The Guardian: Michael Bloomberg’s ‘war on coal’ goes global with $50m fund
November 9, 2017
The battle to end coal-burning, backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, is expanding out of the US and around the world in its bid to reduce the global warming threat posed by the most polluting fossil fuel.
Bloomberg, a UN special envoy on climate change and former mayor of New York city, has funded a $164m campaign in the US since 2010, during which time more than half the nation’s coal-fired power plants have been closed.
On Thursday, he announced a $50m (£38m) plan to expand the programme into Europe and then the rest of the world. The money will support grassroots campaigns, research on the health impacts of coal and legal action against coal plants that are breaking pollution rules.
Read moreThe New York Times: At Cornell Tech, Art Engineered for the Imagination
September 13, 2017
Since the first crop of engineering graduate students arrived last month at the brand-new Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, many have been busy decoding the diagrams in Matthew Ritchie’s dynamic mural rising up four stories in the atrium of the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center, the main academic building.
Read moreThe Financial Times: Michael Bloomberg talks tough on health and junk food
August 31, 2017
Michael Bloomberg, businessman, philanthropist and former mayor of New York, with a net worth of $52.3bn, has added a near indigestible job title to his schedule over the past year: the World Health Organization ambassador for non-communicable diseases.
Read moreB The Change: From Crop to Cup: How Cooperatives, Training and a Unique Partnership Is Changing Coffee and the Lives of Coffee Farmers in Rwanda
July 24, 2017
The Relationship Coffee Institute, formed by B Corp Sustainable Harvest in partnership with nonprofit Bloomberg Philanthropies, is educating Rwandan coffee farmers in agronomy, cupping and roasting. The Institute is proving that to improve the quality of coffee, you aim to improve the lives and opportunities of the coffee farmers.
Read moreVanity Fair: Mike Bloomberg Explains His Novel Approach to Fighting Climate Change
May 1, 2017
In their new book, Climate of Hope, Bloomberg and Pope argue that the onus of saving the planet doesn’t just fall on Washington but rather local communities, businesses, and individuals.
Read moreReuters: Scientists to test 50 coral reefs to seek ways to counter climate change
February 24, 2017
Many people wrongly associate climate change only with heatwaves, storms and wildfires on land, Michael Bloomberg, the U.N. secretary-general’s special envoy for cities and climate change, said in a statement about the project.
“Some of the most disastrous effects of climate change are out of sight – on the ocean floor. In fact, unless we take urgent action, 90 percent of coral reefs are expected to disappear by 2050,” he said.
Read moreThe New York Times: Make Colleges Diverse
December 14, 2016
On Tuesday, Bloomberg’s foundation is starting an ambitious response, the American Talent Initiative. As some readers may know, this issue is a passion of mine, and I consider the project very promising.
It has a clear goal: The number of Pell Grant recipients (who tend to come from the bottom two-fifths of the income distribution) attending the 270 colleges with the highest graduation rates should rise 50,000 within 10 years. That would be an increase of more than 10 percent.
To get there, Bloomberg is creating a coalition of colleges that publicly commit to become more diverse.
Read moreThe Washington Post: Michael Bloomberg may be Big Tobacco’s biggest enemy
December 5, 2016
Kelly Henning, who leads public health efforts for Bloomberg Philanthropies, said in an interview that the new donation will help expand its previous work, such as getting countries to monitor tobacco use, introduce strong tobacco-control laws, and create mass media campaigns to educate the public about the dangers of tobacco use. The program includes 110 countries, among them China, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Read moreForbes: 10 Years Later: Bloomberg’s Big Bet on Tobacco Reduction
November 30, 2016
It comes out to less than a dollar a person: Since 2006, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment of more than $600 million to reduce tobacco use has helped protect nearly 1.7 billion people from smoking’s health hazards, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. The bet—while risky—offered a strong opportunity for philanthropy to play a role. Despite data indicating tobacco’s danger to public health as well as evidence about high-impact policies, “no one had really taken the evidence base on to implement it,” says Dr. Kelly Henning, Program Lead for Bloomberg’s Public Health program.
Read moreFast Company: These Mayors Are Being Rewarded For Making Their Cities Stronger and More Self-Reliant
November 30, 2016
The City of São Paulo, Brazil will receive $5 million for winning the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Latin American and Caribbean Mayors Challenge, a competition in which city leaders propose ambitious solutions to combat some systemic urban problem within the region.
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