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Facebook and Microsoft partnered with investment company Allotrope Partners to "mobilize" $50 million for sustainable energy efforts in poor communities through a finance facility. By pulling in grants and loans, the Microgrid Investment Accelerator program will fund renewable microgrid projects in India, Indonesia and Africa between 2018 and 2020.

The World Bank will provide India with more than $1 billion to support its plans to increase solar power generation to 100 GW by 2022 and derive at least 40% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030. The Bank also announced its support of the India-led International Solar Alliance's efforts to mobilize $1 trillion in solar investments globally by 2030.

A shopping center in Thousand Oaks, Calif., has been named the first BREEAM USA In-Use certified building in the country, a designation for sustainability efforts at pre-existing nonresidential structures. The Oaks Shopping Center features 6,000 solar panels, LED lighting, a mixed-materials recycling campaign and more to help minimize the building's environmental impact.

When you ask kids about their favorite things, sustainable energy probably doesn't top the list. But a new movement and mobile platform called mPowering Action might change that.

Environmental group Basel Action Network launched a new mobile app that measures the benefits of using e-Stewards Certified Recyclers to dispose of e-waste. The app will provide data on avoided GHG emissions, toxic metals diverted from landfills, and precious metals recovered from the electronic device.

The industry has resisted pressure for years from environmental groups to warn investors of the risks that stricter limits on carbon emissions could have on their businesses, although that appears to be changing. Energy experts said prosecutors may decide to investigate companies that chose to fund or join organizations that questioned climate science or policies designed to address the problem, such as the Global Climate Coalition and the American Legislative Exchange Council, to see if discrepancies exist between the companies' public and private statements.

ExxonMobil and other major oil companies, as well as several multinational firms in other sectors, are set to announce support for a tax on carbon emissions as a practical tool for fighting global warming. The firms argue that if energy produced from fossil fuels costs more, it will accelerate the market-driven transition to renewable energy and other sources that produce low carbon emissions.

As national parks face issues with unmanaged waste during the government shutdown, Keep America Beautiful, the largest community improvement organization in the United States, and Nestlé Waters North America, one of the leading beverage companies in North America, announced today that they are teaming up to help mobilize affiliate organizations and volunteers across the country to clean up these shared public spaces.

Google has partnered with The Common Ground Alliance - a group of the world's largest advertisers - to launch the Common Future Project, a global YouTube-based campaign that aims to engage "Generation Z" (aged 15 to 24) around the Sustainable Development Goals. Google will provide a grant to support and amplify the campaign.

businesses that support the Paris climate deal are pressuring President Trump to keep the United States in the accord. They argue that by staying involved in the international talks, the U.S. can discourage policies that could hurt the oil, gas and coal industries. Coal companies, oil giants Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips, renewable energy groups, and major American manufacturers such as General Electric are among those arguing that the United States should stay in the deal. The White House has promised that Trump will decide on the United States' involvement in the Paris deal before next month, a high-stakes decision with major diplomatic and economic implications.

The UN released a report finding that a transformational change in global aviation's efforts to promote economic growth and combat climate change could deliver industry savings up to $70 trillion by 2050. Nancy Young, vice president of Airlines for America, said biofuels can help reduce carbon emissions over time by the commercial airline industry.

Apple has reportedly reduced the CO2 emissions from production, distribution, consumer use, and recycling of its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices by 14 to 16%, compared to last year's models. The company also released environmental reports for both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

ExxonMobil is to become the first fossil-fuel giant to report on threats to its oil and gas assets due to possible future regulation of carbon emissions. The move won plaudits from clean-energy campaigners, who say fossil fuels will become economically unviable as governments tackle carbon emissions. "That the largest American oil and gas company is the first to come to the table on this issue says a lot about the direction that energy markets are taking," says Danielle Fugere, president of As You Sow