Long-awaited legislation to deliver new environmental regulator and legally binding green targets The government will today formally table its long-awaited Environment Bill in Parliament, promising that the “landmark” legislation will reshape environmental regulation and enforcement in the UK post-Brexit. Currently most of the UK’s environmental rules are enforced by Brussels, but today’s legislation would see […]

Billions of dollars of food waste is generated every year by poor supply chain management | Credit: Eivaisla Fruit and vegetables the most vulnerable to food waste at all stages of the supply chain across rich and poor countries, according to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation From the moment crops are harvested to the point […]

As everyone clammers for a cleaner, better, more efficient transport system Steve Nash, IMI Chief Executive calls for central government to take stock, take control and learn from best practice Hail Liverpool! which has just announced a £172m investment in green transport schemes over the next five years. And bow down to Bristol, on the […]

One Point to offer ‘streamlined’ workplace charging installs, just months after green electricity provider snapped up a stake in EV charge map Zap Map Good Energy will today launched a new business selling electric vehicle (EV) charging points to businesses, in a move designed to take advantage of a predicted boom in plug-in vehicle sales […]

Farmers need the right support to survive the impacts of climat change, writes Fairtrade Foundation CEO Michael Gidney Last weej worldwide protests in London, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Sydney have caused disruption as activists demand rapid action on the climate crisis. Extinction Rebellion say we have 12 years before…

Eden Project wants to drill two holes 4.5jm underground to source clean heat and power | Credit: s99 Tourist attraction plans to drill into quarry to source geothermal heat and power for the site The Eden Project has secured enough money to push ahead with its £17m plan to drill into Cornish rocks to harness […]

EXPOSUREPoisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPontBy Robert Bilott with Tom Shroder Robert Bilott never set out to be anyone’s hero. He made his living defending chemical companies at an old-line corporate law firm based in Cincinnati when, just a few months shy of making partner, he received a call from […]

Green groups will be pouring over details of the government’s proposals The government is preparing to publish its long-awaited Environment Bill – and its contents will be crucial to post-Brexit green governance Today, as thousands of Extinction Rebellion activists continued to hold court in central London and with public concern for the environment at record […]

Long-awaited legislation expected to be published shortly, as government puts environment and climate change concerns centre stage in Queen’s Speech The new Parliamentary session will see the government bring forward the long-awaited Environment Bill to safeguard nature after Brexit, the Queen confirmed in her speech to Parliament today. Speaking in the House of Lords, the […]

Vegan lunches should be standard in schools and hospitals, new CCC report argues | Credit: Nata Bene CCC report on behaviour change needed to hit net zero goal also calls for a frequent flier levy and scrapping of air miles schemes Government must intervene to encourage people to make significant changes to their lifestyles in […]

But annual update from World Business Council for Sustainable Development warns governments and regulators are still not doing enough to standardised green reporting Leading corporates are providing investors with more information than ever before on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and their progress against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But the rapid […]

Investors plan to plough $643bn into renewables over the next ten years As climate protestors head to the city, growing numbers of investors are flexing their financial muscle to address climate issues The road blockades, impounded octopi, kettled kitchen sinks and attacks of fake blood have not gone unnoticed by the global investment community.  As […]

New Carbon Brief analysis reveals in third quarter of 2019 renewables generate more electricity than oil, gas and coal Over July, August and September of this year the UK’s solar, biomass, wind and hydro installations generated more electricity than fossil fuels for the first time in the history of the country’s grid, new analysis from […]

Introducing mandatory climate risk disclosure for businesses and investors is an essential part of achieving net zero emissions argues Nick Molho, executive director of the Aldersgate Group With a growing number of countries adopting net zero emissions targets – including most recently the UK and Scotland – there is increasing focus on how policy makers […]

Speaking at pre-COP talks in Costa Rica UK Climate Minister Lord Duncan urges other countries to step up their climate commitments The UK is committed to “walking the walk” on climate action in the lead up to hosting a major UN climate Summit in Glasgow next year, the UK’s Climate Minister told international delegates in […]

Initiatives aim to support companies with sustainable business models and investors who are increasingly focusing on environmental products and services Two major new initiatives designed to meet growing demand for sustainable finance products were launched by the London Stock Exchange (LSE) late last week. The Green Economy Mark recognises listed companies with 50 per cent […]

Northern Powergrid launches pioneering smart grid trial, where electric vans replace diesel generators as back up power supplies Technology that promises more reliable and less polluting back-up power in the event of localise power cuts could soon be available to people in north east England if trials by the electricity network distribution operator prove successful. […]

Technology is initially planned for a site in the US, but could also be used in the UK if a proposed plant is given the go-ahead, Velocys says Waste to biofuel pioneer Velocys has unveiled plans to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to produce what is says will be the world’s first negative […]

GreenBiz photocollage via Shutterstock Can the circular economy close the gap on climate emissions? A new report says it can Among the copious reports and white papers released during the third week of September – a.k.a. Climate Week (a good roundup can be found here) – was one that didn’t get much notice, but should. It […]

The energy team supercools its facilities to help offset energy costs, as intelligent software helps figure out when they should be switched back on This article is adapted from GreenBiz’s newsletter, VERGE Weekly, running Wednesdays. Subscribe here. If you think your organization has a challenging energy consumption profile, try running a network of cold storage facilities […]

The long-awaited Environment Bill is expected to set out details of UK’s post-Brexit green regulatory regime – and sources expect a ‘thundering big bill’ The government is planning to unleash a major green policy push as it gears up for a potential General Election with the release of its much-anticipated Environment Bill early next week, […]

BusinessGreen brings you all the low carbon business news from around the world this week Equinor spends big on floating wind to power oil and gas rig Norwegian energy giant Equinor is pressing ahead with plans to power an oil and gas rig using floating offshore wind for the first time, after…

Much stronger fiscal policies are urgently needed to lower carbon emissions, according to International Monetary Fund More ambitious carbon pricing, tighter regulations, and fees on carbon-intensive activities should be introduced globally to tackle climate change, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said. The recommendation came in the organisation’s new fiscal monitor report, which is produced […]

Electric car ‘simply not commercially viable’ for the firm, says founder James Dyson Dyson has closed down its £2bn electric vehicle (EV) project, which was due to launch next year, aftewr concluding it could not secure a commercially viable route forward for the high profile project. Founder of the company James Dyson announced the project […]

Italian gas and power giant places its first bond on the European market linked to two of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Italian gas and electricity giant Enel has placed its first ‘general purpose’ sustainability bond on the European market, with a multi-tranche issue of €2.5bn targeted specifically at boosting clean, affordable energy, and climate […]

Organisation behind solar powered railways celebrates 10th birthday and announces new name and brand The climate charity 10:10 has changed its name to Possible, as part of a major rebrand it says reflects its new strategy to make inventive climate action feasible. Under its former guise the charity led the campaign to reinstate new onshore […]

Environment Agency chair Emma Howard Boyd’s speech this week to the Aldersgate Group – in full Four years ago, in Mark Carney’s speech on “the tragedy of the horizon”, he discussed three risks climate change poses to the financial system: Liability risks (i.e. can people be sued for previous…

Madeleine Cuff attempts to clarify the government’s net zero plans – and comes away both encouraged and a little confused There’s an undeniable sense of chaos stalking the country at the moment. Generally law-abiding citizens are gluing themselves to roads in protest at the climate crisis. Octopus’ and kitchen sinks are being…

Regulator aims to become net zero by 2030 and is looking at moving to ‘absolute zero’ by 2050 The Environment Agency has this week announced plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions from its own activities and supply chain by cutting emissions a further 45 per cent by 2030, with remaining emissions then offset through […]

Innovation investment arm of energy giant BP snaps up stake in technology developer that aims to allow buildings to be used ‘like a giant battery’ BP Ventures has expanded its digital energy portfolio with an investment in tech start-up Grid Edge, which has developed AI-enabled software that allows commercial and industrial buildings to better control […]

Energy Efficiency First Declaration argues making green homes and infrastructure an investment priority would save households money and deliver massive net economic benefits Nearly 35 businesses, councils, green groups, and social justice charities have today called on the government to make energy efficiency in homes and infrastructure a national investment priority, stressing the UK’s 2050 […]

Brewing giant unveils Green Fibre Bottle made from sustainably-sourced wood fibres, which it claims is fully bio-based and recyclable Carlsberg has unveiled its latest designs for what it is hailing as the world’s first ‘paper’ beer bottles, as the brewing giant continues its bid to drive down the amount of plastic used in its packaging. […]

Eating more sustainably and avoiding food waste could cut greenhouse gas emissions from food by more than 60 per cent, according to the C40 Cities group Fourteen global cities have committed to promoting a “planetary health diet” for all citizens by 2030, in a move that could save 11 million lives each year while dramatically […]

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Kwasi Kwarteng | Credit: Policy Exchange In an exclusive interview, BusinessGreen quizzes the Energy and Clean Growth Minister on the government’s decarbonisation plans Kwasi Kwarteng has only been in post as Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth for less than three months, but it is fair to say […]

25-Year Environment Plan needs strong legislation to restore nature (c) Mark Coleman Ambitious legislation is needed to prevent failure of 25 Year Environment Plan, waste industry warns A strong Environment Bill with new duties for public bodies must be a top priority in the upcoming Queen’s Speech as current laws are too weak and delivery […]

EXCLUSIVE: Energy and Clean Growth Minister claims a no-deal Brexit will ‘not in any way’ be compromised by Brexit and insists government shares XR concerns – even if the Prime Minister did call them ‘crusties’ A ‘no-deal’ Brexit will not impact the UK’s ability to deliver on its 2050 net zero emissions target, Energy and […]

Want climate news in your inbox? Sign up here for Climate Fwd:, our email newsletter. WASHINGTON — Each state in America has an official state bird, usually an iconic species that helps define the landscape. Minnesota chose the common loon, whose haunting wails echo across the state’s northern lakes each summer. Georgia picked the brown […]

Shortlist announced ahead of inaugural BusinessGreen Technology Festival on December 5th BusinessGreen has today announced the shortlist for the fifth annual BusinessGreen Technology Awards, recognising some of the most exciting and innovative clean tech providers working in the UK today. This year’s BusinessGreen Technology Awards will take place as part of the inaugural BusinessGreen Technology […]

International Airlines Group becomes first airline group to set net zero target for mid-century, as company pledges to invest in green fuels and more efficient aircraft British Airways (BA) parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) has today announced it plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, making it the first global airline to […]

Nigel Harvey, boss at recycling compliance operator Recolight, arrested in bid to highlight scale of climate emergency The boss of the UK’s compliance scheme for ensuring waste lighting is correctly recycled spent the night in jail earlier this week, following a “principled stand” for action on the climate emergency as part of the latest Extinction […]

Users of Shell loyalty card will have their emissions automatically offset free of charge, as part of oil giant’s $300m nature-based investment plans Oil giant Shell has today announced it is to offer drivers the chance to offset the carbon emissions from their fuel purchases free of charge, as part of its support for the […]

Goldsmith Street in Norwich | Credit: Tim Crocker More than 100 council houses in Norwich built to Passivhaus standards have been recognised by the prestigious Stirling Prize for architecture A low carbon council housing estate in Norwich has been hailed a “modest masterpiece” after winning the prodigious Stirling Prize for architecture, with judges praising a […]

But plan to raise €54bn in taxes to pay for low-carbon shift has been dismissed by activists as too weak As Extinction Rebellion protestors chained themselves to bridges in Berlin to demand more ambitious climate action from their government, cabinet members in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government yesterday approved a sweeping new climate package for the country. […]

The public needs reminding that saving energy is good for the planet, argues Andrew Warren British people are very confused about what they should most usefully be doing, in order to assuage any guilt they might feel about damaging the climate. A Smart Energy GB study released this week found…

Lithium ion batteries have created a boom in electric vehicles | Credit: Extreme Media Committee awards prestigious prize to three scientists, declaring development of lithium ion batteries have made ‘a fossil fuel-free world possible’ Three scientists have won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their work developing the foundations for the world’s booming lithium ion […]