Large U.S. managers have sharply cut climate proposal support. BlackRock backed just 4% of environmental and social proposals in 2024, down from 47% in 2021, with early spillover already visible as Canadian energy investors oppose climate disclosure proposals despite notable minority support. Still, 93% of Canadian institutional investors report continuing to incorporate ESG since the 2024 U.S. election, and Canada\u2019s distinct legal framework offers relative resilience, though a paused mandatory climate disclosure proposal shows the system isn\u2019t fully insulated.<\/p>\n
Featured ESG Tool of the Week: What Europe\u2019s heatwaves could learn from the Gulf As Europe grapples with record heat and a scarcity of air conditioning, Gulf states offer decades of experience adapting <\/a>to extreme temperatures. Dubai\u2019s shopping malls double as air-conditioned running tracks, hosting an early-morning \u201cMallathon,\u201d while Abu Dhabi and Qatar have built chilled outdoor walkways using evaporative cooling and shading. Experts like University College London\u2019s Oscar Brousse say Europe should study these approaches, though researchers caution that outdoor cooling carries real costs; evaporative systems only work well in dry climates, and University of New South Wales professor Matthaios Santamouris called cooling outdoor spaces \u201cfundamentally unsustainable\u201d given the energy required.<\/p>\n More promising, Santamouris argues, are \u201csupercool\u201d reflective building materials, which have cut surface temperatures by up to 15\u00b0C in Riyadh and could suit Europe too. Indoor district cooling, which chills buildings via piped water, has also expanded significantly across the UAE. Still, U.S. climate-tech firm AtmoCooling says European interest in outdoor cooling tools is rising fast, particularly for agriculture and urban areas, even if wholesale adoption of Gulf-style infrastructure remains limited.<\/p>\n UK restaurant kitchens turn to induction cooking to beat the heat UK restaurant kitchens, sweltering through repeated summer heatwaves without a legal maximum working temperature, are increasingly switching from gas to induction cooking<\/a>, which is a change that can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10\u00b0C. Chefs including Jeremy Pang of School of Wok say induction can match gas for heat and flavour, reaching 350-400\u00b0C while remaining easier to control, quieter, and free of the pollutants linked to asthma from gas cookers.<\/p>\n The financial case is strong too: a Global Cooksafe Coalition report found one gastropub cut energy use by nearly two-thirds, saving \u00a39,000 annually and an estimated \u00a365,000 over a decade, while also slashing emissions and cleaning time, with one Australian restaurant cutting cleaning from 24 minutes to 21 seconds per cooktop. Chantelle Nicholson of Apricity, which won a Michelin Green Star, called electric alternatives \u201cclearly the way forward.\u201d Electrify Britain\u2019s Camilla Born urged the government to cut electricity costs to accelerate the shift away from gas.<\/p>\n
\nKlimado<\/a> \u2013 Navigating climate complexity just got easier. Klimado offers a user-friendly platform for tracking local and global environmental shifts, making it an essential tool for climate-aware individuals and organizations.<\/p>\n
\n![\"storefronts](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/828-Gulf-Heat-Lessons-300x225.jpg\")
The Dubai Mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo credit: Mostafa Meraji\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
\n![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/828-UK-Induction-Cooking-300x214.jpg\")
A woman working in a commercial kitchen.
Photo credit: Rohan G<\/a><\/p>\n