Chancellor George Osborne has pledged to replace the unpopular Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) with a simpler green tax system if the current scheme cannot be simplified within the next six months. Launching the Budget in the House of Commons today, Osborne said he wanted to ensure ...
Chancellor George Osborne has given the strongest indication yet that he wants to see increased investment in the UK's renewable energy sector, although he stressed that new projects must be "fiscally sustainable". Speaking in his annual budget address , Osborne said he wants to see "...
Damage to natural services provided by oceans could cost the world $2tr a year by the end of the century if steps to curtail climate change are not taken, a study by the respected Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) said today. Researchers warned that without action global temperatu...
No confirmation as yet from Defra as to whether more details will be announced today, but it would give Osborne great cover against the charge that he is anti-environment and committed to trashing the natural habitats. Just as the Office of Budget Responsibility gives him independent ...
Late changes to the government's flagship Green Deal energy efficiency scheme following its recent consultation exercise could leave energy companies struggling to deliver the programme when it starts in October. Phil Gilbert, head of new home services at E.ON, told BusinessGreen the ...
It is a fairly safe bet the green element of tomorrow's Budget is unlikely to dominate the headlines. With the rows over the 50p tax rate, the mooted "Tycoon tax", and the effectiveness or otherwise of the government's deficit reduction strategy all simmering away nicely, green issues...
Climate Minister Greg Barker has today vowed to deliver a "brand new market and opportunities for industry" with the launch this autumn of the government's Green Deal energy efficiency scheme, promising to remove barriers that stop firms taking part in the innovative scheme. Speaking ...
Scores of environmental regulations are to be slashed under government plans to be announced later today, the Guardian has learned. The rules affected include controls on asbestos, invasive species and industrial air pollution; protection for wildlife and common lands; as well as rest...
When Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed resigned last month, many people outside the archipelago were shocked to hear the leader, famed for once holding a scuba diving underwater cabinet conference to raise the alarm on rising sea levels, may have been ousted in a de facto coup. The ...
The former president of the Maldives , who last month resigned in what he has described as a de facto coup, has urged businesses and green groups to campaign for his country to hold a swift presidential election, warning an ongoing lack of democracy could derail global efforts to tack...
By his own admission, Howard Johns is conflicted over his four-year stint as chairman of the Solar Trade Association (STA), the position from which he last week announced his resignation. On the one hand, the managing director of Southern Solar has seen the industry enjoy four years o...
Over 50 businesses, trade associations, and NGOs have today written to George Osborne calling on him to deliver a green budget that accelerates the transition to a low carbon economy, and accusing the Chancellor of having "damaged the green economy" with his comments suggesting enviro...
Over 50 businesses, trade associations, and NGOs have today written to George Osborne calling on him to deliver a green budget that accelerates the transition to a low carbon economy, and accusing the Chancellor of having "damaged the green economy" with his comments suggesting enviro...
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...
