Latest news with #USS
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Britain's biggest pension scheme to lobby governments more on climate
Britain's biggest private sector pension scheme plans to step up lobbying of governments, regulators and standard-setters to push for faster action amid a worsening climate outlook, its investment chief told Reuters. The Universities Superannuation Scheme, which manages nearly 78 billion pounds ($105.67 billion), has reduced emissions linked to its own portfolio. But Simon Pilcher said there was only so much schemes could achieve through asset reallocation. "That's why the high-value engagement is with governments and regulators to create the environment where the low-carbon action happens. It is, I would say, 90% up to them and only 10% up to capital allocation," the chief executive of USS Investment Management said. The British government in May signed an accord with pension investors to try to scale up investment in UK infrastructure and green programmes to help the country reach its net-zero goal, which is enshrined in law. Pilcher said changing the rules to make it easier for companies and consumers to overhaul their climate-damaging practices was the most effective lever for change, and the scheme had decided to "turn the dial up" on its lobbying efforts. "Corporates will change their activity when it's sane for them to do that," Pilcher said. "There needs to be a strong financial interest for those businesses to do the sensible thing; no one is going to spend money if, bluntly, they're going to be wasting that money." While USS IM has no formal arrangements with other investors, it has good relationships with the UK's local government pension schemes, and investors such as Railpen and Nest, the country's biggest auto-enrolment scheme, making it an influential voice within the sector. In the UK, lobbying would include talking to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero about its strategy and encouraging them to, for example, reform the planning process to make it easier to connect renewables to the electricity grid. The United Nations said last October the world was on course to hit more than 3 degrees Celsius of warming above the pre-industrial average by the end of the century, based on current emissions-reduction pledges by countries, way off the world's goal of capping warming at 1.5 C. ($1 = 0.7381 pounds) (Reporting by Simon Jessop; Editing by Alison Williams)
Reuters
6 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Britain's biggest pension scheme to lobby governments more on climate
LONDON, July 24 (Reuters) - Britain's biggest private sector pension scheme plans to step up lobbying of governments, regulators and standard-setters to push for faster action amid a worsening climate outlook, its investment chief told Reuters. The Universities Superannuation Scheme, which manages nearly 78 billion pounds ($105.67 billion), has reduced emissions linked to its own portfolio. But Simon Pilcher said there was only so much schemes could achieve through asset reallocation. "That's why the high-value engagement is with governments and regulators to create the environment where the low-carbon action happens. It is, I would say, 90% up to them and only 10% up to capital allocation," the chief executive of USS Investment Management said. The British government in May signed an accord with pension investors to try to scale up investment in UK infrastructure and green programmes to help the country reach its net-zero goal, which is enshrined in law. Pilcher said changing the rules to make it easier for companies and consumers to overhaul their climate-damaging practices was the most effective lever for change, and the scheme had decided to "turn the dial up" on its lobbying efforts. "Corporates will change their activity when it's sane for them to do that," Pilcher said. "There needs to be a strong financial interest for those businesses to do the sensible thing; no one is going to spend money if, bluntly, they're going to be wasting that money." While USS IM has no formal arrangements with other investors, it has good relationships with the UK's local government pension schemes, and investors such as Railpen and Nest, the country's biggest auto-enrolment scheme, making it an influential voice within the sector. In the UK, lobbying would include talking to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero about its strategy and encouraging them to, for example, reform the planning process to make it easier to connect renewables to the electricity grid. The United Nations said last October the world was on course to hit more than 3 degrees Celsius of warming above the pre-industrial average by the end of the century, based on current emissions-reduction pledges by countries, way off the world's goal of capping warming at 1.5 C. ($1 = 0.7381 pounds)
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Guess Who Was the Only President Less Popular Than Trump Right Now?
Donald Trump's approval rating has officially reached an all-time low—for his second term in the White House, that is. 'The USS Donald Trump is taking on a lot of water,' said CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten Wednesday. He reported that Trump's net approval rating had sunk to -11 points. 'His net approval rating has dropped nearly 20 points in the aggregate since the beginning of his presidency,' Enten said. 'The American people do not like what they're seeing, and Donald Trump's administration is in a ton of trouble at this point, in the minds of the American voters.' Enten reported voters had come to disapprove of Trump on practically every single issue of the day. Trump had a net approval rating of -14 points on the economy and foreign policy, with his never-ending tariff negotiations earning him a -15 point approval rating on trade. On immigration, which is arguably Trump's best issue, his net approval rating was only -5 points. But Enten did have one piece of good news to offer. 'There is one other presidency that has a lower net approval rating at this point than this one,' Enten said. 'The bad news is that it was Donald Trump's other presidency, his first presidency.' At this point in Trump's first stint in the White House, Trump had a net approval rating of -16 points. Enten added that since 1953, the average U.S. president has had a net approval rating of 27 points, placing Trump laughably behind. Unsurprisingly, the issue voters felt Trump was performing the worst on was Jeffrey Epstein, the alleged sex trafficker whose ties to the president have been resurfaced amid the Trump administration's hapless flip-flopping on the release of materials related to Epstein's crimes. This is bad news for Republican lawmakers who have thrown their lot in with Trump. The House GOP is delaying, perhaps indefinitely, its own nonbinding resolution asking the Justice Department to release more Epstein documents, and previously blocked a Democratic attempt to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, with zero Republicans supporting the measure. CNN's Poll of Polls, which tracks Trump's average approval and disapproval rates in national polls, found that only 41 percent of voters approved of Trump, while 57 percent disapproved. Last month, Enten analyzed five recent polls that cumulatively indicated that Trump's 'big beautiful bill' was historically unpopular, with 49 percent of the country believing it will hurt their families as opposed to the 23 percent who think it will help them.
New Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Discharging government duties from hospital: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin
CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin, who has been undergoing medical checkups at the Apollo Hospital, on Tuesday said he was discharging his government duties from the hospital. The CM said he has advised Chief Secretary N Muruganandam that there should be no delay/slackness in resolving the petitions from the people. The CM, in his post on X, said during his stay in hospital, he enquired with the Chief Secretary whether the special camps under the Ungaldum Stalin Scheme (USS) are going as scheduled, how many petitions have been received till Monday, and how many of them have been resolved.
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Ungaludan Stalin, AMMA schemes may appear similar, but are different
The launch of the Ungaludan Stalin Scheme (USS) by the DMK regime has prompted the AIADMK to liken it to the Assured Maximum Service to Marginal People in All Villages (AMMA) scheme, which was implemented by the previous AIADMK government when Jayalalithaa was Chief Minister. At least on two occasions in the last couple of days, the general secretary of the principal Opposition party, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is on a State-wide tour, called the new scheme an instance of the DMK government resorting to 'pasting stickers' on what was carried out by his party while in power. On Tuesday, former Revenue Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan, too, made the same point in a social media post. According to the policy note of the Revenue Department for 2020-21, around 64.15 lakh petitions were received at 64,079 camps during 2012-2020, of which 64.09 lakh petitions were disposed of. The two schemes have a common objective - providing government services at the people's doorstep. Apart from redressing the grievances of the people, both the schemes pave the way for enrolment of new beneficiaries under various schemes. For example, about 10 years ago, the registration of farmers under the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) and individuals under Aadhaar was given priority. Currently, the coverage of new beneficiaries under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT), a basic income scheme for women heads of families, is being given importance. Still, the two schemes differ in scope, according to a perusal of the government orders issued in March 2013 (on the AMMA scheme), and in June 2025 (on USS). The key difference between the two schemes is that while the former took care of only those in rural areas, the latter will cover people in urban areas, too. As per the G.O. issued by the Public (Mudhalvarin Mugavari) Department on June 19, a total of 10,000 camps would be held in the next four months (till November). In urban areas, 3,768 camps would be conducted and, in rural areas, 6,232. Among districts, Salem accounts for the highest number of camps at 432, followed by Chennai (400) and Tiruvallur (389). 'Improved version' Clarifying that the current government's latest initiative is an improved version of Makkaludan Mudhalvar, which was inaugurated in urban areas in November 2023 and extended to the remaining areas gradually, P. Amudha, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management), told The Hindu that the USS had been launched with a 'door-to-door campaign'. To a query on the continuance of Ungalai Thedi Ungal Ooril, another outreach programme of the government launched in January 2024, wherein Collectors would stay in a given taluk on a designated day for 24 hours to take up field visits, interact with the public, and get feedback on government schemes, Ms. Amudha said it would resume 'after the USS camps'. Wouldn't the system of providing services to the people online, without direct interface with officials, be better than the conventional way of holding camps, receiving petitions, and disposing of them? To this, the official said that 'due to illiteracy and lack of clarity' among sections of petitioners, 'supporting documents' were not attached while applying online. This had led to the rejection of a number of applications.
