International: United Kingdom
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.
Almost all climate-related corporate disclosures are inadequate: CDP
4 Mar 2022
Just 1% of companies who submit climate change-related data to nonprofit environmental disclosure platform CDP provide investors with the information they need to assess whether they have a credible plan for the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Low-carbon cement trial cuts CO2 emissions by 60%
4 Mar 2022
A UK Government-backed innovation and demonstration programme has successfully developed and trialled new low-carbon cements which have up to 60 per cent lower embodied CO2 emissions than Portland cement, the current market leader in the UK.
Church of England fossil fuel ties revealed
23 Feb 2022
Senior figures in charge of the Church of England’s investments have close current or past ties to high-carbon companies including Shell, Drax and BP, DeSmog can report.
Climate change activists block Hamburg port bridge
22 Feb 2022
"Uprising of the Last Generation" is protesting Germany's high level of food waste, among other issues. The group said they have taken to more drastic measures after years of marching the streets and signing petitions.
UK renewables auctions to be held annually in green energy push
11 Feb 2022
The UK government has re-stated its faith in green technologies with a decision that it says will create a steady stream of renewable energy projects.
North Sea oil and gas project gets green light just months after UK hosted COP26
4 Feb 2022
The UK government's fossil fuel industry regulator has approved a new oil and gas project in the North Sea, just months after the UK hosted the COP26 climate change summit.
20% of Brits eating less meat to fight climate change
1 Feb 2022
A survey, commissioned by environmental search engine Ecosia, has revealed new plant-based trends. Major takeaways include more than 20%of participants reducing meat intake in light of the climate crisis. It was revealed that 32% are willing to change their diets to help the environment.
Voluntary carbon audits scheme for Northern Irish farmers
22 Dec 2021
A new scheme to tackle carbon emissions in the dairy sector has been launched in Northern Ireland by agriculture and environment minister Edwin Poots.
Green finance groups slam HSBC's carbon exit plan
15 Dec 2021
British banking giant HSBC has published a plan to stop financing thermal coal activities but it is being criticised by environmentalists for not going far enough.
The millions of tonnes of carbon emissions that don't offically exist
10 Dec 2021
How a blind spot in the Kyoto Protocol helped create the biomass industry.
Why climate lawsuits are surging
9 Dec 2021
Activists are increasingly suing governments and companies to take action against climate change – and winning. Could this be a turning point?
UK government set to step in as carbon price mechanism is triggered
8 Dec 2021
The UK government could intervene in the carbon market to reduce the costs big polluters have to pay for emissions permits, according to The Times.
Free tree for every Welsh household in climate initiative
7 Dec 2021
Some will plant a modest fruit tree in their small back garden while those with more space might plump for a sapling that will, hopefully, grow into a mighty oak.
Scottish farmers cautioned over selling carbon credits
3 Dec 2021
SCOTLAND'S FARMERS have been urged to be cautious of selling off their carbon credits – because they may be needed to offset their own emissions in the future
Antarctica gets a Glasgow Glacier ahead of climate summit
1 Nov 2021
Britain is naming a thinning Antarctic ice mass the Glasgow Glacier, to symbolize the vast implications for the world of a climate conference that starts Sunday in the Scottish city.
'Adapt or die': UK Environment Agency
14 Oct 2021
Hundreds of people could die in floods in the UK, the Environment Agency has warned in a hard-hitting report that says the country is not ready for the impact of climate change.
CO2 shortage: why a chemical problem could mean more empty shelves
21 Sep 2021
As far as the environment goes, carbon dioxide is probably public enemy number one. This makes it all the more ironic that the UK is currently suffering from a shortage of the gas, which experts warn will affect a variety of industries, most notably food and drink.
River Tamar allowed to flood farmland to help wildlife and climate
15 Sep 2021
Project to reverse Victorian-era reclamation creates rich, marshy land that can lock in carbon.
The carbon footprint of a full English breakfast
14 Sep 2021
Over four-fifths of the English population say they enjoy a full English breakfast. But when food production accounts for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and 11% of UK emissions come from agriculture, it’s time to think critically about how we can reduce the impact of our breakfasts – without compromising on quality or taste.
Jobs at risk if UK fails to hit carbon emissions target
13 Sep 2021
Up to 660,000 jobs could be at risk if the UK fails to reach its net-zero target as quickly as other nations, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has warned.
Glasgow records hottest summer in run-up to Cop26 climate summit
2 Sep 2021
Glasgow, the host city of the crucial Cop26 UN climate summit in November, has experienced its hottest summer on record, the Met Office has said.
Queen shirks climate responsibilities
23 Aug 2021
Queen Elizabeth II’s lawyers have secretly negotiated with Scottish ministers to change a draft law about reducing carbon emissions, ensuring that her private land is made exempt from new regulations.
IPCC report a "call to arms" say architects and designers
11 Aug 2021
The latest IPCC climate report offers a "nugget of hope" but architects and designers must "make changes to the way they design" to help avert catastrophic climate change, according to Architects Climate Action Network.
Surplus renewable energy powers Orkney's hydrogen economy
4 Aug 2021
Perched atop the United Kingdom, ten miles north of mainland Scotland, the Orkney Islands are a wild place. Encircled by roiling waters — the North Sea on one side, the Atlantic Ocean on the other — and battered by winds year round, the weather-lashed archipelago is bracing, beautiful and has in abundance that which others are scrambling to produce: renewable power.
Call for compulsory assessment of embodied carbon emissions
22 Jul 2021
A group of UK architects, developers and contractors have called for compulsory whole-life carbon assessments of buildings in a bid to tackle "hidden" emissions caused by construction supply chains.
Increase in number of slow moving storms linked to climate change
19 Jul 2021
Climate change is driving a large increase in intense, slow-moving storms, a new study by Newcastle University and the Met Office has found.
UK e-bike boom
1 Jul 2021
E-bike sales outstripped electric car sales in 2020, according to the United Kingdom's Bicycle Association.
Welsh freeze new road-building projects
25 Jun 2021
THE Welsh government is freezing new road-building projects as part of its plans to tackle the climate emergency, and an external panel will review all proposed schemes.
Northern Ireland's beef farmers oppose net zero target
25 Jun 2021
Northern Ireland's red meat sector is opposing moves towards a net-zero emissions target of 2045.
UK aviation emissions up, up and away till mid-2030s
23 Jun 2021
The UK aviation industry has announced carbon targets that allow emissions from planes to increase into the mid-2030s.
UK’s ‘really shocking’ climate record damned
18 Jun 2021
In a searing indictment of its failure to act fast enough to prepare for the onslaught of rising heat, there is condemnation of the British government by its independent advisers for the UK’s “really shocking” climate record.
Halogen lightbulbs to be banned in UK
10 Jun 2021
Sales of halogen lightbulbs are to be banned in the UK from September, with fluorescent lights to follow, under government climate change plans.
UK banks to be stress-tested for climate change
9 Jun 2021
Britain's banks and insurers will be tested on how well-prepared they are to cope with climate change emergencies.
Airships could cut short hop flying’s CO2 emissions by 90 per cent
27 May 2021
Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), which has developed a new environmentally friendly airship and hopes to be flying between European cities by 2025.
Investor pressure on Shell grows
25 May 2021
Britain’s biggest fund manager has piled pressure on Shell after joining a shareholder rebellion over the oil company’s carbon-cutting plans, saying that they lack credibility and the ambition required to combat global heating.
Cool homes and hot water are there on the cheap
30 Apr 2021
Would you like cool homes and hot water without paying to power them? They’re already working in the laboratory - reports Tim Radford of the Climate News Network.
Extinction Rebellion protesters cleared by jury
27 Apr 2021
Six Extinction Rebellion protesters have been cleared of causing criminal damage to Shell’s London headquarters despite the judge directing jurors they had no defence in law.
Report calls for end of carbon gluttony
14 Apr 2021
The world’s wealthy must radically change their lifestyles to tackle climate change, a report says.
Where £100 can make you a solar entrepreneur
8 Apr 2021
In Bath, England, even the smallest investors can support – and profit from – the city’s green energy boom.
Frequent flyers should pay more
8 Apr 2021
Wealthy frequent flyers who take several holidays a year should pay higher taxes each time they fly, a British charity says.
UK groups demand peat compost ban
7 Apr 2021
The UK government must ban the sales of peat compost this year after its goal of a voluntary phaseout by 2020 proved an “abject failure”, according to a group of gardening experts, conservationists and scientists.
UK taken to task for ignoring Paris Agreement
31 Mar 2021
Prominent scientists and lawyers have said Britain's decision to ignore the Paris climate agreement when deciding on major infrastructure projects undermines its presidency of UN climate talks this year.
'Historic' climate bill due before NI Assembly
24 Mar 2021
Supporters of Northern Ireland's first climate bill say it is an "historic moment".
Appliances should last longer, says UK
12 Mar 2021
Tougher rules are being introduced to make appliances such as fridges, washing machines and TVs cheaper to run and last longer, says the British Government.
NSW government, energy company under fire after native bird habitat cleared for renewables project
Today 11:45am
A New South Wales government-backed renewable energy project has been accused of environmental vandalism after dozens of threatened birds were found in native trees it had cleared.
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump administration funds geothermal network expansion
Today 11:45am
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size.
China’s BEV trucks and the end of diesel’s dominance
Thu 4 Dec 2025
Cheap Chinese battery electric heavy trucks are no longer a rumor. They are real machines with real price tags that are so low that they force a reassessment of what the global freight industry is willing to pay for electrification.
Spain announces $1.5 billion package to boost electric vehicle market
Today 11:45am
Spain's plan includes 400 million euros in direct subsidies in 2026 for consumers to buy EVs.
Canada rolls back climate rules in energy deal with Alberta
Mon 1 Dec 2025
Under the agreement, the federal government will scrap a planned emissions cap on the oil and gas sector and drop rules on clean electricity.
Families on rooftops, homes buried by mud: Asia floods show water is overtaking wind as main threat
Thu 4 Dec 2025
The fallout marks a grim escalation in deadly weather across the region that has been aggravated by the blanket of carbon pollution heating the planet.
Asia-Pacific faces ‘$500bn-a-year’ hit from rising seas if current policies continue
Thu 4 Dec 2025
Coastal flooding could bring $500bn of annual damages to the Asia-Pacific by the year 2100, if countries do not adapt to rising sea levels.
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".
European Investment Bank pledges over 2 billion euros for African renewables projects
26 Nov 2025
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is pledging more than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of financing for renewable energy projects on the African continent over the next two years.
In blow to Lula, Brazil Congress revives controversial environmental bill
Tue 2 Dec 2025
Brazil's conservative-led Congress on Thursday reinstated much of a bill that makes it easier for companies to secure environmental permits, infuriating the leftist government and green groups.
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
Today 11:45am
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
