News & Views

Global climate action gained momentum this week as Microsoft signed a major carbon-removal deal, Heineken unveiled a renewable heat project in Portugal, and Google expanded its clean-energy investments. Meta boosted its solar portfolio in Texas, while Brazil cut Amazon deforestation to an 11-year low — a strong signal of progress ahead of COP30.

Renewable energy has surpassed coal globally for the first time, marking a major milestone in the clean energy transition. Across sectors, companies are accelerating climate action—from Siemens and Airbus decarbonising UK sites to Google launching carbon reporting for advertisers. Meanwhile, sport and business partnerships, including Liverpool FC, Real Betis, Mars, and Cargill, are embedding sustainability into their core operations.

This week’s ESG in 5 spotlights how businesses and governments are stepping up their climate action—from Hitachi Digital Services expanding ESG goals, to Mercedes-Benz powering German operations with wind, IKEA turning food waste into fuel, Google tackling carbon removal and methane, and Spain mandating carbon reporting under its new Climate Emergency Plan.