Last week’s news that caught our attention was a little short on “good stuff”. Yet, we still looked for the silver lining. And at least we can remark that three uncomfortable headlines had owners last week:

#1: China told the world just weeks ahead of the Paris Climate Talks that it had been under-reporting its carbon emissions. The Chinese authorities published the facts; it wasn’t revealed by a watchdog group, which would have worsened the government’s credibility on the subject. The new revelations, while disappointing in content, could mean that China is serious about managing their emissions within a negotiated framework.

#2: NRG’s David Crane was frank in explaining why the firm is backing away from renewable energy after a six year push into the field under Crane’s leadership: the move is to placate investors, not a change in belief system on Crane’s part. We certainly would like to be a fly on the wall ten years from now when those same investors complain about lack of innovation and a lack of viable long-term strategies to create firm value. But Crane’s dual action – strategic business decision and offsetting communication – introduces a whole new level of investor accountability, doesn’t it?

#3: The metrics that led to full payout of a Utah-based social impact bond to improve early childhood education were inadequate. Goldman Sachs, who adopted the proposed metrics when facilitating the deal, has not commented on the credible critique. But at least, the responsible researchers on the program are accepting that the metrics and subsequent conclusions leave something to be desired. As social impact bonds are still very much in the testing stage everywhere, we can just hope it to be a valuable lesson going forward. But as we reflect on the financial power of the players involved we can’t quite ignore the fact that the Utah school district, presumably more financially strapped than the bond’s arranger and funder, might in reality be overpaying due to the inappropriate metric design and benchmarking… – The New York Times broke this story.