Michael Holder
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Global briefing: US eyes sweeping climate risk disclosure rules
All the top green business news from around the world this week, including China coal fleet concerns, ultra-white paint and Brazil's rainforest funding demands
COP26: Nations agree to hold upcoming pre-summit talks online
Compromise means informal talks will take place virtually next month as UK battles to ensure Glasgow summit itself takes place in person
Apple unveils 'first of its kind' $200m forestry restoration fund to harness 'best tools' for soaking up emissions
Tech giant teams up with Goldman Sachs and Conservation International in a move designed to scale up wider investment in forestry restoration worldwide
Better Business Act: Top brands lead calls for green reforms to Companies Act
John Lewis, Iceland, Brewdog and Bulb among 400 firms calling on government to amend Companies Act to put environmental responsibilities on statutory footing
EV driver survey raises alarm over public charge point frustrations, as industry warns of smart charging barriers
EV drivers want contactless payments and clearer charge point pricing, Electric Vehicle Association poll suggests
COP26: The current state of play
With the status of the Glasgow Summit up in the air, Alok Sharma has set out his 'wish list' for crucial Paris Agreement climate negotiations in 2021
Europe's wind sector weathers pandemic with €43bn investment in 2020
UK leads the way as Europe's onshore and offshore wind sector sees investment grow 70 per cent, despite Covid-19 disruption
CowCredits: Mootral aims to cut cattle burps through carbon offset offer
Firm seeking $2.5m in backing for its plan to fund farmers' use of methane-reducing cattle feed through CO2 offsets
Is online retail greener than heading to the shops?
E-commerce has surged during the pandemic – now fresh research seeks to weigh-up the environmental credentials of buying online
Drax completes acquisition of biomass pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Deal aims to shore-up Drax's wood pellet supply chain as it sets sights on global biomass and carbon capture growth
Will the covid crisis herald the end for the age of the business flight?
YouGov survey across seven European countries suggests restrictions on flights during Covid-19 crisis has had little negative impact on businesses' operations and has proved beneficial for many executives' working lives
Engie secures green light for 2,300 low carbon homes at former Rugeley coal plant site
Developer secures planning permission for major redevelopment of Staffordshire site that aims to provide 'tangible articulation of the whole transition to zero carbon'
Stena Bulk targets net zero shipping fleet and cargo by 2050
Swedish tanker shipping giant sets out roadmap to decarbonise its fleet, as it steps up focus on zero emissions technologies and carbon neutral fuels
'Undemocratic': Greta Thunberg raises alarm over Covid impact on COP26 Climate Summit
One of world's highest profile climate activists suggests further postponement of crucial Climate Summit may be required, but warns any delay must not impact climate action
Crypto Climate Accord: UN-backed plan targets net zero digital currencies by 2040
Inspired by the Paris Agreement, the Accord aims to secure commitments right across crypto and fintech sector ahead of COP26
OVO Energy to directly purchase power from Ørsted's Barrow offshore wind farm
Energy supplier strikes power purchase deal for 100 per cent of the electricity generated from the 90MW Irish Sea wind farm
'No plausible argument for inaction': What can climate policy learn from the Covid-19 crisis?
The pandemic has offered a crash course in how to effectively deliver climate action, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change argues
Shell ponders Australia trade body exit over climate 'misalignment'
Oil and gas giant details climate policy misalignments with several major global trade associations in latest review
'Greenest ever': Britain's power grid CO2 falls to record low on Easter Monday
Low demand for power sees carbon intensity on grid plummet to lowest ever level, National Grid ESO confirms
Electric and hybrid vehicle sales reach new UK market share record
Sales of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles achieved combined 14 per cent market share in March, SMMT figures show
Apple reveals 110 of its global suppliers on track to meet 100 per cent clean power goal
Tech giant reveals almost 8GW of clean power is due to come online via its manufacturing partners
Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google urged to ramp-up pro-climate action lobbying
New campaign led by Climate Voice urges big four tech firms to commit to spending a fifth of their lobbying budget on efforts to push for bold climate policy action
Co-op to ban peat-based compost from stores to help 'prune' emissions
Retailer to roll out 'specially-formulated' peat-free alternatives and remove peat-based compost across all 1,100 of its UK stores
Global Briefing: President Biden unveils $1tr green infrastructure blitz
American Jobs Plan promises massive wave of new investment in clean energy generation, grids, electric vehicles, and green buildings
Institute for Government: Green Homes Grant Scheme 'badly undermined' by Whitehall
Think tank argues green homes policy hampered by poor delivery, optimistic timetables, and lack of Whitehall coordination
Dividing lines, deadlocks, and milestones: Seven key takeaways from the IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit
As time ticks away before COP26, Alok Sharma and the International Energy Agency hosted a major global climate summit aimed at cranking up the climate urgency
British Airways leads $24.3m investment in hydrogen aircraft developer ZeroAvia
Shell and Systemiq also among investors in developer which aims to begin operating first commercial-scale 50-seater aircraft by 2026
G20 central banks failing to turn climate advocacy into action, research finds
Despite growing focus on risk disclosure and green investing, few central banks have taken concrete actions to cut off support for fossil fuels, Positive Money claims
Ditching Green Homes Grant scheme will hit north hardest, think tank warns
Regions of northern England most likely to miss out on urgently needed upgrade work when Green Homes Grant voucher scheme closes for applications today, ECIU warns
Confidence is evaporating: How fossil fuel share offerings plummet $123bn since 2012
Finds raised through stock market flotations for companies involved in fossil fuels have dwindles, while clean energy IPOs begin to surge, analysis suggests
EU risks 'overestimating' costs of meeting 2030 climate goals, businesses warn
European Commission's economic and energy modelling must be improved to avoid inflating costs, European Corporate Leaders Group warns
Climate-safe sex? Durex owner Reckitt signs up as 'hygiene partner' for COP26
Consumer goods firm signs on as latest sponsor for Glasgow climate summit as it teams up with WWF and commits to producing Fair Trade condoms
Green Homes Grant: Why was it axed and what happens next?
Amid anger and frustration that yet another green homes policy has died an early death, experts assess the wreckage and explore possible steps forward for the UK's faltering energy efficiency agenda
Do the UK's hydrogen ambitions risk being 'captured' by fossil fuel companies?
Fossil fuel firms are increasingly eyeing up plans for blue hydrogen production, but think tank E3G fears the nascent sector risks locking in a new generation of high carbon infrastructure and jobs
'Wholesale transformation': Could net zero mission deliver 1.7 million UK green jobs by 2030?
Net zero transition promises major jobs boost but poses risks for high carbon regions in the Midlands, North, and Scotland, according to a wide-ranging new analysis
British Land targets 'stretching' science-based CO2 cuts across £10bn property portfolio
One of the UK's biggest property firms secures approval for science-based targets to more than halve CO2 across its portfolio and value chain by 2030
UK greenhouse gases plummet almost nine per cent during Covid-hit 2020
But green groups warn without drastic action emissions could creep back up again this year after freak 2020
Octopus on Octopus: Energy supplier to take on 2.8GW renewable power portfolio
Octopus Energy to bring retail business and 2.8GW renewables portfolio under single roof as it aims to match supply with generation
Resource efficiency offers huge 'overlooked' climate benefits, study finds
Less waste, healthier diets, and shifting from sales to rental offer huge climate benefits, WRAP estimates
Green heat: How can the UK drive mass heat pump adoption in the 2020s?
The UK must ramp up heat pump installations at least 25-fold by 2028 to meet current goals, but governance, incentives, and funding support are lacking, a new report argues
'Economic injury': How the UK's electricity and transport networks could be racking up £264bn in hidden societal costs
Exclusive: Researchers have sought to calculate the external environmental, social and health costs of from fossil fuels, renewables, road transport and aviation
'Green and red together': Labour steps up critique of a government 'asleep at the wheel' of the green recovery
Ed Miliband is to unveil sweeping plans for an electric vehicle revolution, as opposition accuses government of delivering a badly 'underpowered' green industrial strategy
Government plots recycling reforms as it delays deposit return scheme to 2024
Plans to make manufacturers pay full costs of recycling their packaging and develop consistent household collections nationwide unveiled
'Critical step': Government plots mandatory climate risk rules for 1,600 UK firms
Government sets out proposals to make TCFD disclosures mandatory for large publicly quoted companies, large private companies, and LLPs
Report: Shelving clean air plans could load costs on to northern cities
Green Alliance estimates multi-million pound environmental, economic and health benefits for regions which implement clean air zones
Legal & General ties boardroom bonuses to expanded net zero goals
Pensions, insurance, property and asset management giant unveils fresh interim climate commitments as part of drive to net zero portfolio emissions by 2050
Government sets out plans to cut taxes on flights within UK
Treasury consults on slashing Air Passenger Duty for domestic flights, yet also moves to tweak tax bands to combat CO2 from long-haul flights