Alphabet’s 168,000 customers and business fleet drivers to gain access to NewMotion charging network and smart home chargers Business fleet leasing firm Alphabet has teamed up with NewMotion to offer smart electric vehicle charging for its 168,000 UK customers both at home and on the go, with a new partnership that covers both home electric […]

Bosses at BT, OVO Energy, Shell, Anglian Water, and many others have joined the line-up for the world’s first Net Zero Festival More top green business leaders, campaigners, and academics have joined the line-up for the Net Zero Festival this autumn, as calls for a green recovery that accelerates the net zero transition continue to […]

In a string of new measures unveiled yesterday, the bank has tightened its rules on providing finance to companies invested in coal, giving European firms until 2021 to align their coal strategies with a 2030 exit date. Companies planning to build new coal-fired power plants will no longer be able to get financing from BNP […]

British Gas owner says UK should target one million heat pumps by 2025 as it fears hydrogen domestic heating may be a decade away British Gas owner Centrica has called for a national heat pump installation drive over the next decade in order to meet the UK’s 2050 net zero target, arguing that a “proven […]

BEIS gives nod to huge 1.8GW wind farm proposed by Swedish energy company, as it delays approval for Ørsted’s Hornsea Three project for the fourth time Vattenfall has been given the all clear to build the mammoth 1.8GW Norfolk Vanguard offshore windfarm off the east coast of England. Planning consent was granted earlier this week […]

Carbon capture and separation technology pioneer pulls in backing from oil and gas giant Equinor in second major funding round UK-based carbon capture specialist Carbon Clean Solutions Limited (CCSL) has today announced that it has closed a new funding round, pulling in $22m of investment from Equinor Ventures and ICOS Capital. The Series B funding […]

Pressure is mounting on the government to make green jobs a priority in its recovery package major focus of UK recovery plans Prioritising green homes, tree planting, and charge points could help tackle mounting job losses, according to new reports from IPPR and REA Investing in a green recovery could create as many as 1.6 […]

Company strengthens 2050 environmental vision with pledge to work with suppliers to slash emissions Lucozade Ribena Suntory has extended its emissions target, with the announcement yesterday of a new target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain by 2050. The company said it already has a science based target for […]

Next is among the companies to sign the climate pledge. Initiative coordinated by the British Retail Consortium will see supermarkets, food chains, pharmacies and booksellers work together to develop decarbonisation strategy for retail industry ahead of the COP26 climate conference. Twenty of the UK’s largest retailers, including Boots, Aldi, Ikea, Amazon, and M&S, have pledged […]

It is now a year since the launch of the Planetary Emergency Partnership, and our message is more important now than ever, argues Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of the Club of Rome On 1 July 2020, the Planetary Emergency Partnership will be celebrating its first anniversary during the London Climate Action Week. Within one year, the […]

Carbon Tracker’s analyses cover the impact of the energy transition on capital markets and the potential investment risk in high-cost, carbon-intensive fossil fuels.t. Credit: Victor Kiryanov Collaboration between the two influential think tanks will see Carbon Tracker’s industry-leading utilities and oil and gas insights accessible to more markets through 2DII’s PACTA tool. Sustainable finance think […]

Environment Secretary George Eustice’s address at the COP26 Business Leaders Event hosted the Council for Sustainable Business It’s a real pleasure to be at this conference today and I wanted to begin by commending the fantastic work of the Council for Sustainable Business. This is an incredibly forward thinking group of companies…

UN aviation body ICAO condemned by climate campaigners for controversially changing CORSIA carbon offset scheme rules The global aviation industry has been accused of backtracking on its climate commitments after controversially agreeing to change the rules for its forthcoming carbon reduction scheme in light of the disruption caused by Covid-19, sparking fears the moves will […]

Final aim of Hydrogen to Humber Saltend project that proposes to bury captured carbon emissions under the sea is to expand a hydrogen network across the Humber that can drive the industrial region towards net zero. Equinor has unveiled plans to build a “world-leading” facility at a chemicals park near Hull that would produce hydrogen […]

Department of Transport announces that local authorities across the UK can apply to trial e-scooters as part of a year-long trial that will test the cost-effectiveness and convenience of the low-carbon mobility solution embraced by other European countries Rental e-scooters will be legal in the UK from Saturday, the government has announced, in a move […]

Film producer and co-founder of Comic Relief, Richard Curtis, has launched a campaign to help make the UK’s £3tr of pension assets more sustainable and ensure it is invested in building a better world after the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign – Make My Money Matter – was launched at an event yesterday and aims to […]

To coincide with new sustainability strategy agri-business giant Syngenta releases poll showing growing concern worldwide about impact of climate change on crop yields and farmers More than 70 per cent of large-scale farmers in the US, France, China, Brazil, India and across much of Africa harbour significant concerns about the impact of climate change on […]

CPRE urged the government to ensure the countryside economy was not left behind by the looming recession CPRE urges government to put in place net zero targets for land-use, invest in nature restoration, and ensure planning system considers climate impacts The government should draw up a strategy to achieve net zero emission land-use across England […]

Governments and industry should back the growing hydrogen economy to achieve a decarbonised energy future, argues Uniper CEO Andreas Schierenbeck Consensus is building in Europe and around the world that investment in decarbonisation initiatives will be central to a successful economic recovery from Covid-19. The EU has put green initiatives at…

Several firms – including EDF – involved in the Moorside project are also developing Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Somerset Coalition including EDF, construction firms and trade unions sets out vision for new 3.2GW nuclear station linked with renewables and hydrogen production Plans for a low carbon energy hub in south Cumbria that would […]

An artist’s impression of a L&G housing development. | Credit: Legal & General Firm chief executive argues that construction is “rocket fuel” for economic growth, but must be done sustainably in order for the country to build back better. Legal & General has committed to making all the homes it builds operationally zero carbon by […]

Update provided alongside Prime Minister’s speech on economic recovery, confirms plans for up to £100m of carbon capture innovation funding The government has today announced and reaffirmed a series of green funding commitments, including a major pledge to provide up to £100m of new funding to support the development of Direct Air Capture (DAC) emissions […]

The Prime Minister again underscored his commitment to a greener recovery and hymned the UK’s world-leading clean tech – but why then are businesses and campaigners so fretful? Like a patient sitting on a therapist’s couch following a genuine trauma, the British government today attempted to transport itself back to the last time it felt […]

VIDEO: Carbon Limiting Technologies and Clean Growth Fund head chats to BusinessGreen editor-in-chief James Murray about scaling up clean tech and unlocking finance to deliver net zero Beverley Gower-Jones has been a key figure in the UK’s energy and clean tech world for several decades, having previously worked at Shell International, where she founded Shell Technology […]

Fast food chain teams up with InstaVolt to install rapid electric vehicle chargers at UK Drive Thru restaurants McDonald’s customers will soon be able to power up their electric cars while waiting for their Big Mac and fries, with the fast food chain teaming up with InstaVolt to rollout rapid electric vehicle (EV) chargers at […]

In response to coronavirus disruption, the government is to give people more time to deliver projects that are eligible for incentive scheme The government has today confirmed it will extend the deadline for companies and households to deploy projects under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme following the closure of the most recent phase of […]

EDF’S West Burton B project in Nottinghamshire, one of Europe’s largest battery storage projects | Credit: EDF Venture will see Octo Energy help EDF identify dual-use sites in Wales and England EDF Renewables has partnered with Welsh renewables developer Octo Energy to develop 200MW of hybrid solar and battery storage projects in England and Wales. […]

Prime Minister to reaffirm tree-planting plans as part of £5bn ‘New Deal’ style recovery package, but green campaigners fear ‘false start’ as key funding announcements still yet to be confirmed Boris Johnson will today deliver a major speech on the government’s imminent economic stimulus package, promising to engineer a Roosevelt-style ‘New Deal’ that will see […]

Legislation backed by 180 MPs could enable smaller UK generators to supply power directly to their local communities, explains Good Energy’s Kit Dixon One of the defining features of our electricity system over the last decade has been rapid decentralisation. Best illustrated by this wonderfully geeky timeline by Carbon Brief, the UK has gone from…

Half of the world’s GDP is ‘moderately’ or ‘highly’ dependent on nature, according to the WEF | Credit: David Vig The brewing industry is among the nine critical sectors identified in a report published today by UNEP and the Natural Capital Finance Alliance that highlights need for banks, investors and insurers to set firm targets […]

Ahead of Boris Johnson’s speech on the government’s economic stimulus plans, MPs will today take part in over 100 digital meetings with constituents to discuss the green recovery MPs from across the political spectrum will today take part in over 100 digital meetings with constituents to discuss plans for a green recovery, as part of […]

Latest Fairtrade product sales figures show shoppers care ‘more about Fairtrade than ever’, organisation claims UK shoppers “care more than ever” about the sustainability of the products they buy, according to the Fairtrade Foundation, which yesterday released figures showing its farmers in the ‘Global South’ last year reaped a $41m boost for their local communities […]

COP26 President Alok Sharma’s video address for the COP26 Business Leaders Event, hosted by the Council for Sustainable Business in partnership with Defra Good afternoon everyone, and huge thanks for inviting me to this Council for Sustainable Business COP26 business leaders event. I am really sorry I can’t be with you live, so to speak, […]

Government announces £80m boost to cut CO2 from homes and industry alongside £200m of funding for cutting edge R&D efforts, but fresh reports fuel fears ‘boring’ multi-billion pound efficiency upgrade programme could be sidelined Almost £80m of funding to support a range innovative energy efficiency projects has been announced by the government today, as it […]

City Hall has developed and refined green policies we know can be scaled up to aid London’s recovery, argues Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy With the coronavirus pandemic rightly occupying our minds, you may have missed the recent report that revealed the UK has just experienced the driest May on record and […]

Research by UK100 estimates one in every 10 British workers need retraining or reskilling if 2050 net zero goal is to be met Around 2.2 million Britons may need retraining or reskilling in order to prepare the workforce for the transition to a net zero economy by 2050, campaign group UK100 has warned. The network […]

The government is shortly expected to unveil a major infrastructure investment blitz UK currently staring at a £14bn gap in the green infrastructure investment needed for net zero, warns Green Alliance The UK continues to plot significant new investment in high carbon infrastructure, despite data showing current public annual public investment in green transport, buildings, […]

Advanced tracking technology will be deployed across the portfolio | Credit: NEXTracker JV will see developer and investor collaborate on PPA-backed solar projects across England and Wales. Green Investment Group (GIG) and Enso Energy have formed a joint venture to build a 1GW pipeline of battery-backed solar projects across the UK. Macquarie-owned investment banking giant […]

Select Committee Chairs join wave of calls for a green recovery in letter to Chancellor that warns economic stimulus channeled towards carbon-intensive infrastructure projects would be a ‘historic mistake’ The chairs of the Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee and the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) have urged the chancellor to use the forthcoming Covid-19 […]

Average carbon dioxide emissions of new passenger vehicles have been rising since 2017 in Europe, despite a steady decline from 2010 to 2016. Credit: Haidan European Environment Agency notes that growing SUV segment and a slow pick up of electric vehicles has pushed carbon dioxide emissions up. Europe’s average car and van emissions increased in […]

Waste and metal recycler CEO Chris Sheppard said that decarbonisation is “key” to driving the green recovery of the global economy after the damage wrought by the coronavirus. European Metal Recycling (EMR) has committed to achieving net zero emissions across its value chain by 2040, 10 years ahead of the target date that is widely […]

NHS Property Services’ Cameron Hawkins sets out the range of efforts needed to deliver net zero across England’s healthcare system A year ago the government committed to making the UK a net zero emitter by 2050. In order to achieve this, there are a number of pressing environmental issues that we face, with governments, business […]

IETA plans to lobby governments and companies to set net zero goals Plus all the top green business news from around the world this week, including Denmark’s new climate law and the Australian mining sector’s net zero pledge IETA sets out net zero carbon trading vision The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) has unveiled its […]