European Commision president Ursula von der Leyen discusses Europe's military, major asset managers leaving a climate group, and the challenges faced by big food companies in implementing new farming practices to store carbon underground.
European Commission President proposes incentivizing defense production within the EU to strengthen military capabilities.
JP Morgan, State Street, and BlackRock are distancing themselves from Climate Action 100 Plus due to conflicting legal obligations and pressure on companies to change their business models.
Deep dives
Boosting the Bloc's Military
European Commission President Ursula Lavondarlyan proposes ramping up production and consolidation in the bloc's defense industry. The EU is exploring incentives to support joint contracts for weapons between member states. The move is prompted by increased military spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Asset Managers Back Out of Climate Change Group
JP Morgan, State Street, and BlackRock are distancing themselves from Climate Action 100 Plus, a group that uses shareholder influence to pressure companies to decarbonize. The companies claim that the group's second stage, where they are supposed to pressure companies to change their business models, conflicts with US investors' legal requirement to prioritize financial interests.
Big Food Companies and Regenerative Agriculture
Big food companies like Nestle and PepsiCo are investing in regenerative agriculture, which improves soil quality, biodiversity, and carbon storage. The companies hope that this farming practice will help them offset their carbon footprint. However, measurement difficulties and scientific limitations make it challenging to accurately quantify the carbon sequestration potential. Experts caution against overselling regenerative agriculture's carbon reduction benefits.
European Commision president Ursula von der Leyen says Europe’s military needs to step up and two of the world’s biggest asset managers are quitting an investor group set up to prod companies over global warming. Plus, big food companies are jumping into new farming practices meant to store carbon underground, but there are significant hurdles.
The FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help by Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.