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BHP Billiton, Royal Dutch Shell, Schneider Electric, and other supporting organizations have formed the Energy Transitions Commission, which aims to develop actionable insights that help energy companies maintain their economic growth during the transition to a low-carbon future.

The New Climate Economy launched the Coalition for Urban Transitions, a global initiative to bolster the economic case for improvements in urban development. The Coalition will work with countries - including China and India - to ensure effective urban infrastructure investment is a central part of their growth strategies.

The American electorate just picked one of the most powerful climate change deniers on the planet as the steward of U.S. environmental strategy for at least the next four years. The good news is that sustainable business leaders have more clarity about what to expect from the next administration. It's now time to prioritize what comes next.

The country may be the world's largest carbon emitter, but China has the potential to become a clean energy leader. China is now the largest producer of renewable energy, generating 325 million tons of oil equivalent in 2013. Although renewables represented only 11 percent of the country's total energy production in 2014, this shift indicates the Chinese government's effort to transition its energy production mix.

The transition to a low-carbon economy is already underway, with businesses driving things forward through innovation and smart business practices, writes Unilever CEO Paul Polman. "Let's work together to make our economies strong and our climate sustainable. It can be done," he writes

Renewable energy projects, like a hybrid wind and diesel system on San Cristobal Island, are paving the way for the Galapagos Islands' clean energy future, according to this analysis. Elecgalapagos, a utility tasked with leading the islands' transition away from fossil fuels, has set a goal to source 70% of the Galapagos' electricity from renewables in the near future. San Cristobal is home to three turbines providing about 30% of its electricity needs.

The European Commission's recent assessment of the Paris Agreement on climate demonstrates that businesses and investors are crucial to implementation of the goals and the transition to a low-carbon economy. 

Wal-Mart and Sam's Club will switch to 100% cage-free eggs by 2025, with suppliers' compliance to be checked annually by a third-party certifier. The relatively long lead time for the transition will allow the retailers to keep prices down while improving conditions for chickens, officials said.

Global oil demand will continue to grow into the 2040s even as electrical vehicle fleets expand and the low-carbon energy transition gains traction around the world, BP revealed in its annual Energy Outlook, an industry benchmark report forecasting long-term trends and informs the company's internal strategy. The predictions come as other oil companies such as Royal Dutch Shell prepare for demand to peak by the early 2030s and countries make the shift to cleaner forms of energy.

According to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the levels of carbon dioxide in the air increased by 3 parts per million during 2016, and levels have continued to increase during the first few months of 2017. NOAA scientist Pieter Tans said carbon dioxide levels have risen 100 times faster during the last decade than the during the transition from the last Ice Age.

ITDP assessed the developments using its new TOD Standard, a policy guide that evaluates real estate developments using eight key elements to integrating sustainable transport, land use planning and sustainable urban design.

Unilever will work with NRG Energy to ensure that 100% of its U.S. energy needs are met through clean and renewable sources by 2020. Unilever already purchases renewable energy certificates to cover 100% of its U.S. electricity consumption, but will transition to direct renewable energy generation with the help of NRG.

Chicago is using a data-driven energy benchmarking system to monitor its buildings' energy use and emissions, helping officials make targeted improvements and boost energy efficiency. Boulder, Colo., meanwhile, has implemented America's first carbon tax, raising $1.8 million a year for energy efficiency and public transit projects.

Electric car manufacturer Tesla has revealed a battery for the home that can store power from solar panels, be used in case of a power outage and potentially transition solar-powered homes to be off the grid entirely. "The goal is complete transformation of the entire energy infrastructure of the world, to completely sustainable zero carbon," said the company's founder, Elon Musk. 

The U.S. will have to use a variety of renewable energy technologies, like offshore wind, to transition from a carbon-based energy economy to a renewable energy-based economy, according to Andrew Myers, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern University. In the U.S., "offshore wind energy is a vast, largely untapped resource of renewable energy with enormous potential," said Myers. "[T]he potential resource is estimated to have a capacity close to the existing electricity capacity of the entire nation." CleanTechnica (8/5) 

McDonald's announcement that it would transition to using cage-free eggs in its food was designed to appeal to socially conscious consumers -- but the fast-food giant will need a more holistic approach to succeed, writes Phil Lempert. "Just using cage-free eggs in an Egg McMuffin ... really doesn't change much about the sandwich," he notes. 

The Hershey Company announced plans to switch some of its popular chocolate products to "simpler ingredients," which includes a transition to non-GMO ingredients in its Hershey's milk chocolate bars and Hershey's kisses by the end of 2015.

Panera Bread will transition to 100% cage-free eggs over the next five years, the company said Thursday. Panera will also stop sourcing pork from pigs raised with gestation crates and roasted turkey from birds raised with antibiotics, and boost the amount of beef that comes from grass-fed, free-range sources by the end of this year

This 60-second video is intended to amp up fans for Super Bowl 50 "the Bay Area way." In promotion of the "Play Your Part" campaign, the ad encourages fans to take public transit to the big game, bring their own water bottle, conserve energy, reduce waste, and otherwise contribute to a socially- and environmentally-responsible event. The campaign is part of the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee's larger efforts to make this year's Super Bowl "Net Positive."

Trader Joe's announced last week that it will transition its entire egg supply to cage-free sources. First up are Western states: Eggs sold in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado will be 100 percent cage-free by 2020. All eggs across Trader Joe's stores will be sourced from cage-free suppliers by 2025. But the company might meet its goals sooner.