SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights May 10, 2012

Not a Drop to Drink: The Global Water Crisis
(Wednesday - May 09, 2012)
Source: Council on Foreign Relations - The recent UN alert that drought in the Sahel threatens 15 million lives is a harbinger of things to come. In the next twenty years, global demand for fresh water will vastly outstrip reliable supply in many parts of the world. Thanks to population growth and agricultural intensification, humanity is drawing more heavily than ever on shared river basins and underground aquifers. Meanwhile, global warming is projected to exacerbate shortages in already water-stressed regions, even as it accelerates the rapid melting of glaciers and snow cover upon which a billion people depend for their ultimate source of water.

Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Reporting
G&A Institute is the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) sole data partner for the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. As the data partner we monitor, analyze and database information on all Sustainability reports issued in these territories. Recent Sustainability and CR Reports issued in the USA, UK and Ireland are:

USA

• Gannett Fleming Presents 2011 Corporate Sustainability Report
  May 8, 2012 Source: Gannett Fleming

• McDonald's Shares Green Practices Report
  May 8, 2012 Source: TFM Facility Blog

• Flowserve Publishes 2011 Sustainability Report
  May 8, 2012 Source: Reuters

• Eastman Announces Release of 2011 GRI Supplement
  May 4, 2012 Source: Eastman

• Spectra Energy Issues Sustainability Report
  May 4, 2012 Source: MarketWatch

• Nike issues latest corporate responsibility report, tweaks manufacturing benchmarks
  May 4, 2012 Source: OregonLive.com

• MPI Releases WEC 2011 Sustainability Report
  May 4, 2012 Source: Meeting Professionals International 

United Kingdom

• Inspire a Generation - 2012 London Olympics Sustainability Report
  May 4, 2012 Source: 2012 London Olympics

ESG / Sustainability

7 Signs You’ve Got a Great CSR Report
(Wednesday - May 09, 2012)
Source: Triple Pundit - There are plenty of signs that you have a lousy CSR report. Bloggers (including us!) might tell you, and if they don’t, you can take any radio silence that comes after your report launch as a sign that it was not as...

Public support slips for steps to curb climate change
(Tuesday - May 08, 2012)
Source: USA Today - From gas-mileage standards to tax breaks for windmills, public support for "green" energy measures to tackle global warming has dropped significantly in the past two years, particularly among Republicans, a new poll suggests.

United Nations Cites Risk of Social Unrest From High Food Prices
(Monday - May 07, 2012) Associated Profiles : United Nations - All Programs
Source: Bloomberg - Food prices may stabilize at high levels and keep government import bills near a record, increasing the risk of social unrest in the world’s least developed countries, the United Nations said.

Reports

Sweltering Earth: Dangerous global warming awaits the planet in next forty years – report
(Wednesday - May 09, 2012)
Source: RT.com - Rising carbon dioxide levels will most likely cause the global average temperature to rise two degrees by 2052, the Club of Rome think tank has said in a report. Failure to come up with a coordinated solution to address the issue...

Another report shows US firms lag Europeans on sustainability
(Tuesday - May 08, 2012)
Source: GreenBiz.com - A new report from Ceres and Sustainalytics concluded that while there are "pockets of leadership and innovation" in the sustainability efforts of 600 of the largest corporations in the U.S., there remains a "compelling case for...

Commentary

Wal-Mart At 50: A Crisis of Governance
(Tuesday - May 08, 2012)
Source: Huff Post - In less than a month, Wal-Mart will celebrate a Golden Anniversary at its annual shareholder's bash at Bud Walton Arena on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Last year, entertainers Will Smith and the Black...

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Hedge funds may be allowed direct access to China markets
(Wednesday - May 09, 2012) Associated Profiles : Kuwait Investment Authority
Source: Reuters - SHANGHAI/HONG KONG - A proposed plan by China's regulators could allow hedge funds, for the first time, to directly trade in mainland stocks and bonds, opening up one of Asia's biggest capital markets to the $2 trillion ...

In muddle of Libya's finances, billions go missing
(Tuesday - May 08, 2012) Associated Profiles : Libyan Investment Authority
Source: Reuters - Months after rebels brought down the extravagant dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi, the disarray in Libya's state finances at the end of last year was so bad the new leadership did not know the size of state assets....

Norway Dumps Ireland, Portugal Bonds on Euro Crisis Concern
(Friday - May 04, 2012) Associated Profiles : Norwegian Government Pension Fund – Global (Statens pensjonsfond – Utland) , Norwegian Government Pension Fund - Norway
Source: Bloomberg - Norway’s sovereign wealth fund sold all its Irish and Portuguese government bonds after rejecting the Greek debt swap and warned that Europe faces considerable challenges. The $610 billion Government Pension Fund Global returned...

This is just a sample of some of the articles from this weeks SustainabilityHQ Highlights.  You can view the full Highlights by using the following links.  Sustainability | ESG, Highlights for the Week of May 10, 2012