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Investment to tackle climate change falls amid global crises

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International investment projects addressing the climate crisis have dipped in the wake of global economic headwinds, stalling years of growing momentum.

 

Cross-border investment in climate change mitigation and adaptation is projected to decline in 2022 against the backdrop of a global investment downturn, according to a new report published by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 27 October.

Citing a bleak outlook for global foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2022, the report released in the lead-up to the UN climate change conference COP27 shows the number of new investment projects falling across most industries, notably those tackling climate change.

Between January and September 2022, climate mitigation and adaptation sectors had, respectively, 7% and 12% fewer new projects announced, in stark contrast to the previous year’s strong acceleration.

Mitigation projects accounted for 94% of international climate investments, whereas adaptation ones continued to lag far behind.

Most mitigation investments are in renewable energy and, to a lesser extent, in various energy efficiency projects.

Overall, developed economies made up two thirds of international project finance deals and greenfield investments in renewables.

Europe alone accounted for more than half of renewables’ projects, with more than 700 in the first three quarters of 2022.

North America and developing Asia attracted about 200 projects each, while Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa had about 150 and 100 respectively.

Climate action momentum at risk

“The shift from fossil-fuel to green investments to support the energy transition risks a setback, due to the loss of momentum in renewables and high oil and gas prices,” the report says.

For now, the downward trend in investment is also affecting extractive industries and fossil-fuel-based energy generation, where project numbers dipped by about 16% in the first three quarters of 2022.

But the report warns that high profits of multinationals in these sectors, combined with the current energy crisis, could lead to a renewed push for investments in fossil-fuel based energy, whose production exacerbates climate change.

An early indication of that is the value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the extractive industry, which rose sixfold between January and September 2022.

Global investment trends: Marked slowdown expected for 2022

According to another report published by UNCTAD on 20 October, FDI flows in the second quarter of 2022 reached an estimated $357 billion.

That’s a 31% decrease from the first three months and 7% less than the quarterly average of 2021.

“The negative trend reflects a shift in investor sentiment due to the food, fuel and finance crises around the world, the Ukraine war, rising inflation and interest rates and fears of a coming recession,” the report said.

But it noted that FDI flows over the first half of the year were still up as the strong growth momentum of 2021 continued in the first quarter.

Fall in developed countries

FDI flows to developed economies were 22% lower in the second quarter, compared to the average of 2021, at an estimated $137 billion.

In Europe, flows to European Union countries were up 7%, while countries outside the bloc saw inflows fall by more than 80%.

Inflows in North America were 22% lower as cross-border mergers and acquisitions targeting United States firms more than halved.

“Some resilience” in developing world

FDI flows to developing economies as a group showed some resilience, increasing by 6% to $220 billion.

But that uptick was driven mostly by continued growth in several large emerging economies.

Latin America and developing Asia maintained previous upward FDI momentum, while flows to Africa nearly dried up completely.

Investment projects down due to financial tightening

The report found that new investment project announcements – an indicator of forward trends – weakened in the first three quarters of 2022, while pointing to the ongoing tightening financial conditions and higher investor uncertainty.

The number of greenfield project announcements – mostly in manufacturing – dropped by 10%, whereas that of international project finance deals – mostly in infrastructure – stagnated at the 2021 level. In both cases, monthly numbers show a downward trend.

The biggest declines in new investment projects were registered in developed economies and in Latin America and Central Asia.

According to the report, project numbers fell across most industries, with a few exceptions, notably in extractives and petrochemicals.

In terms of value, greenfield projects still experienced growth, due to a few large announcements concentrated in electricity and gas supply.

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Tesla shares soar more than 14% as Trump win is seen boosting Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company

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NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday as investors bet that the electric vehicle maker and its CEO Elon Musk will benefit from Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Tesla stands to make significant gains under a Trump administration with the threat of diminished subsidies for alternative energy and electric vehicles doing the most harm to smaller competitors. Trump’s plans for extensive tariffs on Chinese imports make it less likely that Chinese EVs will be sold in bulk in the U.S. anytime soon.

“Tesla has the scale and scope that is unmatched,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, in a note to investors. “This dynamic could give Musk and Tesla a clear competitive advantage in a non-EV subsidy environment, coupled by likely higher China tariffs that would continue to push away cheaper Chinese EV players.”

Tesla shares jumped 14.8% Wednesday while shares of rival electric vehicle makers tumbled. Nio, based in Shanghai, fell 5.3%. Shares of electric truck maker Rivian dropped 8.3% and Lucid Group fell 5.3%.

Tesla dominates sales of electric vehicles in the U.S, with 48.9% in market share through the middle of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Subsidies for clean energy are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. It included tax credits for manufacturing, along with tax credits for consumers of electric vehicles.

Musk was one of Trump’s biggest donors, spending at least $119 million mobilizing Trump’s supporters to back the Republican nominee. He also pledged to give away $1 million a day to voters signing a petition for his political action committee.

In some ways, it has been a rocky year for Tesla, with sales and profit declining through the first half of the year. Profit did rise 17.3% in the third quarter.

The U.S. opened an investigation into the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system after reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

And investors sent company shares tumbling last month after Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, seeing not much progress at Tesla on autonomous vehicles while other companies have been making notable progress.

Tesla began selling the software, which is called “Full Self-Driving,” nine years ago. But there are doubts about its reliability.

The stock is now showing a 16.1% gain for the year after rising the past two days.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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S&P/TSX composite up more than 100 points, U.S. stock markets mixed

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TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.

The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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S&P/TSX up more than 200 points, U.S. markets also higher

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TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.

The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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