Key Impact Points: ESCAP Sounds Alarm on Disproportionate Impact of New US Tariffs The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has warned that the latest US tariff hikes—announced on April 2, 2025—could devastate exports from several Asia-Pacific countries. With a new average tariff rate
Key Impact Points: Limited Tariff Impact The global tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump last week will have minimal effects on Asian solar imports, according to a recent report from BMI, a Fitch Solutions consultancy unit. BMI expects only a slight decrease in solar imports, primarily due to pre-existing
Key Impact Points: Tariffs Trigger Market Crash President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs, labeling the move “Liberation Day.” This includes a universal 10% levy on all imports, with substantial increases targeting China (54% total) and the European Union (20%). The news triggered panic on Wall Street, causing a $2.5 trillion
US President Donald Trump’s new trade war will not only send shockwaves through the global economy – it also upsets efforts to tackle the urgent issue of climate change. Key Impact Points: Trump’s Tariff Expansion President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs, imposing a minimum 10% duty on all imports to
Key Impact Points: Immediate Fallout from Funding Freeze More than 200 health facilities run by the World Health Organization in Afghanistan have been forced to close or halt operations following severe funding cuts implemented under former President Donald Trump’s administration. This has abruptly terminated vital medical services such as vaccinations,
Key Impact Points: A Dangerous Moment for U.S. Science More than 1,900 prominent scientists and engineers have publicly warned that the Trump administration’s aggressive targeting of universities and research institutions poses severe threats to the future of American scientific innovation. In an open letter published Monday, members of the National
Key Impact Points: Funding at Risk for Major Carbon Capture Hubs The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is considering cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to major carbon capture hubs in Texas and Louisiana, according to anonymous sources familiar with the matter. These Direct Air Capture (DAC) hubs
Key Impact Points: Administration Under Pressure U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan challenged President Trump’s administration Wednesday to provide concrete evidence supporting allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse that justified ending a $20 billion climate funding program. “You can’t even tell me what the evidence of malfeasance is,” Judge Chutkan told
Key Impact Points: Sweeping Sustainability Reporting Reforms The European Commission has unveiled the Omnibus I proposal to streamline sustainability reporting and ease compliance burdens for businesses, especially SMEs. Key measures include scaling back the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), delaying the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and simplifying the
Key Takeaways: Clean Energy Economics Over Politics Despite political efforts to revive fossil fuels, the clean energy transition remains inevitable. While clean energy stocks have dropped, banks have distanced themselves from net-zero alliances, and BP has refocused on oil and gas, these short-term shifts do not change the fundamental trajectory.
