Cecilia Keating
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ECIU: Leaky homes and extended lockdown could exacerbate households' Covid-19 financial struggles
A new analysis by the ECIU notes that extended lockdown into the winter months could exacerbate fuel poverty in the UK and calls on the government to implement vast energy efficiency programmes for homes that will lower heating bills while reducing carbon,...
Obituary: Julia Craik, leading solar campaigner and renewables-powered recording studio director
Craik, managing director of the UK's first solar-powered recording studio, is remembered by friends and colleagues as a tireless champion for solar power who played an instrumental role in the campaign for the introduction of the solar feed-in-tariff....
WWF and RSPB: British consumption relies on overseas land area almost the size of the UK annually
RSBP and WWF urge government to capitalise on post-Brexit trade deals as well as the Agriculture and Environment Bills to cut deforestation from the UK’s supply chains.
'Humber Zero': Total, Phillips 66, and Vitol ink agreement to pursue hybrid CCUS and hydrogen production plans
Project will come online in 2025 and capture eight million metric tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide emissions initially, with the potential to target 30Mt later, the partners said.
Greencoat bags 156MW solar portfolio from BlackRock and Lightsource BP
Assets acquired for an undisclosed amount include the CfD-backed 14.4MW Charity Farm in Shropshire, but is largely comprised of projects backed by Renewable Obligation Certificates, companies said.
RenewableUK: Green hydrogen and wind energy boom crucial to UK's net zero transition
In its vision for the UK's transition to net zero, RenewableUK predicts that installed wind capacity will surge six-fold to more than 120GW by 2050.
Google backs off on custom AI for oil and gas extraction
A new Greenpeace report notes that Microsoft, Amazon and Google are undermining their public carbon commitments through by providing services that allow oil and gas firms extract fossil fuels from the earth.
JP Morgan Chase climate shareholder resolution narrowly defeated
Resolution's narrow defeat – at 49.6 per cent – sends a clear sign to bank that investors are increasingly displeased with its approach to fossil fuel investment.
British supermarkets threaten to boycott Brazilian products over proposed land-grab law
Bolsonaro-backed bill – scheduled to be decided today – could lead to the deforestation of an additional 16,000 square kilometres of the Earth's largest rainforest, according to NGO Imazon.
'Shovel ready': UK renewables and storage project pipeline approaches 40GW
Some 38.7GW of renewable projects are currently planned across 845 locations across the UK, according to Cornwall Insight's latest renewables pipeline tracker.
Green recovery: More than 150 multinationals call for Covid-19 aid to be aligned with climate goals
Largest UN-backed chief executive-led climate effort brings together companies from 34 sectors with a total market capitalisation of $2.4tn
'Sensible incentives' and 'plumbing reforms': Leading figures mull pathway from Covid-19 crisis to net zero economy
A new essay collection from Bright Blue argues that net zero will not require vast amounts of public spending, due to the momentum delivered to date on decarbonisation in the UK.
'Prophetic action': Christian groups divest from fossil fuels and call for low-carbon Covid-19 recovery
Call to action from more than 40 Christian organisations worldwide calls on governments to prioritise "just recovery" to pandemic.
Santé: Pernod Ricard pulls forward date for phase-out of single use point-of-sale plastics
Owner of Absolut Vodka and Jameson has delivered sustainable materials guidance to its 90 affiliates in order to ensure that single-use plastic is eliminated from point-of-sale items next year.
Flexitricity bags deal to manage Europe's 'largest' battery storage site
Firm will move the Gresham's lithium-ion 50MW/75MWh Thurock battery storage site's outputs between different markets from its Edinburgh control room.
'Carbon neutral computing': Intel plots path to zero waste, zero carbon computers
Computer chip giant's sustainability report outlines a raft of new green goals, including a pledge to send zero waste to landfill and achieve "net positive" water use.
Community energy group launches takeover bid for award-winning wind farm
High Winds Community Energy Society plans to raise £2.8m in loan notes and issue 2.9 million £1 shares to fund the acquisition of Cumbrian wind farm
Report: Takeaway restaurants wasting 25 per cent more food since lockdown
New report from Just Eat and the Sustainable Restaurant Association notes that while restaurant food waste is up during the coronavirus lockdown, takeaway consumers' attitudes towards food waste is showing signs of improvement.
From North America to Europe, green recovery battle lines are drawn
Just days after Canada unveiled a loan programme for big businesses that mandates climate disclosures, more than 300 US corporates call on both chambers of US Congress for measures to help the country "build back better"
Poll: Majority of British public support weekly car-free days in towns and cities
Poll results come only days after the government instructed councils to reallocate space for cyclists and pedestrians in order to support social distancing as lockdown restrictions are gradually eased
Net Zero: Carbon Trust launches cross-sector investigation into prospects for flexible energy system
The project's conclusions, expected for early next year, will draw from modelling, research and industry interviews and help inform net zero road maps of policymakers and energy players.
Coronavirus: L'Oréal unveils €100m biodiversity and circular economy plan
French cosmetics giant says it is 'essential not to not step back from the sustainable transformation that the world needs' as it delivers plans to invest in ecosystem repair and circular economy projects
EU urges member states to attach green conditions to State Aid, after revamped rules omit mandatory climate conditions
Revised State Aid rules published by the European Commission on Friday require that large companies report on how they use public funds in line with national and EU green goals, but falls short of mandating climate conditions for stimulus packages
Mercedes-Benz could face legal battle with British drivers over diesel emissions
Law firm claims individual drivers could receive as much as £10,000 in damages, but German parent company Daimler has promised to "vigorously defend" itself against any group action.
'Beyond charging the car': Centrica teams up with Lotus for EV development drive
The deal comes as the Norfolk-based car manufacturer gets ready to launch its first EV, a luxury 'hypercar' that will be sold for more than £2 million.
'Oil has no place in our future': Rockefeller fund returns shine after ditching fossil fuels
Rockefeller Brothers Fund announces that its investment portfolio has exceeded expectations and industry averages in the five years since it divested from fossil fuels
Back to work: How businesses can promote sustainable and socially-distanced commutes
As people slowly return to work following the government's announcement on Sunday, employers can encourage staff to embrace sustainable routes into work by launching cycle-to-work schemes, installing on-site facilities such as bike storage and showers,...
Making the net zero home a reality: Schneider Electric and Sustainable Ventures launch clean tech competition
Competition will give startups and SMEs a chance to develop their solution in partnership with Schneider Electric.
Green recovery: UK business leaders urge PM to build a 'resilient economy' ahead of nationwide address
Top CEOs join growing calls for a climate-friendly economic stimulus, as everyone from Madonna to Ben & Jerry's make case for green recovery plans
Farms of the future: McKinsey outlines measures to curb farming emissions
Agriculture faces a more challenging ride to net-zero than other sectors, warn the analysts, due to the sector being enormous in scale yet highly decentralised.
Kilroot power plant to be switched from coal to gas
Conversion of one of the UK's last operating coal power plants comes as Great Britain's longest-ever period of coal-free power pushes one month.
10 years of Sustainable Living: Unilever calls on government and corporates to end 'business as usual'
As consumer goods giant marks anniversary of industry-leading sustainability plan, chief executive Alan Jope promises beefed up new strategy and urges companies, governments, and NGOs to reject a return to 'business-as-usual' in the wake of Covid-19 crisis...
'Totally insincere': Splits emerge over investor response to Total's net zero pledge
While some investors welcomed the latest net zero pledge from a leading oil giant, others believe yesterday's announcement was a 'clear attempt to stave off a shareholder rebellion at its AGM'
CCC urges government to craft climate-resilient Covid-19 recovery plans
Letter to the Prime Minister by government climate advisers adds further weight to cross-sector calls for coronavirus stimulus packages to eschew carbon-intensive practices in favour of low-carbon, climate-resilient industries and projects
'Green rider': Albert launches contract-based sustainability initiative for film and TV industry
Bafta-backed Albert initiative hopes 'green rider'' clauses in contracts can encourage film and TV industries to think more sustainably.
Electric vehicles provide one bright spot in worst slump for new car sales since 1946
Battery-powered EV sales were down just 10 per cent in April, compared to collapses of 97+ per cent seen in the combustion engine car markets.
'Advancing a low carbon future': Total pledges to deliver net zero operations by mid-century
French company becomes latest oil major to bolster its emissions reductions strategy, with promise to hit net zero across its operations worldwide by 2050
Renewable power: Modvion installs 30-metre wooden wind turbine tower
EU-funded wind tower – built out of wood "stronger than steel" – will spur a number of commercial projects in Sweden, Modvion said, and marks a major breakthrough for the development of taller, lower-carbon wind turbines.
Tyneside abandoned coal mines to be transformed into multimillion-pound renewable energy system
Project designer for £7m council minewater district heating project set to heat “fuel-poor homes” was appointed last week.
'Space-age': Sustainable laundry service Oxwash secures £1.4m backing
Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Indeed.com founder Paul Forster among high profile investors in green laundry start-up Oxwash
Legal & General's low-carbon modular home scheme approved in North Yorkshire
Modular housing will be able to weather Covid-19 crisis better than traditional construction due to controlled factory environment, L&G said as it unveiled plans to build 154 homes in Selby.
'Reality check': McKinsey highlights true scale of the net zero challenge
Influential consultancy details how five major shifts will be necessary to steer the global economy on to a sustainable path, and that a laggard approach to the decarbonisation of power and transport now will have direct impact on the levels of reforestation...
Dig deeper: Most mining majors failing Paris Agreement test, investor-led report warns
Transition Pathway Initiative research finds just two companies – Freeport and Grupo Mexico – are on track to keep warming under 2C by 2050
Vattenfall plots district heating network powered by London waste
Swedish energy giant strikes deal to tap waste heat generated at contentious London waste-to-energy plant and pipe it to 10,500 homes
WEEE Fund unveils £5.6m Covid-19 support package for electrical waste recyling sector
Up to £5m of interest-free loans for electrical waste treatment facilities and £600,000 of grants for charity-sector reuse organisations are now up for grabs
'Historic': Carbon emissions set to plunge a record 8% in 2020, says IEA
Global Energy Review notes that renewables will be the only energy source to expand in 2020 despite a dramatic nosedive in energy demand worldwide caused by Covid-19's shutdown of economic and public life.