International: United Kingdom
London mayor wants to put stopper on plastic water bottles
6 Dec 2017
London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants to see free water fountains and bottle refill stations across the city to reduce the use of plastic bottles.
BEAN BUSES: In London, it's wake up and smell the traffic
23 Nov 2017
Seeking to curb toxic diesel fumes, London transport officials are hunting for new sources of energy for buses. The latest idea? Coffee grounds.
Barclays issues €500m bond for 'green mortgages'
9 Nov 2017
UK banking giant Barclays has successfully issued a €500 million green bond - the first of its kind in the UK to use funds backed by domestic assets.
BBC apologises over interview with climate denier
26 Oct 2017
The BBC has apologised for an interview with climate change denier Lord Lawson after admitting it had breached its own editorial guidelines for allowing him to claim unchallenged that global temperatures have not risen in the past decade.
Dirty cars must pay for using London streets
25 Oct 2017
Drivers of the most polluting vehicles must from now on pay a daily charge of up to $NZ40 to drive into central London.
UK hints at e-bike subsidy to get people moving
24 Oct 2017
The UK government might consider providing subsidies for electric bicycles and electric cars as part of a concerted policy effort to get more people cycling.
UK climate masterplan – the grownups have finally won
16 Oct 2017
The UK Government’s clean growth strategy unequivocally states that tackling climate change and a prosperous economy go hand in hand.
Oxford city to ban cars in zero-emissions zone
13 Oct 2017
Polluting vehicles would be banned from Oxford city centre under plans to bring in what officials believe would be the world’s first zero emissions zone.
Scotland bans fracking after public protests
5 Oct 2017
The Scottish government has banned fracking after a consultation found overwhelming public opposition and little economic justification for the industry.
London could cut waste by 60% through circular model
25 Sep 2017
London could reduce its waste by 60 per cent by 2041 through a circular economy approach, says a new report.
May speaks out against Trump climate stance
22 Sep 2017
Theresa May has issued a veiled warning to Donald Trump, arguing that his plan to withdraw from the Paris climate change treaty ranks alongside North Korea’s nuclear missile tests as a threat to global prosperity and security.
London welcomes first plastics-free shop
20 Sep 2017
London has welcomed the opening of its first package-free food store opened In an effort to eliminate plastic pollution.
UK wind power prices reach lowest level
18 Sep 2017
Three new windfarms are to be built in the United Kingdom as offshore wind prices reach their lowest levels ever.
Scotland sets 2032 ban on new diesel and petrol cars
7 Sep 2017
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has declared that the country will end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2032.
Parents face fines for driving children to school
7 Sep 2017
Parents across the UK face tough restrictions – and even fines – over driving their children to the school gates, in a push by councils on road safety and pollution.
Scotland claims tidal power world record
6 Sep 2017
August was a record-breaking month for Scottish tidal energy, after a power station managed to generate 700 megawatt-hours of electricity.
More carmakers launch scrappage schemes
4 Sep 2017
Five more carmakers have launched scrappage schemes as the industry tries to kickstart the stuttering UK market by offering thousands of pounds off new, less polluting models.
Big emissons savings as air passengers fly to rail
24 Aug 2017
A shift in travel from planes to trains between London and Central Scotland has helped to slash 681,064 tonnes of emissions.
Ford UK will pay to scrap 'dirty' pre-2009 cars
24 Aug 2017
Ford has announced a car and van scrappage scheme in a bid to get dirtier vehicles off the roads in the UK.
Britain launches review to cut long-term energy costs
9 Aug 2017
The Brfitish government has launched a review on how best to reduce long-term energy bills for households and business, prompted in part by concern that high electricity costs could damage industrial competitiveness.
E-cars not the answer, says traffic expert
7 Aug 2017
Cars must be driven out of cities to tackle the air pollution crisis, not just replaced with electric vehicles, according to the UK government’s top adviser.
World’s greenest soccer club kicks off in pro league
7 Aug 2017
England soccer team Forest Green Rovers kick off their first professional league campaign knowing that they are already champions of environmental sustainability.
DITCH STRAWS: How to cut plastic waste
2 Aug 2017
Marks & Spencer has redesigned and repackaged more than 140 best-selling products to cut plastic use, saving 75 tonnes of packaging a year in the process.
England and Wales record warmest winter since 1910
31 Jul 2017
The winter of 2016 was the warmest for England and Wales in records that stretch back to 1910.
Two Australian states offer free public transport as war pushes up fuel prices
Mon 30 Mar 2026
Public transport in two Australian states will be made free to incentivise people not to drive as fuel prices soar due to the war in the Middle East.
Double danger? Climate change, El Niño push Earth 'beyond its limits'
Wed 1 Apr 2026
A freakish March heat wave has already pushed temperatures to summertime levels throughout much of the western and central United States, but a new report comes with a dire warning: This is just the beginning.
China launches two probes into US trade practices
Tue 31 Mar 2026
China's commerce ministry has initiated two counter-probes into U.S. practices that hamper the flow of Chinese products into the United States, it said on Friday, refraining from immediate retaliation to U.S. measures announced earlier this month.
Europe’s energy illusion: Why a €1 trillion green bet hasn’t broken the import habit
Tue 31 Mar 2026
The war with Iran is exposing a hard truth – Europe’s green push has left it no less dependent on imported energy.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
Asia ramps up use of dirty fuels to cover energy shortfall triggered by Iran war
Thu 2 Apr 2026
South Korea will delay the shutdown of coal-fired plants, while the Philippines also plans to boost the output of its coal-burning plants
Vanuatu Indigenous leaders raise concerns over plans to build resort for cruise tourists
Wed 1 Apr 2026
Indigenous community leaders in Vanuatu have raised concerns over plans by the cruise operator Royal Caribbean to build a private beach club on the island of Lelepa, arguing environmental impact assessments by the company are “incomplete” and “misleading”.
China's huge push to reduce air pollution had an unexpected consequence in the Arctic
Thu 2 Apr 2026
China's cuts to aerosol emissions reduced sea ice loss, but it may have revealed a bigger story about climate change.
Rationing power and diluting petrol – how African countries are coping with effects of Iran war
Mon 30 Mar 2026
Countries across Africa have taken measures such as diluting petrol and restricting electricity consumption to cope with the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran.
Beef production drives 40% of agriculture-linked forest destruction, Brazil leads
26 Mar 2026
Beef production is the leading driver of agriculture-linked deforestation, accounting for 40% of all forest clearing done to open space for food production, according to details of a study released on Tuesday.
Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says
18 Mar 2026
The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is a lesson on the risks of relying on fossil fuels which should drive governments to wean their economies off oil and gas faster, the U.N. climate secretary told Reuters on Monday.
