Meet the new climate sceptics, same as the old climate sceptics

The inevitable has finally happened. No, not the record-breaking wildfires, temperatures, and floods, although those too are definitely happening and with an ever more terrifying intensity. I’m talking about the political backlash against climate action, which is somewhat perversely gathering steam just as public concern about the environment soars, climate impacts become ever more visible, […]

Deloitte launches programme to educate all 330,000 employees on the climate crisis

All 330,000 employees at global consultancy giant Deloitte are to be enrolled in a climate learning programme designed to strengthen their understanding of both the huge risks presented by the climate crisis and the opportunities that could arise from the push to decarbonise the world’s economy. The programme has been developed in collaboration with the […]

Dropbox drops details of 2030 net zero strategy

Data sharing giant Dropbox has provided more detail on its plan to hit carbon neutrality across its operations by 2030, revealing that its data centre storage server power is now covered by 100 per cent  renewable electricity. In an update released yesterday, the cloud based data storage giant said it was making progress towards its […]

Big Clean Swith: IKEA to offer customers £35 of free green energy

IKEA’s customers are to be offered £35 of free green energy if they switch to a green energy supplier through the company’s website, after the retail giant moved to expand its partnership with green energy platform Big Clean Switch. Big Clean Switch runs a comparison website helping consumers select green energy suppliers. In addition to […]

Is there a 'quick, easy, cheap' way to net zero?

If you want to decarbonise your business, the quickest, easiest and cheapest way for your business to become more environmentally friendly could be to make sure that the electricity that you buy is renewable – that is, that your power comes from sources that do not deplete the Earth’s resources. Indeed, according to Eon, the […]

From UK to Asia, coal plant closure plans advance

This week has seen a further blow to the global coal market in both industrialised and emerging economies, as the UK’s coal power phase out entered its end game and some of the world’s top banks revealed plans to accelerate the closure of coal power plants in Asia. Energy giant Uniper today confirmed it is […]

Amazon bolsters second-hand product offering with fresh reseller initiatives

Amazon has opened the door to more second-hand products being offered by sellers on its site, yesterday announcing two initiatives which it said would make it easier for businesses to resell customer-returned items or overstock inventory. The two new Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) programmes aim to provide small businesses with another way to profit from […]

Democrats Seek $500 Billion in Climate Damages From Big Polluting Companies

Under a draft plan Democrats are circulating, the Treasury Department would tax a handful of the biggest emitters of planet-warming pollution to pay for climate change. WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress want to tax Exxon, Chevron and a handful of other major oil and gas companies, saying the biggest climate polluters should pay for the […]

Octopus Energy stretches tentacles into Spain with Umeme acquisition

Rapidly growing energy giant Octopus Energy has snapped up green energy start up Umeme, promising to inject £60m into the Spanish firm in a bid to “disrupt the market and drive customer service excellence in the Spanish energy sector”.  Announcing the “multi-million” pound deal today, Octopus Energy said it aimed to sign up one million Spanish […]

Salamander Scottish floating wind project eyes green hydrogen potential

One of Scotland’s largest upcoming floating wind turbine projects is being eyed up as a potential opportunity to simultaneously provide the UK with both renewable electricity and green hydrogen, according to its developers. The 200MW Salamander floating wind project, which is being developed by marine energy specialist Simply Blue Energy in partnership with offshore engineering […]

CO2 capture specialist Carbon Clean secures $8m backing from investors

UK-based Carbon Clean has attracted $8m backing from a host of investors in its latest funding round, the carbon capture specialist revealed yesterday. The company’s CO2 capture technology is operational in more than 10 locations worldwide, working cement, iron, and steel plants to “close the loop” on their emissions, and it said the additional funding […]

Does plastic have a future in packaging?

Images on social media of sea creatures wrapped in plastic has had a huge impact on the public perception of plastic packaging in recent years. Between four million and 12 million metric tons of plastic enters the oceans each year, threatening marine life and polluting our food. A lot of plastic is produced from fossil […]

Climate Change Could Devastate Emperor Penguins, U.S. Officials Warn

The Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal on Tuesday to list the birds as a threatened species. Climate change is threatening emperor penguins with extinction in much of their range, federal wildlife officials said on Tuesday as they announced a proposal to protect them under the Endangered Species Act. The penguins live much of […]

Zoom in on Net Zero – with Nesta's Ravi Gurumurthy

Ravi Gurumurthy is chief executive at Nesta, a foundation which works through programmes, investment, policy and research, and the formation of partnerships to promote social innovation across a broad range of sectors in the UK in order to promote social good. Gurumurthy begain his career in public policy research at the think tank Demos in […]

Why carbon dividends are having a moment

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Preparing for take-off: DHL Express places order for 12 all-electric aircraft

The fledgling electric aviation sector received another major vote of confidence this week, after DHL Express announced it has placed an order for 12 fully electric cargo planes. The global logistics giant confirmed it has teamed up with Seattle-based electric aircraft developer Eviation to support the roll out of its Alice eCargo fully electric planes. […]

Diageo fires up plans for Fife solar farm

Diageo is this week toasting plans for a major new renewable energy project at one of its largest facilities in the UK, having submitted a planning application for a new on-site solar energy farm at its Leven packaging plant in Fife. Subject to consent by Fife Council, the plans would see 12,000 solar panels capable […]

Air-freighted produce off the menu for COP26 and top sports venues

Some of the UK’s top sports and entertainment venues, including the conference centre that is to host the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow this autumn, are set to end the use of air-freighted produce on their menus. Levy UK + I, the sports and hospitality arm of catering services giant Compass Group UK, yesterday announced […]

Infrastructure Bill Recognizes Climate Change Is a Crisis

For the first time, both parties have acknowledged — by their actions, if not their words — that the United States is unprepared for global warming and will need huge amounts of cash to cope. The bipartisan infrastructure deal struck this week provides new money for climate resilience unmatched in United States history: Tens of […]

Seagreen touts corporate power contracts from Scotland's largest offshore wind farm

Two years ahead of its official opening, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm has this week announced the launch of new corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) that will allow energy-intensive businesses to source clean power direct from the flagship project. Developer Seagreen Wind Energy, a joint venture between TotalEnergies and SSE Renewables, said the new PPAs […]

'Zero packaging ready meals': New range reduces waste to plastic film lid

Wiltshire Farm Foods, the UK’s leading home meals delivery service, is one step closer to producing a zero-packaging ready meal with the launch of its new range of recyclable trays, the company announced this week. The 100 per cent recyclable trays will be collected and taken to a recycling facility in Durham where they will […]

Carbon Pricing: What is it good for?

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Fleeting Glimpses of Indonesia’s Endangered Orangutans

We watched in silence as the two orangutans, a mother and her child, prepared themselves for an encroaching rainstorm. While the air grew thicker, the mother — whom the local guides had nicknamed Minah — led her child toward the canopy and into a nest she had built earlier that day. Then, collecting vines and […]

We need to fix food

It’s no secret that our current food system is driving climate change, biodiversity loss and poor health. Our food is grown at a cost; modern agriculture is contributing to over 25 per cent of global carbon emissions as well as causing significant deforestation and biodiversity loss. Food is also a major contributor to the chronic […]

A Brain Drain Among Government Scientists Bogs Down Biden’s Climate Ambitions

Hundreds of scientists and policy experts left the government during the Trump administration. The jobs remain unfilled nearly six months into President Biden’s term, slowing his climate agenda. WASHINGTON — Juliette Hart quit her job last summer as an oceanographer for the United States Geological Survey, where she used climate models to help coastal communities […]

Environment Agency warns construction sector over illegal plastic waste exports

Waste and construction industry firms have been warned they must take much stronger action to tackle illegal waste exports from the UK, after the Environment Agency revealed this week that almost a quarter of containers for shipping abroad it inspected last year contained waste plastic material. The Environment Agency said it inspected 1,889 containers at […]

Wooden Buildings Reach for the Sky

VAXJO, Sweden — Stockholm and its suburbs are filled with construction cranes these days, reflecting a growing population combined with a housing shortage. But few of its developments are as extensive as Hagastaden, just to the north of central Stockholm where it meets the neighboring municipality of Solna. Here, it looks as if an entirely […]