International: United Kingdom
City of London commits to 100% renewable
20 Jun 2018
The City of London Corporation has announced plans to source 100 per cent of its electricity from renewables.
McDonald's bows to customer demands over straws
18 Jun 2018
McDonald’s will end the use of plastic straws in its British restaurants next year, after nearly half a million people called on the company to ditch them.
Scotland takes pride in emissions cuts
15 Jun 2018
The Scottish Government says that as of 2016 the country has managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49 per cent compared to 1990.
Investor seeks removal of eight company chairs
13 Jun 2018
Britain’s biggest asset manager wants to remove the chairmen of the board at eight companies worldwide, which it says have failed to confront the threats posed by climate change.
Scotland wants to be among first to carbon zero
29 May 2018
New targets will set Scotland on course to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve a 100 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, the government has claimed.
Ex-coal plant to try new carbon capture system
23 May 2018
A former coal plant in the north of England will become the test site for a new way to remove carbon dioxide from electricity generation.
Brexit could wreck green agenda, says UN
22 May 2018
The United Nations has warned the UK government that the country's reputation is at risk over plans that would significantly weaken protections for the environment after Brexit.
London considering car-free days
18 May 2018
London is considering introducing car-free days in an attempt to tackle the city’s air pollution crisis that experts say is responsible for thousands of early deaths each year.
GAS BYPASS: UK could go from coal to clean
17 May 2018
The UK has been told there's no need to build large gas-fired power stations to replace the coal plants that the government has pledged to switch off by 2025.
UK proposes new law to create Green Brexit
16 May 2018
The UK Government is seeking to reassure the public that environmental laws will not be watered down after the country’s planned departure from the European Union.
Lloyds Bank pumps £2b into green projects
16 May 2018
Lloyds Bank is making an extra £2 billion available to help UK businesses implement sustainability initiatives.
Green homes earn more mortgage money
15 May 2018
Borrowers in the UK will be able to take out a bigger mortgage when buying greener properties for the first time, under a pioneering scheme to encourage energy efficiency.
UK faces huge bill to get rid of North Sea oil
8 May 2018
The UK’s North Sea clean-up costs – the price to be paid for decommissioning its oil and gas industry – will probably more than double, a British group says.
Starbucks customers like reusable cups
30 Apr 2018
A survey in UK Starbucks stores shows that reusable cup usage has surged by 156 per cent since the intoduction of a 5p charge.
BP chief urges Cambridge not to divest
26 Apr 2018
BP chief executive Bob Dudley has come under fire from campaigners after he urged Cambridge University not to drop its fossil fuel investments.
Tidal power comes of age with Scottish project
19 Apr 2018
The potential for the tides to generate clean, reliable electricity has taken a significant step with the completion of a flagship project in Scottish waters.
UK seeks advice on strengthening climate goal
19 Apr 2018
The UK government has announced that it wants official advice on the “implications” of aligning its climate goals with the Paris Agreement.
Abandoned collieries could be key to heating homes
10 Apr 2018
Scientists are finalising plans to exploit the vast reservoir of warm water that fills a labyrinth of disused mines and porous rock layers underneath Glasgow.
Selfridges to cut single-use plastic carbonated drinks
10 Apr 2018
The world-renowned department store Selfridges is to ditch single-use plastic carbonated drinks.
The UK needs a more ambitious Climate Change Act
6 Apr 2018
The UK Climate Change Act is a pioneering and far-sighted piece of legislation, but it is time to ask whether the central ambition of reducing carbon emissions by at least 80 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050 is still adequate.
UK rejects plans for new coal mine
27 Mar 2018
The UK has decided to stop plans for a new opencast coal mine because it would “adversely impact upon measures to limit climate change”.
Oil threat looms over national park land
22 Mar 2018
More than 71,000 hectares of protected countryside, including national park land, in the south-east of England are at risk from a new wave of oil drilling.
Farmers to be given first targets on soil health
20 Mar 2018
A bill will be brought before the UK parliament this year mandating, for the first time, measures and targets to preserve and improve the health of the nation's soils.
Coffee cups and food packaging could face levy
16 Mar 2018
Single-useplastic items such as disposable coffee cups, takeaway boxes and polystyrene packaging could be hit with charges in the UK akin to the 5p levy on plastic bags.
False emissions ratings cost UK more than £2b a year
12 Mar 2018
False emissions ratings for cars based on lab tests have cost the UK more than £2bn a year in lost tax revenue, according to the Green party.
UK carbon emissions at lowest level since 1890
9 Mar 2018
Fresh analysis has highlighted the dramatic fall in carbon emissions within the UK, reaching a new low unseen in normal times for 128 years.
How Scotland plans to meet climate change targets
5 Mar 2018
The Scottish government's new climate plan includes measures to significantly cut emissions from transport, buildings and industry to meet its target of a 66 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions.
Lloyd’s under pressure to get out of coal
1 Mar 2018
Lloyd’s of London, is under increasing pressure to back away from supporting the coal industry.
Scotland aims to be renewables powerhouse
20 Feb 2018
Scotland is making progress towards becoming a world leader in renewable energy.
Ammonia emissions rise in Britain
20 Feb 2018
Emissions of ammonia have been on the rise in the UK even while the amount of other pollutants entering the atmosphere has fallen.
ROYAL BAN: Queen says no more plastic in my houses
15 Feb 2018
The Queen has banned plastic straws and bottles from being used across the various Royal homes and palaces.
Pedals pump half-a-billion pounds into Scotland
13 Feb 2018
Pedal power is worth more than half-a-billion pounds to the Scottish economy, a report shows.
'We don't want green finance, but for finance to be green'
9 Feb 2018
Industry and regulators should be given until 2020 to boost climate risk disclosure or face government intervention, Britain’s Commons Environmental Audit Committee has been told.
Edinburgh University divests from all fossil fuels
8 Feb 2018
The University of Edinburgh is dumping all its fossil fuel investments, making it the largest UK university endowment fund to be completely free of all coal, oil and gas holdings.
Carmakers could face prosecution in UK
5 Feb 2018
Carmakers who cheat emissions rules could face prosecution in the UK for deceiving environmental tests under new measures set to be introduced in the wake of the Volkswagen scandal.
Would you host a nuclear waste disposal plant for £1m a year?
31 Jan 2018
Communities around England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be offered £1m a year to volunteer to host an underground nuclear waste disposal facility.
Britain takes another look at personal carbon accounts
30 Jan 2018
The UK is getting serious about tackling collective individual behaviour which threatens the environment.
How planting trees changed lives in a former coal town
12 Dec 2017
The UK's National Forest has not only transformed an industrial landscape, it has given people a new sense of belonging and wellbeing, created jobs and boosted wildlife.
UK sees value in rebirth of the railways
11 Dec 2017
Proposals in the UK aimed at reversing decades of decline in the rail system, have been praised as the “rebirth of the railways”.
London's new e-cabs come with all the mod cons
8 Dec 2017
Wi-Fi, USB charging and even a sunroof are among the features of London's new six-seat, battery-powered cabs.
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.
Australia-US minerals deal underpinned decision to allow mining company to clear threatened indigenous forest
Mon 23 Feb 2026
The Australian government’s decision to allow the US mining giant Alcoa to continue clearing swathes of Western Australian jarrah forest despite past illegal clearing practices was made in part due to a critical minerals deal reached between Australia and the Trump administration last year, a new document shows.
US succeeds in erasing climate from global energy body’s priorities
Mon 23 Feb 2026
Trump’s energy chief had threatened to leave the International Energy Agency if it continued to focus on climate.
As Trump retreats from climate goals, China is becoming a green superpower
Thu 19 Feb 2026
How the world's biggest carbon emitter is now at the helm of a renewables revolution.
EU countries back stronger price curbs on new carbon market
Fri 20 Feb 2026
European Union countries on Wednesday backed plans to strengthen price curbs in the bloc's upcoming carbon market, EU diplomats told Reuters, in response to concerns from some governments that the policy could raise fuel bills.
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.
Indonesia coal plant closure U-turn sows energy transition doubts
Mon 23 Feb 2026
A reversal in 2025 cast fresh doubts on Jakarta’s energy transition plans and dashed the hopes of locals who blame the plant for environmental and health problems.
What Vanuatu’s UN resolution on the ICJ climate opinion means for the planet
Mon 23 Feb 2026
Six months after a landmark climate ruling, the UN is being asked to act.
Warming climate threatens Greenland's ancestral way of life
12 Feb 2026
The Arctic region is on the frontline of global warming, heating up four times faster than the rest of the planet since 1979, according to a 2022 study in scientific journal Nature, causing the sea ice to retreat.
Kenya launches a carbon registry to boost climate finance and credibility
Mon 23 Feb 2026
Kenya has launched a national carbon registry, aiming to position itself as a global hub for high-integrity carbon credits at a time when scrutiny of climate offset markets is intensifying worldwide.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
Why Trump might be onboard with a UN carbon-offset programme for airlines
12 Feb 2026
The president’s team has backed the rollout of an initiative that calls for the use of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon credits, even as Trump has pulled back from other international emissions-reduction efforts.
