International: United Kingdom
UK emissions fall 3.4% in 2022 as coal use drops to lowest level since 1757
7 Mar 2023
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 3.4% in 2022, according to new Carbon Brief analysis, ending a post-Covid rebound.
Can a new university breathe life into Britain’s climate education
28 Feb 2023
Even before the United States entered the Second World War, American schools were preparing students for conflict.
Carbon-absorbing underwater meadows planted
24 Feb 2023
Five million seagrass seeds will be planted off Wales' coast to create climate change-fighting underwater meadows.
The climate benefits of a four-day workweek
22 Feb 2023
There's growing interest in the benefits of a four-day workweek for productivity and employee wellbeing, but the picture is more complicated when it comes to climate change.
All major road building projects in Wales are scrapped
16 Feb 2023
All major road building projects in Wales have been scrapped over environmental concerns.
UK politician attacks 15-minute city concept in parliament
16 Feb 2023
UK member of parliament Nick Fletcher has ignited a debate about 15-minute cities after stating that they "will take away personal freedoms".
Climate targets 'may mean higher taxes': Lord Stern
14 Feb 2023
The UK has made good progress towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 but getting there may need higher taxes.
Shell lawsuit: Institutional investors back legal challenge over climate risk
13 Feb 2023
A group of European institutional investors is backing a novel London lawsuit against energy giant Shell’s board over alleged climate mismanagement in a case that could have far-reaching implications for how companies tackle emissions.
Former British high commissioner to NZ slams UK government’s environmental “vandalism”
12 Dec 2022
Former British high commissioner to New Zealand Laura Clarke has condemned the UK government’s decision to approve a coal mine in Cumbria as “vandalism and self-harm.”
£35m carbon neutral high school opens in Cheltenham
5 Dec 2022
A £35m carbon neutral high school has opened its doors to pupils.
Carbon dioxide price surge 'could add £1.7bn to cost of UK groceries'
4 Oct 2022
The surging cost of carbon dioxide could add £1.7 billion to the cost of British groceries, according to new analysis. Research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) suggests that the UK’s food and drink sector could end up footing the mammoth extra bill for liquid CO2 if gas prices remain high.
Milestones for carbon capture projects at sea and in Scotland’s gas sector
15 Sep 2022
A major new partnership has been struck in Asia to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) onboard ships, shortly after plans were unveiled for a major CCS trial at a gas-fired power plant in Scotland.
Energy crisis: the UK is still heading for widespread fuel poverty – despite the government’s price cap
14 Sep 2022
In October 2021, an estimated 4 million households in the UK were in fuel poverty. But the largest increase in gas and electricity prices ever in April 2022 has pushed a further 2.7 million UK households into fuel poverty, bringing the total number to 6.7 million.
What will King Charles's reign mean for climate action?
13 Sep 2022
As Britain's King Charles III begins his reign after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, environmental campaigners will be watching closely to see if he continues to advocate for climate action and is able to help drive change as monarch.
New U.K. Prime Minister brings worries about research funding and climate measures
7 Sep 2022
Liz Truss may not honour promises by outgoing leader Boris Johnson to make Britain a 'science superpower'
World’s largest wind farm begins full operation off the coast of Yorkshire
5 Sep 2022
The world’s largest completed wind farm, the 1.3GW Hornsea 2 project off the coast of Yorkshire, is now in full operation, according to its developer, the Danish energy giant Ørsted.
Here’s what you get if you ask airlines what they can do about the climate crisis
23 Aug 2022
Last year, the UK government’s own climate change advisers, the Climate Change Committee, said that demand for flying must fall if the UK is to meet its climate commitments.
The big firms snapping up Scottish carbon credits
23 Aug 2022
Weapons manufacturers, the oil giant Shell, and financial institutions which poured billions of pounds into fossil fuels are among firms buying Scottish carbon credits, prompting critics to claim the country is experiencing an era of “rampant carbon capitalism”.
Meet the pilot who quit flying because of the climate crisis
9 Aug 2022
Not many pilots climbing steadily up the ranks retire their wings in the name of environmental activism. But Todd Smith did just that at great expense. He spoke with DW about this life transition.
Tata Steel faces crunch-time, professor warns
8 Aug 2022
The UK's largest steelworks is facing "crunch time" over reducing carbon emissions, a professor has warned.
Twelve angry children: young jurors call adults to account for climate crisis in The Trials
5 Aug 2022
In 2019, the playwright Dawn King was booking flights to New York for a writing residency. It was the day of the UK’s first large-scale School Strikes for Climate, a movement launched by Greta Thunberg in Sweden. Checking her news feeds, King – who had meant to join the protests – realised she had clean forgotten. She winces at the memory.
Cycling surges 47% in England as fuel price hikes bite
4 Aug 2022
Compared to 2021, cycling levels in England rose by 47% on weekdays and 27% on weekends in the five months to the end of July, according to the latest statistics from the U.K.’s Department for Transport.
Britons would rather give up meat than pay more tax to tackle global warming, poll reveals
1 Aug 2022
More Britons would be willing to cut back on meat than pay extra in taxes to tackle climate change, a new poll has revealed.
UK targets 10GW by 2030 with “world-first” hydrogen subsidy scheme
25 Jul 2022
The UK government has officially opened the world’s first national low carbon subsidy scheme for hydrogen, which will target up to 1GW of clean hydrogen production by 2025 on the way to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen capacity by 2030.
UK's hottest day sparks culture war
21 Jul 2022
“Calm down, it’s just a sunny day.” That was the refrain from a small but powerful section of the British establishment this week, as temperatures in the U.K.—where summer highs rarely reach 30°C —topped 40°C for the first time in recorded history.
Legal setback for government over net zero plan as Britain swelters in heatwave
19 Jul 2022
Ministers failed to outline exactly how their net zero strategy will achieve emissions targets, a court ruled on Monday – dealing the government’s climate change credentials a serious blow on the day Britain sweltered under its first ever red extreme temperature alert.
A hypothetical weather forecast for 2050 is coming true next week
18 Jul 2022
Two years ago, forecasters in the UK conducted an interesting thought experiment: What will our forecasts look like in 2050?
Carbon tariff needed to tackle Britain’s energy and manufacturing crisis: report
13 Jul 2022
A new carbon tariff needs to be imposed on polluting foreign manufacturers that import goods into the UK, according to a report on the energy crisis released by the John Mills Institute for Prosperity.
Climate change forcing nature reserves to adapt, warns new report
7 Jul 2022
Projects to help wildlife adapt to habitats affected by climate change will become more commonplace, warned a new report.
Climate activists glue hands to Vincent van Gogh painting, other artworks in UK
4 Jul 2022
British climate activists have glued their hands to the frames of three valuable works of art — including one from Vincent van Gogh — in three separate incidents this week to protest the United Kingdom’s environmental policies.
The UK could comfortably cut energy use in half to meet climate targets. Here’s how.
30 Jun 2022
Dramatic yet feasible changes to industry, technology, and society could enable people in the UK to cut their energy use in half by 2050, according to a new study. And rather than feeling deprived by the effort to save energy, people would likely be better off in many ways, researchers say.
UK’s first ‘industrial scale’ carbon capture plant opens in Cheshire
29 Jun 2022
A carbon capture plant that has opened in Northwich is the largest such project in the UK. The £20 million facility will convert 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into food and pharmaceutical grade sodium bicarbonate each year.
Key ways climate change is affecting UK dairy farming and agriculture
17 Jun 2022
Climate change and the public’s response to it is affecting almost every aspect of agriculture, but what does it mean for cattle farming? In this guide, Brushtec discusses a few ways global warming may directly impact the dairy industry, as well as a few tips for how to handle it.
How much can e-bikes reduce carbon emissions?
15 Jun 2022
E-bikes could take the place of enough car trips to cut transportation emissions in England by as much as 24.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to a new study. What’s more, the greatest per capita benefits of e-bikes—with the potential to shave more than 750 kilograms of carbon dioxide off a person’s annual carbon footprint—are seen in rural and exburban areas.
Alok Sharma in running to be UN’s global climate chief
9 Jun 2022
Alok Sharma, the UK cabinet minister who led last year’s Cop26 climate summit, is in the running to be the UN’s global climate chief, at a crucial time for international action on greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate breakdown threatens economic breakdown
31 May 2022
Climate breakdown impacts could cause damage to the UK equivalent to cutting the size of the economy by at least 7.4 percent by the end of this century, unless there are stronger reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions.
UK’s net zero target is under threat because there’s no plan to pay for it
25 May 2022
The UK government’s plan for achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is at a serious risk of sinking before it’s been fully launched. With the Treasury having rejected a request by MPs to come up with a “clear funding plan”, there’s now every chance that an already bad plan will turn into no plan at all.
Suicides indicate wave of ‘doomerism’ over escalating climate crisis
20 May 2022
It was a stunning, grisly act. A man, a climate activist and Buddhist, had set himself on fire on the steps of the US supreme court. He sat upright and didn’t immediately scream despite the agony. Police officers desperately plunged nearby orange traffic cones into the court’s marbled fountain and hurled water at him. It wasn’t enough to save him.
The simple act of spreading rock dust on farms is an overlooked but tantalizing climate solution
19 May 2022
The simple act of sprinkling rock dust—an abundant byproduct of mining—on farmland could capture 45% percent of the carbon dioxide required to help the UK meet its 2050 net-zero targets.
UK carbon tax on imports could stop firms from outsourcing CO2 emissions as nations tackle climate crisis
18 May 2022
The UK has moved a step closer to imposing a carbon tax on all imports to stop companies from outsourcing their CO2 emissions to foreign countries.
UK aviation industry misses all but one climate target: study
16 May 2022
The United Kingdom’s bid to decarbonize its aviation industry—a plan that depends largely on self-regulation—is being described as “implausible and credulous,” after a new report showed how little the industry has done to meet emission reduction targets set since 2000.
What comes after London’s congestion charge?
11 May 2022
When it was introduced in 2003, London’s congestion charge made history: The UK capital was the first major city after Singapore to introduce road pricing for vehicles entering the urban core.
UK wind and solar boom will bring energy surplus
9 May 2022
Britain will have excess electricity supplies for more than half of the year by 2030 as a huge expansion of wind and solar power transforms the energy system, a new analysis suggests.
Designers of cow face mask that neutralises emissions from belching win £50k Prince Charles prize
28 Apr 2022
A face mask for cows that neutralises the climate-heating gas methane in their belches has won a design award from Prince Charles and designer Sir Jony Ive.
Northern Ireland faces loss of 1 million sheep and cattle to meet climate targets
26 Apr 2022
Northern Ireland will need to lose more than 1 million sheep and cattle to meet its new legally binding climate emissions targets, according to an industry-commissioned analysis seen by the Guardian.
UK livestock only half way there on emissions
8 Apr 2022
UK’s livestock production can only get half way to its target for emissions reduction with the technology currently available to it.
Cameron’s decision to cut ‘green crap’ now costs each household in England £150 a year
22 Mar 2022
The decision by David Cameron’s government to ditch what he denounced as “green crap” policies will cost every household as much as £150 a year by the autumn, new analysis has shown.
UK ministers urged to promote e-bikes to tackle health and climate crises
14 Mar 2022
Ministers should consider subsidising e-bikes as they do electric cars, campaigners have urged, after a study found that mass use of such bikes could create more than £2bn in health benefits and cut a million tonnes of emissions annually.
Wales' first net carbon zero school and how it works
14 Mar 2022
At first glance it looks like any other new build primary, but South Point Primary in Rhoose is radically different to all other schools in Wales.
How London plans to make the entire city an Ultra Low Emissions Zone
8 Mar 2022
Three years ago, London was the first city to introduce an “Ultra Low Emissions Zone,” or ULEZ, which charged the most polluting vehicles a fee to enter—something the BBC called one of the most radical anti-pollution policies in the world at the time. The zone expanded last year. Now the government plans to expand it to cover the entire city.
“Dirty and expensive:” City of Sydney bans gas as it votes to electrify all new big buildings
Thu 6 Nov 2025
The City of Sydney has followed the example of the ACT and Victoria governments and voted unanimously to require all newly built residential buildings, medium to large commercial buildings, hotels, and serviced apartment buildings, to be all-electric.
New York climate advocates celebrate Mamdani’s victory, prepare to hold him accountable
Fri 7 Nov 2025
For the first time in years, New York’s environmental justice advocates say they’ll be working with the city’s government – rather than against it.
Why climate change now threatens China’s future
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Extreme weather is hurting its economy and worrying its leaders.
EU’s new climate target lines up multibillion dollar boost for carbon markets
Today 10:30am
Analysts estimate the EU will buy at least 50 billion euros worth of carbon credits in the 2030s to help meet its emissions-cutting goals.
Canada’s new budget has billions in fossil subsidies disguised as climate action
Today 10:30am
Ottawa's new CCS and hydrogen credits extend to 2035, but most of the billions go to oil sands and refining, not clean industry.
From mapping high-risk areas to building ‘sponge cities’: How Vietnam is adapting to climate extremes
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Vietnam is rethinking how it copes with floods after a year of relentless storms has collapsed hillsides and turned streets into rivers.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
21 Oct 2025
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
13 Oct 2025
Planet-heating methane is escaping from cracks in the Antarctic seabed as the region warms, with new seeps being discovered at an “astonishing rate".
Nigerian billionaire plans expansion of Africa’s biggest oil refinery
31 Oct 2025
The billionaire owner of Africa’s largest refinery plans to expand its capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day to meet growing fuel needs in the continent and beyond.
Brazil’s Lula puts forward new vision for protecting the Amazon rainforest
Fri 7 Nov 2025
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva put forward his vision for how the Amazon rainforest should be protected, a future that didn’t depend on donations from wealthy nations and large philanthropies but instead included a major fund that paid countries to keep forests standing.
Leaders of world’s biggest polluters are no-shows as heads of state gather for UN climate summit
Today 10:30am
World leaders descending on the United Nations annual climate summit in Brazil on Thursday will not need to see much more than the view from their airplane window to sense the unfathomable stakes.
