United Kingdom

The bitter final showdown over British coal, as sun sets on ‘dirtiest fuel’

20 Dec 24 - The county of Cumbria in Northern England has become the battleground for a final war, which is raging over plans to build a new coal mine.

How the UK plans to reach clean power by 2030

19 Dec 24 - The UK government has set out an “action plan” for reaching its target of clean power by 2030, which it describes as “the most ambitious reforms to our energy system in generations”.

Government unveils new powers to approve onshore wind farms

16 Dec 24 - The government has unveiled plans to give ministers the final say on approving large onshore wind farms rather than leaving decisions to local councils, where opposition has often been fierce.

UK 'not ready' for extreme weather

10 Dec 24 - The government is "not ready" for the sort of extreme weather brought by Storm Darragh, the new head of the Climate Change Committee has warned.

Oil and gas investments of Donald Trump’s new UK ambassador

9 Dec 24 - Campaigners warn that the UK will face “pressure from American fossil fuel interests” to slow its energy transition.

Burping cows, Bovaer and boycotts: The anti-methane additive that’s taking social media by storm

5 Dec 24 - UK shoppers have threatened to boycott supermarkets Tesco, Aldi and Morrisons over a ‘miracle’ methane-busting additive trial.

We have officially advised our university to ditch carbon offsets – and focus on cutting emissions

3 Dec 24 - Some would say carbon offsetting offers us a way out. At the University of Exeter we have explored the role of carbon offsets in the university’s very ambitious target of net zero by 2030.

Clean-up continues for areas hit by Storm Bert

28 Nov 24 - Heavy rain and high winds caused widespread disruption across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, with damage to homes, shops and roads.

Ford cuts jobs claiming weak demand for electric cars

22 Nov 24 - The company said it had to act because of difficult trading conditions, including intense competition and weak demand for electric vehicles.

UK unveils principles for voluntary market in nature credits

15 Nov 24 - The UK is setting out its own principles for the voluntary market for nature credits, representing a vote of confidence in a largely experimental financial product that’s intended to protect...

Scotland passes climate change legislation

7 Nov 24 - Scotland has officially scrapped annual climate targets as well as its 2030 and 2040 interim targets, but is still aiming to reach net-zero by 2045.

COP29: What is the ‘new collective quantified goal’ on climate finance?

6 Nov 24 - As nations assemble at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, one issue is expected to dominate the summit: climate finance.

UK’s next Paris pledge should commit to ‘81% emissions cut by 2035’: govt advisors

29 Oct 24 - The UK should make an international pledge to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 81% below 1990 levels by 2035, according to the government’s advisory Climate Change Committee.

Cities face ‘severe degradation’ without meaningful climate action, warn experts

23 Oct 24 - Cities that fail to take meaningful climate action face a future of severe degradation with infrastructure collapse and environmental deterioration, climate and health experts warn.

Will carbon capture help the UK tackle climate change?

8 Oct 24 - There is a lot of rousing rhetoric today about carbon capture, following the government’s pledge of £21.7bn of public funds over the next 25 years to help kick-start the industry in the UK.

Climate scientists call on UK govt to pause £1bn plans for carbon capture

3 Oct 24 - Leading climate scientists are urging the government to pause plans for a billion pound investment in “green technologies” they say are unproven and would make it harder for the UK to reach its net...

UK's last coal-fired power station set to close

30 Sep 24 - The closure of the UK's last coal-fired power station has been described by officials as a "tremendously important milestone" in energy production.

Surprise benefit of London's fines for high-polluting cars: More active kids

23 Sep 24 - Four in 10 London children stopped driving and started walking to school a year after the city's clean air zone went into effect.

Climate a more fundamental threat than terror: UK foreign secretary

19 Sep 24 - The United Kingdom's foreign secretary has said climate change is a more urgent threat than terrorism or Putin.