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Midweek briefing: The 500 most-sustainable companies

Plus: A winning combo of solar and batteries, plant-based cod filets, and a historic heat wave

schneider electric

Time magazine and Statista released a ranking of the 500 most sustainable companies in the world. Only one of them, France’s Schneider Electric, scored above a 90 of 100 possible points in terms of public commitment to and progress toward sustainability targets. In fact, ranking above a 70 puts a business in the top 100, which includes companies like AstraZeneca, NASDAQ, PayPal, and Visa.

Juicy Marbles just launched plant-based Kinda Cod in the U.S. in partnership with Austrian startup Revo Foods. The raw, unseasoned fish alternative—a switch from the breaded filets and fish sticks normally spotted in the plant-based section of the grocery store—is made from mycoprotein, a fermented protein popularized by alt-meat brand Quorn. While eating fish is definitely gentler on the planet than mainlining meat, concerns like overfishing make it far from benign.

The Trump administration announced plans to open up 58 million acres of back country in national forests to road construction and development. This is a reversal of the 2001 “roadless rule” that had kept nearly one-third of the land, including old-growth forests, untouched and wild. “Any attempt to revoke it is an attack on the air and water we breathe and drink,” Josh Hicks, Conservation Campaigns Director at The Wilderness Society, said in a statement.

A combo of solar and batteries can get us 97% of the way to year-round renewable electricity in the sunniest regions of the world, according to a new report from energy think tank Ember. Additionally, that power would be affordable: The electricity would be cheaper than coal and nuclear, potentially representing a 22% price drop compared to last year’s rates.

Nearly 160 million Americans from Texas to Maine are experiencing an extreme heat wave this week—one of many increasingly common symptoms of human-caused climate change. That’s why now (and going forward) it’s important to check the heat index before you head outside. The heat index accounts for the health risks of both high temperatures and high humidity. In some locations that means the mercury cresting 90 degrees can be cause for staying inside.