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Sharma was quizzed on the UK's roads programme, green buildings grants and COP26 preparations

Alok Sharma promises 'joined-up thinking' on net-zero policy, but examples remain scarce

Business Secretary Alok Sharma delivered rhetoric that the Government will approach the net-zero emissions commitment for 2050 through a "joined-up thinking" approach, but was unable to confirm any concrete policy announcements that would ensure fossil fuels aren't locked into the future economy.

Johnson will confirm that the National Infrastructure Strategy will be published this Autumn

Boris Johnson's New Deal for Britain yet to align with green recovery calls

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a multi-billion-pound "New Deal for Britain" that prioritises jobs and infrastructure growth to respond to the economic crash caused by Covid-19, but following months of calls for a "green recovery," the environment is largely absent from the plan.

'Happy Birthday, you haven’t aged a day’: One year on from the UK’s net-zero announcement

It's been one year since the UK's historic net-zero announcement, and the movement is being kept afloat by the corporate sector in a year the has seen policy blindsided by a global pandemic and slowed to a frustrating pace by Brexit.

New analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU)’s Net-Zero Tracker has found that 53% of global GDP is now covered by an intended or actual net-zero commitment

Race to Zero: COP26 campaign launched to push nations towards net-zero targets

To mark World Environment Day, the UK Government has launched its "Race to Zero" global campaign to mobilise support for the net-zero transition across businesses, cities and nations, with new data finding that 53% of global GDP is covered by a net-zero ambition in some form.

McKinsey notes that allocating funding towards climate action will cut emissions, spur job growth and generate economic returns

'Use it or lose it': Pandemic recovery a decisive moment for climate action

A new report from global analyst firm McKinsey has found that recovery packages from the coronavirus pandemic will be decisive in putting the world on course to meeting the Paris Agreement, calling for low-carbon technologies and solutions to be prioritised.

Two-thirds of the UK’s 460,000 green jobs are located outside London and the South East

MPs call for Just Transition Fund to spur green recovery towards net-zero

A commission of cross-party MPs has added to the calls for the UK to prioritise and deliver a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, claiming that £30bn should be spent on a climate-focused recovery that also establishes a £5bn national Just Transition Fund.

The CCC believes that the government can lead a shift to new social norms, including supporting home working and remote medical consultations as well as improved safety for cycling

CCC: Change tax systems to build green economic recovery post-coronavirus

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has advised Prime Minister Boris Johnson, COP26 President Alok Sharma and national first ministers across the UK, calling for climate action to be placed at the heart of an economic rebuild following the coronavirus pandemic.

Sharma noted that his department was still pushing the climate agenda during the pandemic. Image: Gov.uk

Alok Sharma: 'Focus has not stopped' on global climate action

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Alok Sharma had stated that the UK remains focused on preparations for the delayed COP26 climate summit, claiming that nations can't treat the coronavirus pandemic and climate action as an "either-or" scenario.

Stark discusses future carbon budgets, infrastructure strategies, COP 26 and coronavirus recoveries

CCC boss: Green and resilient economic recovery can push UK towards net-zero target

EXCLUSIVE: The Committee on Climate Change's (CCC) chief executive Chris Stark believes the UK Government should prioritise a green and resilient economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that doesn't lock in fossil fuels and puts the nation on an upwards trajectory towards a socially just net-zero transformation.

Advice on the Sixth Carbon Budget, which covers the reduction levels required for the period of 2033-2027 will now be published in December 2020, rather than September

UK's climate watchdog to refocus advisory reports to account for coronavirus impacts on net-zero

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has announced it is amending its advisory reports due for publication over the next 12 months to account for responses to the coronavirus pandemic, with a report on the UK's sixth carbon budget pushed back to December.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) met with Greta Thunberg today

EU debuts climate law 'compass', Greta dismisses it as 'surrender'

The European Commission officially unveiled its Climate Law on Wednesday (4 March), aimed at making the EU carbon neutral by 2050. But Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg criticised the plan as a "surrender".

Major efforts are taking place to ensure that decarbonisation occurs in both transport and heat

E10 petrol, hydrogen and biomethane: Is the UK on the cusp of low-carbon heat and transport?

As the UK Government consults on a low-carbon fuel mix for petrol stations, two industry associations have called for refined government policy to enable the uptake of hydrogen and biomethane use to help decarbonise heat and transport.

While praising progress to date, the report highlights the gap between current policy results and those needed to meet the fifth carbon budget

Report: UK needs to more than double carbon reductions to hit 2030 climate target

The UK will have to more than double the rate it is currently reducing CO2 emissions in order to meet its 2030 target, despite strong progress in 2019, a report by Carbon Brief has found.

The analysis forecasts inadequate emissions reductions across sectors including energy, transport and the built environment

UK set to breach fifth carbon budget, despite setting net-zero goal

The UK is still set to miss its fifth carbon budget despite the creation of a legally-binding net-zero target for 2050 last year, new analysis has found.

A Drax spokeswoman said the company’s ambition was to be removing, not adding carbon to the atmosphere, by 2030

UK sued for approving Europe's biggest gas power station

The UK government is being sued for approving a large new gas-fired power plant, overruling the climate change objections of its own planning authority.

Since 2011, the global proved reserves of oil and gas have increased

Oil and gas giants must cut production by a third to meet climate targets

The world's largest oil and gas companies must cut combined production by 35% by 2040 if nations are the meet the collective ambitions of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to below 2C, a new report from Carbon Tracker has found.

The UK has already met its first and second carbon budgets and is on track to meet the third - but off-course to meet the fourth ad fifth. Pictured: The SSE Ferrybridge coal power station

CCC sets sixth carbon budget date, urges Treasury to ramp up net-zero plans

The Committee on Climate Change's (CCC) chairman Lord Deben has confirmed that the body will publish its recommendations for the UK's sixth carbon budget in September 2020.

Image: Wikipedia/Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Prime Minister Boris Johnson to chair Government climate change sub-committee

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been revealed as the chair for a new Cabinet committee on climate change that will drive progress towards net-zero across all areas of Government.

BA will offset emissions from domestic flights within the UK from 2020

British Airways sets net-zero commitment, plans to offset domestic flight emissions

International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways (BA), has become the first airline group to commit to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as BA also announces plans to offset all domestic passenger flight emissions next year.

The facility could become operational in October 2023. Image: Drax

'Risking a carbon budget blowout': UK Government gives go-ahead to Drax gas plant

The UK Government is "risking a carbon budget blowout" by overruling a recommendation from its planning authority in order to give the green light to Drax's large-scale gas power plant, which had been refused on climate grounds.

The initiative is open to businesses of all sizes and sectors. Image: The Climate Group

New initiative to help business minimise climate impacts of cooling

The Climate Group has launched a new initiative aimed at helping businesses to improve the energy efficiency of their cooling processes and to decarbonise their cooling systems.

Iceland was criticised by Feedback for failing to stock any meat sourced through sustainable certification schemes

UK supermarkets accused of over-producing low-quality meat

Anti-hunger charity Feedback is calling for big-name UK supermarkets such as Iceland, Lidl and Asda to offer "less and better" meat, in order to minimise their climate impacts.

The has UK comfortably remained under its carbon budgets to date, but is off track to meeting the more demanding fourth and fifth rounds

Government defies CCC's carbon budget surplus advice

The cabinet has reportedly defied its own climate change adviser by carrying forward emission reductions, which have already taken place, into its future carbon budgets.

British Airways boss Alex Cruz believes that innovation will spur decarbonisation, but not by focusing on isolated solutions

British Airways boss: No 'silver bullets' for aviation to tackle climate change

EXCLUSIVE: The chief executive of the second-largest UK airline has insisted that the company remains "hell-bent" on upscaling innovation to promote sustainability, but also believes that a plethora of collaborative solutions will be needed for the industry to effectively tackle climate change.

'You did not act in time': Greta Thunberg's full speech to MPs

Read the full text of the speech Greta Thunberg gave to MPs at the Houses of Parliament, originally hosted by the Guardian.

The UK has already met its first and second carbon budgets and is on track to meet the third. Pictured: The SSE Ferrybridge coal power station

UK forecast to miss fourth and fifth carbon budgets

The UK is on course to breach its fourth and fifth carbon budgets by 139 and 245 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) respectively, according to the latest forecast from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

A coal-fired power station in Pocerady, Czech republic. The UK is rapidly replacing such stations with gas-powered facilities by 2025

UK carbon emissions fall for record sixth year

CO2 emissions have fallen for a sixth consecutive year - the longest continuous decline since records began - according to new data provided by the Government.

The second carbon budget was met with emissions of 384 MtCO2e (14%) below the level of the budget

CCC advises government against rolling over carbon budget surplus

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has issued "unequivocal advice" to the government not to carry forward an emissions surplus from the second carbon budget to subsequent accounting periods.

The call to action has been sent to Domino's, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Yum! Brands, Restaurant Brands International and Wendy’s

Investors press fast food giants to 'urgently' improve supply chain sustainability

A coalition of investment firms with more than $6.5trn in assets under management have called on six of the world's largest fast food companies to take more ambitious action to tackle the climate and water risks within their supply chains, as a "matter of urgency".

10 years on from the Climate Change Act, how far have we come?

The first line of the Climate Change Act passed in 2008 reads "it is the duty of the Secretary of State to ensure that the net UK carbon account for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the baseline".

The business leaders note that the UK has acted as a leader on climate change since the publication of the Climate Change Act

Interface, Unilever and Coca-Cola among business leaders calling for UK net-zero emissions target

The chief executives of major UK-based companies including Interface, Coca-Cola European Partners and Unilever have called for Prime Minister Theresa May to set legally binding targets that ensure the UK reaches net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.

Plan B responded by calling for an “urgent clarification” on whether the CCC would be permitted to recommend changes to the agreed carbon budgets

Net zero emissions review may prompt changes to existing carbon budgets

Claire Perry has confirmed that the already agreed carbon budgets may be amended in response to the Committee on Climate Change's (CCC) net zero emissions review.

The IEA calculated that existing infrastructure would “lock in” 550 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 22 years

World has no capacity to absorb new fossil fuel plants, warns IEA

The world has so many existing fossil fuel projects that it cannot afford to build any more polluting infrastructure without busting international climate change goals, the global energy watchdog has warned.

Past work carried out by the CCC in 2016 showed that reducing emissions to 92% of 1990 levels was feasible

Climate watchdog 'surprised' by carbon budget review restrictions

Claire Perry's instruction that the upcoming review of the UK's carbon emissions reduction framework should not cover pre-2032 targets was a "surprise" to the climate change watchdog, its chief executive has admitted.

The European Commission has proposed a 30% cut in vehicle emissions by 2030, although MEPs are pushing to raise that figure to 45%

EU must end new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030 to meet climate targets - report

New petrol and diesel car sales in Europe must be phased out before 2030 if the auto sector is to play its part in holding global warming to the Paris agreement's 1.5C goal, a new analysis has found.

edie at 20: Despite the idiocy that is Brexit, we can do it

For edie's 20th anniversary, prominent environmental peer Lord Deben reflects on green policy, Brexit, carbon budgets and flat-earthers.

The Climate Coach: Renewable Energy

I have a dream, of a society where children play safely outside in green, common areas, where there are no cars. People travel to work in electric powered trains, buses and through electric car share. They walk and cycle to school, to the local shop and to meet friends. A dream where renewable energy sources provide all the power we need - for heating, electricity and transport - in businesses as well as in homes.

edie at 20: Is sustainability finally coming home?

It's official - edie is now 20 years old. Our 20th anniversary as a sustainable business media brand offers a chance to celebrate and reflect upon the tremendous achievements of the green economy - but it is also a time for us to realise the immense opportunity that now lies ahead.

Energy policy remained the most pressing challenge identified in the survey

Energy industry growing nervous over 'Brexit fog'

Uncertainty surrounding Brexit is a mounting concern for the energy industry, according to a new report by the Energy Institute.

The letter lauded the “cross-party consensus” that exists on the issue of climate change and said the move would be popular

MPs and peers push for 'net zero' emissions by 2050

A cross-party group of senior MPs and peers have urged the government to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to "net zero" by 2050.

Under the global Paris agreement, countries have committed to curbing temperature rises to “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to keep them to 1.5C

UK to review climate target raising hopes of a zero emissions pledge

The UK is to review its long-term target to cut climate emissions as part of global efforts to curb rising temperatures, the government has announced.

The report says that while the UK has maintained a consensus on the need for action on climate change, buy-in across government departments is “too uneven”

Report: zero emissions target needed to push UK beyond Paris Agreement

The government should publish a target by 2020 for achieving "net zero" emissions, according to a new report.

2017: A turning point for energy efficiency in the UK?

2017 started badly for the energy efficiency sector: no policy news and yet another shuffle in the Ministerial team. The Government's plan to deliver the 5th Carbon budget was long overdue, the energy efficiency policy landscape was full of holes, and the market was flat.

The report also states that power sector emissions are anticipated to fall by 53 per cent between 2015 and 2020

BEIS cuts projection for greenhouse gas emissions

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has lowered its projection for greenhouse gas emissions during the fourth and fifth carbon budgets.

Perry revealed that the Government is examining ways to support onshore wind in parts of the UK where the technology is popular

UK will be 'pretty close' to reaching fifth carbon budget, says Climate Change Minister

Climate Change Minister Claire Perry today confirmed the Government will look to provide support for onshore wind, as she faced a grilling from MPs over the UK's ability to achieve its mid-term decarbonisation goals.

One of Baroness Brown's major concerns regarding the strategy is its so-called “flexibility” mechanisms, which enable the Government to borrow from

Clean Growth Strategy 'flexibilities' could put Paris goals at risk

The aspirations of the Clean Growth Strategy have been praised as a "step in the right direction" by green economy experts, but concerns have been raised that the Government's willingness to rely on banking and borrowing from carbon budgets could put the goals of the Paris Agreement at risk.

It estimates that 37bn tonnes of CO2 will be emitted from burning fossil fuels, the highest total ever

Fossil fuel burning set to hit record high in 2017, scientists warn

The burning of fossil fuels around the world is set to hit a record high in 2017, climate scientists have warned, following three years of flat growth that raised hopes that a peak in global emissions had been reached.

The report warns that fossil fuel giants Shell and Chevron have 60%-70% of profits at risk

Oil refining capacity set to shrink by a quarter during low-carbon transition

A quarter of global refining capacity will leave the market or be forced to close by 2035, sparking calls for investors to be aware of the risk of "wasting capital" on new investments into the oil sector.

The strategy notes that “there is currently sufficient projected surplus available to carry forward to meet the fourth carbon budget and some of the fifth carbon budget”

Will the UK reach its carbon budget targets with the Clean Growth Strategy?

The Government's long-awaited Clean Growth Strategy details more than 50 initiatives to decarbonise the UK economy in line with the fourth and fifth carbon budgets, but does the ambition have enough quantifiable targets in place to deliver?