Today's OECD report , Environmental Outlook to 2050: The consequences of inaction , paints a bleak picture of the state of the planet by the middle of the century if the global economy continues along a business-as-usual path. Here, we pick out some of the projections that represent t...
World leaders must take immediate and co-ordinated action, or risk locking the world into a calamitous temperature rise of up to six degrees as demand for energy, food, and water overwhelms the planet. That is the shocking conclusion of a new report published today by the OECD, which ...
The contradiction is striking. Just as the European Union faces arguably the greatest crisis since its inception, leaving it visibly diminished on the world stage, the bloc's ambitious and influential climate change strategy has never looked more powerful. This contrast was laid bare ...
The contradiction is striking. Just as the European Union faces arguably the greatest crisis since its inception, leaving it visibly diminished on the world stage, the bloc's ambitious and influential climate change strategy has never looked more powerful. This contrast was laid bare ...
The global market for solar PV, wind energy, and biofuels grew 31 per cent during 2011 to almost $250bn (£160bn), according to new figures from analyst firm Clean Edge Inc . The US-based firm today released its annual Clean Energy Trends 2012 report , revealing that combined global re...
Business leaders have called on Chancellor George Osborne to use next week's Budget to signal his support for the green economy by clarifying government intentions and policy framework so companies have a stable environment in which to invest. An open letter signed by 11 members of th...
E.ON has started revising plans to build a 150MW biomass power station in North Somerset, after the government today granted consent for the green power plant. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) today confirmed it had granted permission for E.ON Climate and Renewables ...
BusinessGreen : How does a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) differ from a sustainability manager? Is there more to it than a different job title? FURTHER READING The end of supply chains and the start of “supply loops” BusinessGreen Guest Editor: Niall Dunne, BT’s Chief Sustainabili...
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is to lead the British delegation to the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Brazil this summer, in a move designed to ease fears the government could squander the opportunity to promote the UK's low carbon economy on the world stage. Clegg yesterday told the Liber...
The manufacturer of the fast-growing Superdry brand has renewed a deal to buy all of its energy from renewable sources, in a major contract with independent utility Good Energy. Good Energy today confirmed Supergroup has signed a deal to supply green electricity to all of its retail s...
If the last few months have taught us anything, it is that Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond delivers more than just hot air, particularly when it comes to pushing Scotland to the forefront of the emerging green economy. The news that Edinburgh last week won its hard-fought campa...
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey has again offered a vigorous defence of the government's renewable energy policy, insisting it would prove a "monumental national folly" for the government to scale back its ambitions for wind farms and other forms of low carbon energy. Spe...
Public sector organisations have curbed their carbon emissions, saving around £15m in just under a year, by using detailed mapping to plan better routes for rubbish trucks and local transport. Ordnance Survey data was centralised when the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA) was set...
The world is facing a new industrial revolution, one which is resourced based. What's for certain is that the "Take-Make-Waste" model is no longer feasible when we have a world population of seven billion and growing. Businesses need to adopt this new model and ensure that it is inclu...
The government has once again downplayed concerns its flagship energy efficiency Green Deal loan scheme is facing delays, despite reports hinting the Big Six energy companies are unprepared to deliver the crucial payment mechanism underpinning the scheme until 2013. The government has...
An increase in the EU's carbon reduction ambitions will be Ed Davey's main goal at today's Environment Council meeting of ministers in Brussels. The recently appointed Energy and Climate Change Secretary will back a push to strengthen the 2020 targeted cut in domestic emissions from 2...
By Caroline Flint's own admission, being in opposition is not exactly a bed of roses. The recently appointed shadow energy and climate change secretary faces the task of scrutinising the government's actions and holding ministers to account. She must also deal with the longer-term nee...
Forget the smell of blue Stilton or the red rind of Edam. Now one British cheese maker has started selling "green" cheese from a farm powered by solar panels and a wind turbine. F.W Read & Sons yesterday confirmed it had successfully installed a 50KW solar PV system on the farm where ...
I agree with Darryl. This was a good scheme but we have ended up with a blunt tax and a poor reputation for the CRC and energy initiatives in general. We undertook the CRC returns for a company with 800 retail outlets. Their voluntary smart metering at the majority of their sites brou...
The organisers of London's 2012 Olympic Games have been accused of failing to reinforce their own sustainable food sourcing pledge, after it was confirmed McDonald's will be exempt from a requirement to source all its chicken from Britain for this summer's Games. Sebastian Coe, chairm...
The government has revealed its £3bn Green Investment Bank (GIB) will be headquartered in Edinburgh, but conduct transactions from London, following a fierce campaign from Scottish businesses to secure the bank for the city. Business Secretary Vince Cable today revealed that Edinburgh...
The government will today announce £13.5m of new energy efficiency funding, including £3.5m that has been earmarked to support the training of qualified staff to support the Green Deal energy efficiency financing scheme. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is to provide...
The mayor of London has been accused of failing to deliver on a range of climate change policies during his four-year term in office, as new figures reveal he has spent just half of an £84m green budget. London's Green Party assembly member Darren Johnson today revealed that Boris Joh...
For sustainability advocates, the failure of the 2009 Copenhagen climate negotiations to produce a strong global agreement was a major setback to climate action. But a group of businesses and leaders saw an opportunity to change the conversation by focusing on a positive future and by...
Here's a question for you: who is going to win the Premier League in 2020? And while we're at it: who is going to win the FA Cup and the Champions' League as well? You don't know, do you? There is no way for you to have the faintest idea. You could make an informed guess based on rece...
Only a third of installers have the basic skills needed to deliver the government's flagship energy efficiency scheme, an industry report warns today. Research published today by the Green Deal Skills Alliance (GDSA) warns of insufficient knowledge among the existing workforce about t...
The Scottish government has issued a rallying call for businesses and local communities to exploit the country's vast renewable energy resource, in a new consultation designed to deliver 100 per cent green electricity by 2020. Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing yesterday launched t...
Nothing generates column inches these days like discussion about the costs of our future energy mix. And rightly so. Our ageing fleet of power stations, our increasing reliance on imported fossil fuels and the need for us to reduce carbon emissions all add up to one thing: we need inv...
The government and renewable energy businesses have slammed the findings of a controversial report that claimed 2020 carbon reduction targets could be achieved more cost effectively by building nuclear and gas-fired power stations instead of wind farms. The report, Powerful Targets , ...
The US government has been urged to support new types of financing models that encourage households and businesses to invest in energy efficiency measures, after a new report suggested building retrofits could yield $1tr in energy savings and create millions of jobs. Deutsche Bank Cli...
