The company estimates climate-related risks will drive a 22 per cent increase in global property premiums, equal to approximately $183 billion.

RealREIT

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Home builders and property owners in British Columbia are seeing an increase in the number of insurers who are refusing to approve insurance policies for residential and commercial buildings located near active wildfires, even those that are burning 100 kilometres away.

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New York, one of the most powerful real estate centres in the world, felt the wrath of a changing climate as the remnants of Hurricane Ida crept up the East Coast two weeks ago.

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A Finnish study using life cycle assessments (LCAs) concluded that “sharing” or renting a pair of jeans produced the highest volume of carbon emissions — about 5 kg more CO2 than simply throwing the jeans away.

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PepsiCo is stepping up its strategy for addressing plastics pollution. The company plans to cut virgin plastic by 50 per cent across its entire portfolio of products and increase the recycled content of plastic packaging to 50 per cent.

Canada Green Building Council

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Whether it’s using the carrot of incentives or the stick of regulations, change is possible — and strongly desired. So, what can brands do? Be proactive and make the extra effort to find and choose recycled plastic whenever possible.

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A Canadian-led team of scientists concluded tropical coral reefs, which feed millions worldwide, have lost half their ability to support human communities since 1950. The paper is the first to summate the effects of pollution and climate change on coral reefs.

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Enbridge Inc. doubled the price advantage — known as greenium — it got by selling its first sustainability-linked bonds in Canadian dollars compared to a similar transaction in the U.S. market three months ago.

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The Orca carbon-capture plant, just outside Reykjavik in Iceland, has begun sucking carbon dioxide from the air. The plant’s creators hope it will mark a big shift in humanity’s interaction with the climate.

Procore

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With the combined current emphasis on improved health in light of COVID-19 and a greater environmentalism in response to the rapidly encroaching effects of climate change, there may be no more essential buzzword in CRE today than “sustainability”.

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Investors managing more than $10-trillion published an ambitious blueprint for energy companies seeking to tackle climate change, including sharp cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and a winding down of oil and gas production.

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With decarbonisation key to ArcelorMittal’s goals, the company has joined Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Catalyst program, which includes hydrogen as a key pillar. The project aims to join public and private sectors in utilizing hydrogen and other low-emission technologies.

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With COP26 around the corner, the Net Zero Technology Centre has launched the first round of its Clean Energy Start-up pitch battle, which includes companies promoting hydrogen solutions. Hosted by the Centre’s TechX team, 29 technology start-ups have submitted pitches.

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Canadian voters concerned about the environment and climate change faced dilemmas due to the September election. The environment is often forgotten in politics; however, the British Columbia wildfires and IPCC report made climate change most important to voters.

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UBC Investment Management Trust Inc. is committing $120 million to a Paris-aligned reduced carbon global equity fund, on behalf of the University of British Columbia’s endowment fund. The investment’s assets represent about five per cent of UBC’s endowment.

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Climate change is buffeting the planet harder and sooner than expected and efforts to slow it down still aren’t aggressive enough, according to the United Nations. The group’s United in Science 2021 report compiles findings from climate agencies and research groups.

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The United Nations’ sustainable development goals face a financing gap of up to $100 trillion. Engaging businesses and industries not committed to the goals could bring in $12 trillion in business opportunities related to the effort.

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