International: United Kingdom
Border villagers prepare to dethrone the duke
26 Jun 2020
The 2300 villagers of Langholm, a Scottish settlement a few miles north of the English border, hope to buy one of the UK’s most famous grouse moors, owned by one of the Britain's most-powerful hereditary landowners, the Duke of Buccleuch.
Construction begins on biggest liquid air battery
19 Jun 2020
Construction is beginning on the world’s largest liquid air battery, which will store renewable electricity and reduce carbon emissions from fossil-fuel power plants.
Unanswered questions dog new nuclear plans
15 Jun 2020
The French company EDF, a company in a hurry, wants permission to start building two more reactors in the United Kingdom, and it hopes to save money – by arranging for British taxpayers to pay the capital costs of its new nuclear plans.
Car industry pushes for scrappage scheme
8 Jun 2020
The UK car industry has been in confidential talks with the government over a possible £1.5 billion scrappage scheme that it insists should encourage the purchase of diesel and petrol cars on an equal footing with cleaner vehicles.
Startups invest $4bn in UK battery factory
21 May 2020
Two British startups have announced plans to invest as much as $4 billion in building the UK’s first large-scale battery factory, in a move that could prove a major boost to the country’s struggling car industry.
UK plutonium stockpile is a costly headache
24 Apr 2020
For 70 years Britain has been dissolving spent nuclear fuel in acid, separating the plutonium and uranium it contains and stockpiling the plutonium in the hope of finding some peaceful use for it, to no avail: all it has to show today is a UK plutonium stockpile.
BoE under fire for deal with oil companies
20 Apr 2020
The Bank of England has been accused of failing to live up to its tough talk on the climate crisis after it revealed it would buy debt from oil companies as part of its coronavirus stimulus programme.
BOE eyes bank capital charge on polluting assets
13 Mar 2020
Britain’s first stress-test of the response of banks to climate change will help the Bank of England to determine if polluting assets should face “penalty” capital charges.
British Gas and VW unveil electric-vehicle deal
6 Mar 2020
British Gas has teamed up with Volkswagen to accelerate the rollout of its electric vehicles across UK roads by helping drivers to charge up at home at a lower price.
UK to introduce cleaner petrol
5 Mar 2020
The UK government is set to introduce E10 fuel containing 10 per cent ethanol as a new form of “cleaner” petrol aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions.
Farmers speak out on mental health
2 Mar 2020
Isolation and bad weather are compounding the strain from what UK farmers call the “anti-meat agenda”.
UK airports must shut to reach 2050 climate target
21 Feb 2020
All UK airports must close by 2050 for the country to reach its target of net zero climate emissions by then, scientists say.
Johnson promises urgent climate action
7 Feb 2020
Boris Johnson has promised “urgent action” on the climate crisis, taking personal leadership of this year’s UN climate talks after a blistering attack by the sacked former minister who was to lead them.
Guardian bans ads from fossil fuel firms
31 Jan 2020
The Guardian will no longer accept advertising from oil and gas companies, becoming the first major global news organisation to institute an outright ban on taking money from companies that extract fossil fuels.
Airline probes 'fuei-tankering' allegation
13 Nov 2019
A major airline has launched a review into a money-saving practice which increases its greenhouse gas emissions.
XR eyes legal action over London ban
17 Oct 2019
Extinction Rebellion is eyeing a legal challenge after police placed a London-wide ban on the group’s ongoing climate protest.
TOMATO SOURCE: Hothouses will grow up to 20 tonnes a day
10 Oct 2019
Giant greenhouses will be used to grow up to 20 tonnes of tomatoes a day using the heat from water treatment facilities in the UK.
Universities sign landmark deal to buy renewable
8 Oct 2019
Twenty of the UK’s leading universities have struck a £50m deal to buy renewable energy directly from British windfarms for the first time.
Scotland takes aim at green red tape
4 Oct 2019
Developments that tackle climate change could avoid having to get planning permission, under proposals being considered by the Scottish government.
TURNING OF THE SCREW: Royal Shakespeare Company cuts BP
4 Oct 2019
The Royal Shakespeare Company is to end its sponsorship deal with BP amid growing opposition to fossil fuel sponsorship of cultural institutions.
UK to deploy special climate protest police
3 Oct 2019
British police will deploy specially trained climate protest officers to London this weekend to help to deal with two weeks of protests planned by Extinction Rebellion.
How Britain ended its coal addiction
2 Oct 2019
The UK was once the world’s largest coal consumer, but the highly polluting fossil fuel has been pushed out by renewable energy and natural gas.
UK to give £1bn aid for climate fight
24 Sep 2019
Up to £1bn of UK aid funding will be spent on helping developing countries fight climate change.
Lower voting age would give young a climate voice
20 Sep 2019
The voting age should be lowered to 16 because today’s young people are the ones that face a “toxic inheritance” of environmental crises, a leading think tank has said.
No need to cut back on beef, say UK farmers
13 Sep 2019
Farming can become climate neutral by 2040 without cutting beef production or converting substantial areas of farmland into forest, according to UK farmers.
Scottish group calls for ban on fossil-fueled cars
28 Aug 2019
A coalition of climate campaigners and business groups have called for a ban on all petrol and diesel vehicles in Scottish cities as part of a multibillion-pound strategy to cut carbon emissions.
Boris Johnson’s partner pressures politicians
19 Aug 2019
Boris Johnson’s partner Carrie Symonds said politicians had a “gigantic responsibility to make the right decisions” over the climate crisis, in her first solo public appearance since moving into Downing Street.
Whatever feeds these young minds, it won't be beefburgers
14 Aug 2019
A university has banned the sale of beef in campus food outlets in order to help to tackle the climate emergency.
Boris has plans for UK nuclear power tax
31 Jul 2019
All electricity consumers in Britain will pay a new UK nuclear tax, a levy on their bills to finance the construction of nuclear power plants under a scheme announced by the government.
What Boris Johnson thinks about climate crisis
25 Jul 2019
Here's what new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said and done about climate change.
Offshore auctions will bring Queen a windfall of millions
19 Jul 2019
The Queen stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars from the world’s biggest offshore windpower auction in a decade.
UK puts zero emissions rules on ships
15 Jul 2019
The UK government says all new ships ordered from 2025 and aimed for its waters must be equipped with zero emission technology as part of a plan to cut maritime pollution.
UK climate planning ‘like Dad’s Army’
12 Jul 2019
The UK government’s own advisers have declared themselves shocked that the Britain has no proper plans for protecting people from heatwaves, flash flooding and other impacts of the climate crisis.
Energy giants to cut thousands of petrol and diesel vans
10 Jul 2019
Two of the UK's biggest energy suppliers have pledged to replace thousands of their existing fleet of vans with all-electric models by 2030.
MAKING A CRUST: Chainstore puts new life into dead bread
8 Jul 2019
Britain’s largest supermarket chain is launching a drive to reduce food waste from bread by turning unsold bread into new products.
Labour plans major climate role for Bank of England
25 Jun 2019
UK Labour plans to give the Bank of England powers to help to check the readiness of City firms to cut carbon emissions and invest responsibly to tackle the climate emergency.
UK commits to 2050 emissions target
13 Jun 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions in the UK will be cut to almost zero by 2050, under the terms of a new government plan to tackle climate change.
Britain powers to two weeks free of coal
6 Jun 2019
Britain has not used coal to generate electricity for two weeks - the longest period since the 1880s.
Anger as Church of Scotland stays with fossil fuels
24 May 2019
More than 70 Church of Scotland delegates have formally lodged their frustration at the decision of its general assembly not to divest from fossil fuels.
Glasgow aims to be UK’s first net-zero city
21 May 2019
Glasgow has committed to being the UK’s first net-zero city.
Agriculture emissions put Wales on the outer
16 May 2019
Wales' farming emissions have been put in the too-hard basket by the UK Committee on Climate Change.
New orchards offer new life to wild species
16 May 2019
New orchards are appearing across the UK to stop the widespread decline of rare insects and birds, and to slow down climate change.
Pollution research points finger at Coca-Cola
16 May 2019
Coca-Cola bottles and cans are the most commonly found items of packaging pollution on British beaches, new research shows.
City investors push for BP to be more open
15 May 2019
A coalition of major London investors have emerged as key players in forcing BPto be more transparent in how it fights climate change.
London to have first hydrogen doubledeckers
14 May 2019
London will have the world’s first hydrogen-powered doubledecker buses on its streets next year.
UK goes coal-free for entire week
10 May 2019
The UK has produced coal-free energy for seven days in a row - the first time since the industrial revolution.
UK ‘to end contribution to global warming’
7 May 2019
The UK will stop warming the global climate by 2050 and urge other countries to follow, under independent advice just published.
MPs endorse Corbyn call to declare emergency
3 May 2019
British MPs have endorsed a Labour motion to declare a formal climate and environment emergency,
Scotland and Wales declare climate emergencies
2 May 2019
The Scottish and Welsh parliaments have separately declared climate emergencies, just as Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party is expected to push Westminster to do the same for the whole of the UK.
Corbyn launches bid to declare climate emergency
30 Apr 2019
Labour will this week force a vote in the UK parliament to declare a national environmental and climate change emergency.
Why your next car is a matter of national security
Mon 9 Mar 2026
COMMENT: Aussie motorists can take action to limit theirs and Australia’s exposure to the Middle East conflict.
The war in Iran shows us another cost of our fossil-fuel economy
Fri 6 Mar 2026
When people debate the cost of fossil fuels versus renewables, the conversation almost always centers on the price at the pump or the cost per kilowatt-hour on your electricity bill. That’s understandable — those are the costs you can see. But they’re not the whole story.
What does China’s 15th ‘five-year plan’ mean for climate change?
Today 11:30am
China’s leadership has published a draft of its 15th five-year plan setting the strategic direction for the nation out to 2030, including support for clean energy and energy security.
Russia gets export boost from Iran war as price of oil to India surges
Today 11:30am
The war in Iran has fuelled a significant bump in demand for Russian oil and gas, the Kremlin said on Friday, boosting exports which have been battered by sanctions linked to Russia's war in Ukraine.
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.
Gaps in adaptation taxonomies hinder climate finance in Asia: report
Thu 5 Mar 2026
Without clearer criteria and metrics in adaptation taxonomies, Asia risks widening its climate financing gap, warns a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
Vanuatu moves forward with UN climate resolution despite Trump opposition
Mon 9 Mar 2026
The Trump administration’s attempt to sink a UN resolution demanding countries act on the climate crisis has caused cuts to the proposal but hasn’t entirely killed it, according to the tiny Pacific island country spearheading the effort.
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
24 Feb 2026
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial temperatures is “crucial” for limiting damage to the Antarctic Peninsula’s unique ecosystems, according to a new study.
Heavy rains and flooding kills at least 23 in Nairobi
Today 11:30am
At least 23 people have been killed in Nairobi after heavy rain overnight caused severe flooding in Kenya's capital city.
Floods and landslides in Brazil kill at least 30 after record rainfall
26 Feb 2026
Three firefighters pulled a man’s body from the mud amid the rubble of houses swept away in a landslide in south-eastern Brazil, where 30 people died and 39 were still missing on Tuesday after torrential rains.
Half of nations meet UN deadline for nature-loss reporting
Wed 4 Mar 2026
Half of nations have met a UN deadline to report on how they are tackling nature loss within their borders, Carbon Brief analysis shows. This includes 11 of the 17 “megadiverse nations”, countries that account for 70% of Earth’s biodiversity.
