International: United Kingdom
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.
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.
Companies could have profits from breaking environment laws stripped under Australian reforms
Thu 23 Oct 2025
The Albanese government wants the power to strip companies of any financial gains made from breaking environment laws, as part of a package of landmark reforms to be put before parliament in the next two weeks.
Why Democrats aren’t talking about climate change much anymore
Fri 24 Oct 2025
Nearly a year after the 2024 election, Democrats are still trying to figure out what went wrong. In the midst of this soul-searching, a new piece of advice has appeared: “Don’t say climate change.”
In China, climate litigation starts with the state
16 Oct 2025
With thousands of dedicated courts and more than a million recent cases, environmental and climate litigation is booming in China, but it often looks different to the trend seen elsewhere.
'It was the start of a new movement': The Dutch rewilding project that took a dark turn
Fri 24 Oct 2025
In 2018, thousands of dead animals, emaciated from starvation, lay strewn across a famous Dutch rewilding project. Was it animal cruelty or just nature taking its course?
Renewables are a global economic engine, not a culture war threat
2 Oct 2025
Energy companies are learning this lesson faster than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Indonesia restarts international carbon trade after four years
17 Oct 2025
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has issued a new decree to restart international carbon emission trading after a four year hiatus.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
Tue 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".
Angola lowers climate ambition in blow to spirit of Paris Agreement
14 Oct 2025
Angola has scaled back its targets for reducing emissions in its new national climate plan, saying it chose “realism and implementability” over the Paris Agreement's calls for governments to set progressively more ambitious goals.
Brazil's Indigenous battle with a dry Amazon rainforest
Thu 23 Oct 2025
As pastures and thirsty crops dry up the Amazon, Indigenous people try to adapt traditional farming methods.
Super-warming methane gas is being tackled too slowly, UN says ahead of COP30
Fri 24 Oct 2025
Almost 90% of satellite-detected methane leaks flagged to governments and oil and gas companies are not being acknowledged, the UN said Wednesday ahead of the COP30 climate talks next month.
