Imported emissions make up 46 per cent of the UK’s carbon footprint Major report makes the case for new carbon tax on imported goods and goods, as the Environment Secretary reveals the UK’s climate targets could eventually cover carbon embodied in imported goods Imported emissions have always been a hugely contentious issue, with campaigners maintaining […]

As the sustainable finance sector booms, asset managers and owners are under increasing pressure to use their financial clout to steer a greener future 2020 was the year much of the investment community really started to reckon with the role it needs to play in driving the transition towards a net zero economy. Membership of […]

China has expanded its coal plant capacity to boost the coronavirus-stricken economy Green electrification drive over next 10 years critical to the world’s largest emitter decarbonising its power grid by mid-century, according to new analysis from Energy Transitions Commission and Rocky Mountain Institute China must electrify as much of its economy as possible and generate […]

Firms announce plans to transfer assembly of electric buses from China to UK, citing need to meet growing demand of zero emission buses British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and the UK arm of Chinese electric vehicle company BYD have announced plans to move a greater proportion of the assembly line for their popular […]

Researchers reveal NO2 emission reductions during first lockdown were lower than previously thought, amidst warnings ozone levels actually increased The first wave of coronavirus lockdowns around the world delivered more modest improvements to urban air quality than previously thought, research published today in scientific journal Science Advances has found. Scientists from the University of Birmingham […]

The vice-president of sustainability at CCEP, the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the world, spills the details on how the firm intends to achieve net zero packaging, manufacturing, shipping, and ingredients within 20 years In December, Coca Cola European Partners (CCEP) became the latest major company to announce a goal to achieve net zero emissions by […]

10-year plan sets out how high profile bank intends to slash emissions generated by company cars, buildings, and boilers TSB has today set out how it plans to achieve net zero emissions across its operations by 2030, unveiling a decarbonisation strategy that focuses on inking ‘net zero partnerships’ with key suppliers, boosting the efficiency of […]

Study published this week by US charging network ChargePoint predicts growing range of specialist commercial vehicles will turbocharge corporates’ shift away from fossil fuels The fleet market for electric vehicles (EV) is set to boom over the coming years as zero emission versions of heavy-duty vehicles that have previously resisted electrification hit the market. That […]

Environmental NGOs urge investment giant to expand its coal exclusion policy to include bigger portion of coal value chain, noting that current ban applies to just 17 per cent of coal companies NGOs have accused asset management giant BlackRock of greenwash after publishing findings that suggest the company has $85bn worth of assets invested in […]

Environmental NGOs urge investment giant to expand its coal exclusion policy to include bigger portion of coal value chain, noting that current ban applies to just 17 per cent of coal companies NGOs have accused asset management giant BlackRock of greenwash after publishing findings that suggest the company has $85bn worth of assets invested in […]

Global wildlife populations have fallen nearly 70 per cent in 50 years | Credit: Danielle Barnes New High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People established in support of ’30 by 30′ goal, which comes ahead of crucial COP15 biodiversity summit this year The UK has joined more than 50 other nations in vowing to protect […]

The Prime Minister says nations most ‘go further’ to protect nature, in addition to fighting carbon emissions, in his address to world leaders at the UN-backed One Planet Summit hosted by the French government on Monday Christine [Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank] thank you very much, I want to thank you and I […]

Independent research firm says rebooted sustainability practice will allow companies to grow more sustainably The ecosystem of firms working to help corporates and technology developers deliver a net zero emission economy has expanded further, after independent research and advisory firm Verdantix today announced it has grown its dedicated environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability […]

Asset manager’s chief executive warns that ‘too little is known’ about climate plans of UK companies that are critical to delivering net zero transition Asset management giant Schroders has called on the UK’s biggest businesses to produce dedicated net zero transition roadmaps over the next 12 months, arguing the move will enable shareholders to make […]

Decision to temporarily lift restrictions of neonicotinoid insecticide on sugar beet crops prompts outcry from public and conservation groups Conservationists have slammed the government’s decision late last week to approve the use of a pesticide known to harm bees, predicting the move will destroy wildflowers, pollute rivers, and further debilitate Britain’s declining bee population. The […]

Artist’s impression of West Cumbria Mining’s controversial colliery plan | Credit: West Cumbria Mining Decision not to intervene in planning process for coal mine draws widespread condemnation from politicians and green campaigners amid concerns over project’s climate impact The government has refused to intervene in the planning process for a controversial coal mine in Cumbria, […]

Research mapping 40 years of future global climate trends has concluded that temperatures in the UK are set to increase faster than other parts of the world UK summer temperatures could intensify far more rapidly than the global average over the coming decades, posing a “real risk” to Britons’ wellbeing, stark findings from researchers at […]

Farmers on the truck at coffee plantation in Alfenas, the southern part of Minas Gerais state, the center of coffee production in Brazil | Credit: dolphinphoto Starbucks, Walmart, McDonalds and Nescafe among more than 150 coffee retailers and producers to join collective pledge to invest in forestry protection and smallholder farm efficiency A global coalition […]

The Port is a landing point for the North East’s growing offshore wind sector | Credit: Port of Tyne Port selected to be maintenance base for massive Dogger Bank offshore wind farm cut 700 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2020 after electrifying its harbour crane and other key assets The Port of Tyne has made […]

Deloitte’s Better Banking Survey reveals a public increasingly concerned about the social and environmental credentials of the companies entrusted with their money Banks that finance fossil fuel infrastructure and engage in other types of environmentally destructive activity are running the risk of losing customers, according to recent poll of public attitudes undertaken by Deloitte. More […]

Domino’s plant-based range now includes vegan nuggets and a chicken-alternative pizza | Domino’s More than 440,000 people have so far signed up to the 31-day challenge in the UK, making this year’s the biggest yet, according to Veganuary The New Year has got off to a roaring start for the UK’s plant-based food sector, with […]

Major milestone for emerging renewable energy sector as developers of UK’s first geothermal power plant agree to sell 3MW of baseload power to green energy supplier Geothermal energy in the UK took a major step forward this week, after the developer of the nation’s first geothermal power plant struck landmark deals to supply electricity to […]

As Gatwick kicks off planning permission process for plans to convert an emergency runway into functioning second runway, campaigners accuse airport off being ‘disengenuous’ by understating scale of upgrade Campaigners have accused Gatwick Airport of being “callous to communities” after the airport revealed major shareholders had greenlit plans to upgrade its spare runway into a […]

Supermarkets have been facing growing public pressure to reduce plastic waste | Credit: Tesco Supermarket claims to have met its pledge to remove one billion pieces of plastic, working with suppliers to remove unnecessary and excessive packaging of products Tesco claims to have made significant headway last year in cutting back on the plastic stocked […]

Plan for 10-month hydrogen heating trial near Gateshead comes as WWF Scotland urges major energy efficiency investment programme to slash emissions from leaky and carbon-intensive homes More than 650 households and businesses in a village in Tyne and Wear could soon be among the first in the UK to heat their homes and cook their […]

Latest funding to be split between six regional industrial decarbonisation projects across the UK in support of hydrogen, carbon capture and renewable energy technologies A raft of industrial firms have been granted £8m to produce detailed decarbonisation roadmaps setting out how they could leverage clean energy technologies to slash emissions over the coming decade, as […]

The most costly climate-related weather disasters in 2020 hit the highest total ever, the report claims | Credit: John Carnemolla Most costly floods, windstorms, tropical cyclones and fires in 2020 killed thousands of people across the globe and displaced millions, charity finds The world’s 10 most expensive climate-related weather disasters in 2020 together cost more […]

Existing peatland protection policies fall short, according to think tank | Credit: Sean Paul Kinnear Green Alliance warns that major decarbonisation policy gaps must be filled next year if government is to achieve its bold 2030 carbon reduction target The government’s New Year’s resolution should be to follow up the wave of green promises and […]

Bankers for Net Zero alliance convened by All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fair Business Banking unveils framework for sector’s role in accelerating UK decarbonisation A new framework has been launched to guide UK banks’ decarbonisation efforts in the lead up to next year’s vital COP26 climate conference, focusing on fossil fuel divestment, climate-responsible advocacy, […]

Karol Gobczynski is head of climate and energy at Inkga Group, the company that owns most Ikea stores The head of climate and energy at Ingka Group, which owns the majority of Ikea stores, sits down with BusinessGreen to discuss the company’s sustainability plans and why investment now will secure the company’s future profitability A […]

Cultivo aims to facilitate flow of private finance to nature-based solutions, by using cutting-edge technologies to identify projects with potential for strong natural capital returns A fintech start-up is aiming to help finance the restoration of at least 3.5 million hectares of land within the next five years by using algorithms and remote sensor technologies […]

Wind power generation hit a new high of 17.3GW last week during short period when zero carbon electricity produced nearly three-quarters of output, National Grid ESO reveals Wind power in Britain broke a yet another new record on Friday, when gusty winter weather saw the UK’s growing fleet of onshore and offshore turbines produce nearly […]

Good Law Project and Ecotricity CEO Dale Vince threaten court action unless government reviews airports planning policy before the final approval process for third runway begins Plans to build a third runway at Heathrow are potentially facing yet further legal obstacles, after campaigners vowed to take the government to court if it does not update […]

Energy regulator sets out how it expects to deliver a ‘more modern, smarter, digitally enabled’ grid that can support up to 11 million electric vehicles by 2030 and increased demand for heat pumps Ofgem has set out its methodology for determining new price controls for Great Britain’s local electricity distribution networks for the RIIO-T2 price […]

Vegetarian Butcher chief executive Hugo Verkuil | Credit: Unilever Chief executive of the Vegetarian Butcher sits down with BusinessGreen to discuss the current vegan food frenzy and how to market plant-based products to meat-lovers The plant-based meat and dairy market is expected to balloon over the years to come, as consumers increasingly seek to reduce […]

National Grid, E.On, RWE, Scottish Power, EDF and Centrica urged to follow SSE’s lead and publish dedicated strategies setting out how workers and consumers will be protected from any shocks of net zero transition The UK’s largest utility companies are facing calls to publish dedicated strategies that set out how they to intend to manage […]

Net Zero Index reveals UK has maintained highest decarbonisation rate in 21st century, but warns efforts must be accelerate rapidly to achieve global climate goals The global economy must slash its carbon intensity five times faster than current levels if the world is to stand a chance of keeping global temperature increases to the 1.5C […]

New report from Planet Tracker warns booming ETF market is supporting soybean companies driving mass deforestation in Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Investors engaged in the exchange traded funds (ETFs) market are indirectly and often unknowingly enabling the destruction of tropical forests, and as such the small clutch of asset […]

Update from BloombergNEF reveals battery pack prices have plummeted from $1,100 per kWh in 2010 to $137 per kWh in 2020, powered by soaring EV sales, cheaper materials, and manufacturing and tech innovation Lithium-ion battery pack prices have for the first time dropped under the $100 per kWh threshold widely regarded to be the price […]

Update from investor-backed campaign calls on companies to better account for their indirect emissions in corporate climate goals Net zero pledges may have snowballed across the private sector over the past year, but the world’s most polluting companies need to significantly strenghten their decarbonisation efforts to deliver the emissions reductions required to meet global climate […]

BREAKING: Campaigners vow to challenge decision in European Court of Human Rights, arguing the Supreme Court has ‘betrayed’ the public by ruling Ministers did not have to consider the Paris Agreement when approving the controversial project The Supreme Court has this morning ruled the government acted lawfully when it approved the expansion of Heathrow Airport, […]

Count On Us campaign will urge EU citizens to embrace a number of carbon cutting measures, such as reducing food waste, travelling by bike and foot, and investing in better home insulation A major new EU-backed campaign has launched today with the goal of encouraging citizens across the continent to take steps to reduce their […]

Partnership will help home improvement company meet its aim of creating as much wood as it consumes by 2025 The owner of B&Q and Screwfix has announced plans to work with environmental group Rainforest Alliance on projects that protect and restore tropical forests in regions where it sources wood. Kingfisher plc, which is one of […]

Velux Group’s vice-president of sustainability reveals what it takes to address emissions from the present, the future, and the past Velux Group’s sustainability team had been plotting a ‘lifetime carbon neutral’ decarbonsiation concept for more than a year when, some 5,000 miles away, Microsoft garnered headlines around the world last January by dropping a similar […]

Sale of four combined cycle gas turbine sites acquired just two years ago will allow Drax to slash emissions and enhance its focus on flexible and renewable power generation, company says Drax has agreed to sell four UK combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power stations in a deal worth £193.3m with a holding company owned […]

Firm claims to be largest company in the world to offer shareholders a regular say on its climate strategy Consumer goods giant Unilever is to give shareholders a vote on its climate action plans, becoming the largest business in the world to engage so directly with its shareholders over its sustainability strategy. Announcing the move […]

First task of ESG board committee formed this week by the retailer will be to establish plan for relaunch of M&S’ ‘Plan A’ sustainability programme M&S has announced it plans to reboot its sustainability programme next year after setting up a new board-level committee dedicated solely to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. The new […]

After several delays spanning at least a year, the government has finally unveiled vision for a future net zero energy system – here are the eight things you need to know about the long-awaited Energy White Paper To describe autumn 2020 as a busy period for green economy policy in the UK would be an […]

‘Business stands ready to deliver the investment and innovation needed to turn ambition into reality, and the proposals outlined in the Energy White Paper will give firms further confidence to deliver new infrastructure’ The government has today finally published its  long-awaited Energy White Paper, setting out its vision for building a zero emission energy system […]

Climate campaigners welcome proposal, but warn sector’s net zero pledges are meaningless unless insurers end coverage for carbon intensive fossil fuel projects in the near-term The chief executive of French insurance giant Axa has called for the creation of a ‘net zero underwriting alliance’ that would see member companies from across the insurance sector align […]