net zero

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Ousted COP26 president says PM doesn’t understand climate change

Claire O’Neill has hit back at the prime minister and his civil servants over what she claimed was inaction around the UN climate change summit, to be held in Glasgow this November. She said she “could not stand by and see this extraordinary opportunity fail for lack of any leadership”.

4 years ago

Tory opposition to onshore wind “thawing”

Voter concern about climate change is impacting on Conservative thinking, a leading Tory environmentalist has suggested. However, translating this into an overturning of the existing block on onshore wind farms will still be “really tricky”.

4 years ago

Davey calls for replacement to ‘disastrous’ BEIS

Sir Ed Davey, the acting leader of the Lib Dems and former energy secretary, has urged the establishment of a new department focused on achieving the UK’s 2050 net-zero emissions target if the government goes through with its mooted revamp of Whitehall.

4 years ago

Energy sector needs 400,000 recruits by 2050 to hit net-zero target

A new report from National Grid says that 117,000 more jobs are needed in the industry over the next decade alone. The report lists a number of workforce challenges including the “baby boomer retirement crunch” and competition from other sectors, with 40 per cent of physics graduates currently opting for careers in banking and finance.

4 years ago

Climate Assembly advisor defends 2050 net-zero target

A leading energy academic, who has been chosen to advise the new Climate Assembly, has warned it is “one hell of a job” to decarbonise the UK economy by 2050. He was speaking ahead of the first meeting of the Assembly, which brings together 110 members of the public to try to reach consensus on the net-zero journey.

4 years ago

Khan: London’s 2030 net-zero goal is ‘colossal undertaking’

The Mayor of London has pledged to make the capital the biggest city in the world to be carbon neutral by that start of the next decade. He said: “There’s no doubt that it’s an ambitious target and that it’s going to be hard for our city to meet, but unless London is really stretched we won’t meet the changes that we desperately need.”

4 years ago

Climate assembly panels finalised

Leading academics together with figures from industry, the environmental movement and thinktanks have been named as advisors for the upcoming citizen’s assembly on climate change.

4 years ago

DECC rises from the ashes

Speculation is rife that the new prime minister will re-introduce the department for energy and climate change, as part of a wider Whitehall restructure. David Blackman talks to industry experts about the mooted move and what it would mean for the net-zero journey.

4 years ago

SSE CEO: Government needs ‘world-leading net zero roadmap’

Alistair Phillips-Davies says the next parliament will be critical in setting the UK up for net zero success. He adds that the government needs a "world-leading net zero roadmap".

4 years ago

Bristol’s bold leap of faith

Like many local authorities, Bristol City Council isn't waiting for government to lead in the net-zero challenge; it's identified £1bn of decarbonisation projects and is seeking a private sector "strategic partner" to make them happen. Councillor Kye Dudd tells Elaine Knutt about the plan.

4 years ago

Ovo chief wants to spearhead the fight against carbon

In his first interview, Ovo Energy's retail chief executive Adrian Letts talks to Utility Week about the direction he wants to take the challenger brand in. Specifically, he sees his new role as a way of combating humanity's greatest threat - climate change.

4 years ago

Climate emergency needs action and we’re ready to invest

SSE chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies writes about the collective responsibility of the industry to push ahead on decarbonisation, and what SSE has done so far.

4 years ago

SNP goads UK parties over climate change leadership

Nicola Sturgeon has urged Westminster to match the Scottish government’s ambition on tackling climate change. Meanwhile, the Scottish renewable industry's lobby group has called for Ofgem to be equipped with regulatory powers to enable investment in low-carbon infrastructure.

4 years ago

ENA champions private investment in new net-zero campaign

The new campaign aims to highlight what private investment needs to do in order to achieve net zero by 2050. It is also warning against proposals to bring the sector under state ownership.

4 years ago

Energy regulation needs ‘fundamental behaviour change’

A new report has said energy regulatory requirements are often “poorly focused, overcomplex and unduly burdensome” with disproportionate resource diverted towards demonstrating compliance rather than delivering improvements.

5 years ago

Time to make our case for the climate

Until recently, the climate change message was a study in reasoned, intellectual persuasion but over the past few months the mood music has changed. Suzanne Heneghan discusses how the sector can cut through the acrimony and noise.

5 years ago

Labour net-zero blueprint calls for 9,000 new wind turbines by 2030

More than half of the UK’s electricity needs should be supplied from wind power by 2030, according to a radical new decarbonisation plan drawn up for the Labour Party. The 30 by 2030 report stops short of committing to net-zero by 2030 but does set a target of 90 per cent of non-transport electricity demand being met from renewable and low-carbon sources.

5 years ago

Government must not hamper ‘aggressive’ local net zero plans

Decisions on decarbonisation should be made by local communities instead of a “one size fits

5 years ago

Johnson to chair cabinet committee on climate change

The committee, which the government has described as the first of its kind, will bring together key ministers to hold departments to account for their actions to combat climate change and co-ordinate efforts to cut emissions and improve air quality.

5 years ago

Government to go ‘further and faster’ in response to CCC report

The government has published its response to the Committee on Climate Change's annual report. In its response it promises new measures including removing the planning threshold for storage technologies.

5 years ago

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