News

Rooftop solar panels can pay for themselves in six years, with a lifespan of 19 years when the electricity generated is essentially free. At the same time, the cost of solar farms has reached just £54 per MWh (megawatt hour), compared to a price for gas power stations of £85 per MWh in 2025, as predicted before the current crisis. Since the crisis, commodities traders have put the cost for gas in excess of £200/MWh, in ‘day ahead’ prices. If true, recent speculation that Ministers were to curb solar deployment on poorer...

The corporate commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 has led to a surge in demand for a very specific set of skills for sustainability professionals. But with such an influx of new roles and responsibilities and so much pressure to deliver, do UK corporates have the right people, with the right skills, to meet net zero goals? We recently surveyed 250 sustainability and energy managers from FTSE 250, or equivalent sized companies, and who spend £1 million or more on energy, to find out whether they were equipped...

Net zero targets previously agreed by the UK government are under ‘dire’ threat from new plans announced by ministers. Net zero targets aimed at reducing carbon emissions to reach net zero by 2050 could be derailed by a raft of measures including allowing new oil and gas projects, ‘fracking’, a new tax on renewable energy and lower vehicle emissions rules, campaigners warn. Leading UK environmental groups including The National Trust, R.S.P.B and the Wildlife Trusts have blasted the UK government’s plans calling them ‘a full-scale attack on nature’ and accuse...

Impact investing can deliver better solutions to climate change than ESG compliance and reporting, new research claims. Impact investing can offer quicker more innovative solutions to global challenges such as environmental degradation and renewable energy compared to ESG compliance and reporting, which is more focused on describing the status quo, subject to risk from confusing metrics and to claims of ‘green-washing’. That’s according to research by legal and advisory practice Taylor Vinters that highlights how Impact Investing could accelerate solutions to environmental sustainability and drive economic growth. Impact ventures and...

Wealthy countries must build trust at COP27 by honouring pledged climate finance and mobilising trillions needed to build resilience and reduce emissions. The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) urges wealthy countries to meet their obligations under the Paris Agreement to deliver agreed climate finance and mobilise further funds to support decarbonisation and adaptation of economically poorer countries The Institute has released a set of detailed asks collated from its work with leading businesses and financial institutions across climate change and nature regeneration, and business sustainability. The analysis also highlights...

Sustainability messaging is a ‘blind spot’ for businesses that are disconnected from consumer perceptions, a new report reveals. New research finds that ‘climate justice’ is used 29 times more by consumers than companies when talking about sustainability, followed by ‘climate crisis’ (24x) and ‘huge impact’ (36x) – suggesting a breakdown in communication between businesses and consumers when it comes to sustainability efforts. Research by FuturePlus and Relative Insight found stark discrepancies with language used in ESG reports between listed and non-listed UK companies, Ethics and Diversity & Inclusion (The ‘S’...

Phil Spring, UKI Comms and EMEA Energy, Environment and Utilities Leader, IBM explains the role that technology plays in ensuring transparent ESG reporting. Speaking at the opening of Climate Week New York City in September, the new executive secretary of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell, described the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh in November as “the world’s first opportunity in the era of implementation of the Paris Agreement to demonstrate progress.” And it’s an implementation era that must deliver given that 2021 UNEP Emissions Gap Report...

The NHS has an estate of over 3,000 properties and accounts for around 5% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Managing these properties and their energy and environmental impacts is a complex affair; how do they do it?  “You have to consider the entire landscape of physical buildings and the internal and external impact on environment, cost and efficiency,” says Cameron Hawkins, head of energy and environment at NHS Property Services. “It’s a balance between supporting clinical services and ensuring that assets are fit for purpose and meet requirements. Working...

Big pharma net zero ambitions have been boosted by a major initiative that aims to drive positive climate action throughout global value chains. Big pharma net zero activities are being supported by the Energize programme, a collaboration between 10 global pharmaceutical companies, to engage hundreds of suppliers in climate action and decarbonization of the pharmaceutical value chain. Healthcare delivery contributes 4.4% of global carbon emissions. Healthcare systems and their supply chains are both part of the challenge and the solution, having a key role to play in supporting the response to...

Chemicals industry accounts for around four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and must embrace a more circular, low emissions operating model. That’s according to a major new report that suggests without urgent action the chemicals industry faces reputational and regulatory risk and may lose its social license to operate. The report by Systemiq and the Center for Global Commons at the University of Tokyo sets out credible pathways for the industry to become an enabler of a sustainable global economy, to double in size and create 29 million...