Supply Chain

If you own stocks, chances are good you have heard the term ESG. It stands for environmental, social and governance, and it is a way to laud corporate leaders who take sustainability – including climate change – and social responsibility seriously and punish those who do not. In less than two decades since a United Nations report drew attention to the concept, ESG investing has evolved into a $35 trillion industry. Money managers overseeing one-third of total U.S. assets under management said they used ESG criteria in 2020, and by 2025 global assets managed in portfolios labeled “ESG” are expected to reach $53 trillion.

Amid the trade war and technology war between the United States and China, the German government used the term “de-risking” to describe its strategy on China in a 64-page report on July 13. After establishing a solid trade relationship between China and Germany, the Chinese Government finds the term de-risking counter-productive at best and offensive at worst.

Russia has pounded Ukraine's southern cities with drones and missiles this week, damaging critical port infrastructure and grain terminals.

Why Russia pulled out of its grain deal with Ukraine – and what that means for the global food system. From The Conversation. 

Carnegie Mellon University study concludes that online grocery delivery is likely increasing emissions

The Russia-Ukraine grain deal that has been critical to keeping global food prices stable and preventing famine is currently in tatters. On July 17, 2023, Russia said it was pulling out of the year-old deal, which allowed shipments of grains and other foodstuffs to travel past the Russian naval blockade in the Black Sea. And to make matters worse, over the next two days Russia bombed the Ukrainian grain port of Odesa, destroying over 60,000 tons of grain.

Anna Nagurney, professor of supply chains, logistics and economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, explains to Moore In The Morning what is going on with Russia confirming it won't extend the deal that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain, which is crucial for food in some of the world's poorest regions.

Supply chain interruptions and slowdowns linger as an effect of the pandemic. They make purchasing and acquisition difficult for both the private sector and government. Recently thinkers from IBM Center for the Business of Government, National Academy of Public Administration, and the Chamber of Commerce put their heads together to come up with ways governments can become more resilient on the supply chain front. Federal Drive with Tom Temin discussed all of this with Dan Chenok from the IBM Center and with Robert Handfield from North Carolina State University.

During her visit to Beijing, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is expected to stress the need for both countries to “responsibly manage” their relationship, “communicate directly about areas of concern and work together to address global challenges”. Although her visit is well-intentioned, it will not be a panacea for the current conflicts between the United States and China. Instead, the visit represents a positive initial step, providing the two countries with an opportunity to reassess and develop more effective strategies for peaceful engagement.

In 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, while running against then United States president Donald Trump, positioned himself as the opposite of Trump. But President Biden and former president Trump have both toed the same hard line toward China.