NEWS

FINAL EMISSION FIGURES FOR 2021 SHOW A 5% INCREASE

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the UK increased by 5% in 2021 when compared to the 2020 figures. This is largely due to the relaxing of travel restrictions put in place in 2020 due to Covid.

ARE WE SPENDING ENOUGH TIME AND MONEY TACKLING THE CLIMATE CRISIS?

According to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK is not spending enough to fight climate changes or its impacts. The CCC is suggestion that investment of about £10 billion is needed annually to overcome the devastation caused by the upsurge in heatwaves, droughts and flooding that has been a more regular occurrence over the last few years.

GROWING UK'S NET-ZERO ECONOMY IS A £70BN LEVELLING UP OPPORTUNITY

INNOVATE UK NET-ZERO REVIEW 2022: OUR CLEAR FUTURE ECONOMY

Innovate UK has shared a report detailing existing activities and future plans for putting the UK at the forefront of energy-secure, low-carbon growth.

CHANGE URGENTLY NEEDED IN UK CITIES TO MEET NET-ZERO TARGETS

WEST MIDLANDS INDUSTRY CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO DO MORE

MICROBUSINESSES AND NET ZERO

With the Net Zero target of 2050 set by the UK government, there has been increasing pressures on businesses to work towards this goal also.

LOW CARBON SOURCES NOW CONTRIBUTE TO MORE THAN 60% OF THE OVERALL ENERGY MIX OF THE UK.

UK power generation becoming increasingly renewable. Government data has attributed this to windfarms, with wind generation increasing by 15%.

NESTA PUBLISHES REPORT WARNING THOUSANDS MORE HEAT PUMP ENGINEERS NEEDED

Nesta, a charity focused on supporting innovation for social good, has released a report publishes on the 7th of July 2022 in which they state that there are currently only 3,000 trained heat pump engineers in the UK, but at least 27,000 will be needed in the next six years, requiring increases of 4,000-6,000 per year. This means training more new engineers every year than are currently in the whole industry.

PROGRESS REPORT FROM CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE

The Climate Change Committee has published a comprehensive report that details the progress of the major sectors withing the UK and their progress in their journeys to net zero. The Climate Change Committee has thoroughly assessed each sector based on the commitment to reduce carbon emissions and provided an update as to how each sector is performing compared to their commitments to reduce emissions.

INCREASED CAPITAL SPENDING REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE CLIMATE TARGETS

A new IEA report suggests that more capital spending on renewables is required to achieve climate targets

DRIVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY TO DELIVER!

Efforts to improve energy efficiency could drive the delivery of emission cuts that amount to a third of emission cuts needed to reach our accumulative goal of net zero.

POTENTIAL CAPACITY OF OFFSHORE WIND

The UK government has recently revealed its new and ambitious strategy for wind generation it the long awaited Energy Security Strategy. The strategy, which comes in light of rising global energy prices and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, acknowledges the need to move away from fossil fuels.

CUSTOMERS RELUCTANT TO GO PAPERLESS

Research conducted by the Royal Mail Marketreach and Accenture, revealed that 83% of consumers want a choice in whether they receive communications via post or email and that only half of customers are happy to go paperless.

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF TEXTILES NEEDS TO EDUCATE CONSUMERS ABOUT WHAT THEY WEAR

Research conducted by the Material Science Research Centre (MSRC) and Textiles Circularity Research Centre (TCC) has concluded that the majority of consumers have little to no idea what they are actually wearing in terms of sustainability. Learning about the impacts of the materials we wear will be key to achieving a circular economy.

CLIMATE GOALS SHOULD BE AT THE CENTRE OF GOVERNMENTS ECONOMIC POLICY

Aviva and WWF have released a joint report calling for more focus on net zero regulations The economic strategy to transition the UK government to net zero needs to be nature based and focus on the climate changes we need to see. These are the views of Aviva and WWF, who are beseeching policy makers to do more then ask businesses to create their own zero carbon strategies, but rather to intervene on a national level and provide businesses with a more sustainable way of reducing carbon emissions.

TRANSITION TO NET ZERO WITHING THE POWER SECTOR TO BE EQUAL AND OBJECTIVE

The commitments made during COP26 will see the need for collaborative decarbonisation throughout the industry. Through COP26 the Energy Industry has launched what they call ‘Powering Net Zero Pact’ as part of the COP26 legacy that will mandate the changes needed to decarbonise the energy industry. With this ‘Pact’ will address the need for the private sector to join the ground-breaking initiative to reach net zero across the industry.

CLIMATE LEGACY PROJECT

DearTomorrow invites Wolverhampton residents and visitors to take part in its first UK community engagement exhibition

IS THE USE OF GAS STOPPING US FROM REACHING NET ZERO?

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) have published a report that has analysed the UK governments Heat and Building Strategy. The report has concluded that there are still funding and policy gaps in the Heat and building strategy and a need to cut the consumption of fossil fuels for heating.

SMES FEEL THEY NEED MORE TRAINING TO TRANSITION TO NET ZERO.

A new survey from the SME Climate Hub has revealed that most SMEs want to reduce their environmental footprint and improve climate resilience, however over two-thirds do not believe they have the right skills and knowledge in place to do so in-house. With 90% of businesses around the world being SMEs, and jointly contributing to half the global carbon emissions in the private sector, it is detrimental that they receive the training and upskilling required to actively reduce emissions.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT READY TO KICK THINGS INTO HIGH GEAR

For two weeks each year at the end of February and start of March, thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK come together to share the stories of the people who grow our food and drinks, mine our gold and who grow the cotton in our clothes, people who are often exploited and underpaid.

UK CLAMPS DOWN ON FRACKING OPERATIONS

In a display of action to show the UK’s full intentions to go net-zero by 2050, the Oil and Gas Authority have ordered two shale gas wells to be plugged and shut down.

NATIONAL GRID TO DRAIN EV BATTERIES

Nissan LEAF EVs that are plugged into households powered by Octopus Energy will be taking part in this Pilot project.

HYDROGEN INTRODUCTION TO THE UK GAS GRID

The UK’s gas grid will be able to provide Hydrogen to more households by providing a 20% blend to reduce the carbon emissions associated with burning gas. This reduction is estimated at the equivalent of two and a half million cars a year.

WOLVERHAMPTON COUNCIL GOING GREENER

The city of Wolverhampton has embraced change as the council has taken delivery of two new electric vans. The addition of the two zero emission vans marks the start of the councils plans to reduce emissions by replacing the entire current fleet of polluting vehicles with electric, more ego-friendly

ICE SHEET IN GREENLAND CONTINUE TO MELT

Research has shown that the ice sheet in Greenland is continuing to melt. This year marks the 25th consecutive year where the ice sheet in Greenland has lost more mass than it gained in the winter. This was confirmed in the research conducted by the UN.

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE COST THE WORLD BILLIONS OF POUNDS EACH YEAR.

A new report compiled based on the new research from Christian Aid, which has reviewed the 15 most destructive climate disasters of 2021, has concluded that the climate crisis has cost the world billions of pounds in damages and has resulted in insurmountable loss of life worldwide.

BUSINESS GRANTS EXPANDED TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT RETAILERS AND LOW CARBON INITIATIVES

City of Wolverhampton Council has expanded its Relight Business Programme grant to support independent retailers and help businesses across the city invest in low carbon and other environmental measures.

HOUSEHOLD EMISSIONS REDUCED THROUGH FREE GREEN SERVICES

The use of carbon tax revenue to fund public transport and free green electricity could be the way to significantly reduce household GHG emissions. The information that drives this idea can be found in a paper published on the 23rd of November 2021, by the University of Leeds, that reveals that providing these services for free could reduce home energy emissions by 13.4%, and motor fuel emissions by 23.8%. The study was led by Dr Milena Buchs, Associate Professor in Sustainability, Economics and Low Carbon Transitions in Leeds’ Sustainability Research Institute.

$410 MILLION DOLLARS COMMITTED TO HELP DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

The funding to fight climate change has been pledged by 11 countries through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) to help provide funding to the 46 least developed countries on the planet to help them fight climate change and become more resilient to its impacts.

ALL NEW UK HGVS TO BE ZERO-EMISSION BY 2040

The UK government has announced its plan to make all new HGVs sold zero emissions by 2040, as a commitment to the outcomes of Transport Day at COP26. The pledge has reinvigorated the driving force behind making all new vehicles on UK roads zero emissions by 2040.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE SMART CHARGING LEGISLATION

In November 2020 the UK Government announced the planned phase-out with regards to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans. This phase-out date was brought forward to 2030, with all new cars and vans to be fully zero emission at the tailpipe from 2035.

CLIMATE CHANGE: THE ISSUE ON EVERYONE’S MIND.

A recent poll by Ipsos MORI concluded that more people are worrying about climate change now then ever before. Climate concerns received its highest score since 1988 proving that the effects of climate change are undoubtably a huge concern for British people.

DIAMLER TRUCKS AND TOTALENERGIES ARE TEAMING UP

This collaboration will see the two companies partner together to supply hydrogen trucks and implement hydrogen fuel stations across Europe by 2030. This plan will help decarbonise the European road freight industry ahead of the planned 2050 target.

THE SECOND WEEK OF COP26 ALL WRAPPED UP.

COP26 was meant to have finished on Friday afternoon, where world leaders would’ve presented a new proposal to meet the ambitions of the Paris Agreement through concerted efforts to keep 1.5C “alive”. As with most COPs, the negotiations have overrun. COP 26 has now officially wrapped up its final days of the climate summit in Glasgow. The last week has brought us several new international commitments on issues ranging from low carbon infrastructure development to hydrogen technology.

SCIENCE-BASED TARGETS AND WHY YOU NEED TO SET THEM

Having a good understanding of science based targets, what it is and why it is fundamental to carbon reduction could be beneficial in setting realistic, achievable targets when devising your net-zero strategy. There are many benefits to setting science-based targets. By significantly reducing emissions, you are not only building a brighter future for the planet but also a potentially profitable one for your business

END OF WEEK 1 COP26 UPDATE

Update on the outcomes from the first week of COP26.

THE NETHERLANDS TO CONVERT NATURAL GAS NETWORK FOR PURE HYDROGEN

The Netherlands has shared plans to build a ring shaped pipeline that will be used to supply industrial clusters with hydrogen as a power source. This increase in investment comes after a request from the State Secretary for Energy and Climate, without which investment would remain stagnant.

BP AND FRIENDS

With COP26 currently underway the whole world is focussed on climate change. One of the most pressing issues around climate change is ensuring there is sufficient infrastructure in place to support vehicles as we move away from fossil fuels. Recent news from three of the worlds biggest fuel and energy providers, shell, BP and Total energy, hopes to combat this.

UK SECURE BETTER STANDING IN FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

The Uk has risen from fifth to fourth in the rankings for EY's national attractiveness of renewable energy investment. This was published in the EY’s 57th Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI), with the UK rising one position for countries that are attractive for investment into clean energies and deployment opportunities.

UK GOVERNMENT OUTLINE THEIR EXTENSIVE NET-ZERO STRATEGY

An announcement has been made by the UK government outlining their extensive net-zero strategy entitled “Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener” on how they plan to decarbonise the nation by "transforming every sector of the global economy". This comes as we approach COP26. The net-zero strategy outlines the sectors that will be prioritised and invested in, including the power, transport and fuel supply industries.

GREEN RULES ANNOUNCEMENT

As of the first of October, all businesses wishing to bid for government contracts worth more than £5 million will need to commit to a net-zero strategy that projects a science based target of achieving net-zero by 2050. This rule comes into play as the ‘Green Rule’ that will solidify the UK’s position as the front runners in the fight against climate change.

CALL TO ACTION FAR BEYOND COP26

COP26 engagement lead Nick Baker delivered a keynote speech at Edie’s COP26 Climate Action Workshops, hosted in London on the 5th of October 2021, where he spoke about the build-up to COP26 and how businesses are 'key levers' to delivering on the Paris Agreement.

COP26: UPDATE ON PROCEEDINGS AND WHAT HAPPENS DURING

COP26 refers to the 26th United Nations (UN) climate change conference which is scheduled to be held in Glasgow from 1–12 November 2021 under the presidency of the UK, with Italy acting as a co-host. Cop26 plans to go ahead as scheduled after several changes had to be made to how the conference will be conducted. COP26 is the largest international summit the UK has ever held and the presidency of COP will last for the full year until the next COP will be held. The summit had to be postponed due to the pandemic but is still the pivotal turning point to reduce climate change and get the signatories of the Paris Agreement to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

FUTURE ENERGY SCENARIOS 2021: THE FOUR PATHS TO NET ZERO

Future Energy Scenarios (FES) represent a range of different, scientific based ways to decarbonise our energy system as the UK works towards net-zero by 2050. FES has an important role to play in stimulating debate and helping to shape the energy system of the future.

BIRTH OF THE WEST MIDLANDS CIRCULAR ECONOMY

For the longest time our economy has been structured in a straight line where products and materials are made, used, and then thrown away. This model is referred to as a linear model of manufacturing.

HOW CAN URBAN AGRICULTURE HELP US ACHIEVE NET ZERO?

Food production and supply accounts for between 20-30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, and, as a result, is a key area for decarbonisation. The food sector poses unique challenges as decarbonisation must be carefully balanced with maintaining affordable prices and reliable supply chains to ensure food security for all.

URBAN AGRICULTURE IN INDUSTRIAL CIRCULAR ECONOMIES

The environmental impacts of the linear ‘take-make-dispose’ economy are evident. Resource extraction has increased by over three times since 1970, and current extraction of natural resources including food and fuel contributes towards half of total greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of biodiversity loss1. Economically, this has led to increasing and volatile resource prices, exposing companies to risks.

GREENHOUSE GASES CONTINUE TO RISE

The reduction in economic activity during lockdown did not reduce the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. A global review carried out by the American Meteorological Society called ‘State of the Climate in 2020’, has determined that the pandemic slowed economic activity dramatically but had little to no effect on the emissions of greenhouse gasses. In fact, there has been a significant rise in all major greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

NET ZERO AND WEST MIDLANDS MANUFACTURING

In the last instalment in our celebration of the Birmingham offices 10 year anniversary, Senior Associate Jamie De Souza speaks to Richard Pyatt, Director at CR Plus about the West Midlands and Black Country industrial Net Zero Carbon.

HYDROGEN ECONOMY PRESS RELEASE

First-ever vision to kick start world-leading hydrogen economy set to support over 9,000 UK jobs and unlock £4 billion investment by 2030.

BLUE OR GREEN –

Hydrogen is an odourless, and invisible gas. It is a clean fuel and produces only water when consumed in a fuel cell.

THE UK BATTERY INDUSTRIALISATION CENTRE

Mr Johnson opened the national battery manufacturing development facility during a visit to Coventry. The 18,500-meter squared facility, costing around £130 million, has been developed and opened to support UK industry with the development of battery technologies for the future electrification of fossil fuelled equipment.

HOME OF THE GREEN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

"The West Midlands low carbon industries are thriving, now outperforming many other sectors of our regional economy. We need to capitalise on this growth and lead a new, green industrial revolution. This time we will grow whilst protecting our natural resources and reversing damage to our planet. Our goal is to reach net-zero emissions by 2041, and we have a clear plan for the first five years, promising to create tens of thousands of new jobs in green industries." Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands Combined Authority

GOING VERTICAL FOR BIGGER CROP YIELDS!

New vertical farming technology could potentially supply British supermarkets with fresh strawberries for up to nine months out of a year. Using vertical farming technology in the growth process of strawberries could help Brits enjoy strawberries for a lot longer, not just in the summer months but during the long winter months too.

MAJOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION REPORT FROM THE CCC REQUIRES ACTION NOT WORDS.

Several entities that are monitoring the effect of climate change are urging the UK government to take the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) new advice on building resilience to risks seriously. These risks may include floods, heatwaves and international supply chain disruption.

CO2-BASED MICROALGAE CULTIVATION TO PRODUCE GROUND BREAKING BIOFUELS

Veolia and TotalEnergies have partnered together to accelerate the advancement of microalgae cultivation using CO2. The two partners will amalgamate their resources to develop a 4-year research project at the La Mède biorefinery, operated by TotalEnergies, with the goal of producing game changing biofuel.

ZERO EMISSIONS MILITARY AIRCRAFT UNDER DEVELOPMENT

The Royal Air Force (RAF) has developed a game plan to explore zero-emission alternatives for the replacement of its existing fleet of fossil fuel-powered military training aircrafts. For defence, the UK currently utilises fossil-fuel-powered light training aircraft, which are used across military and civil airfields for flying training, grading and assessment.

VAUXHALL’S ‘ALL-ELECTRIC’ PLANT GETS GREEN LIGHT

Ellesmere Port will begin exclusive production on battery-electric vans from 2022 thanks to a £100 million investment from Stellantis, owner of Vauxhall. This injection of funds will make the manufacturing plant the first in the chain to solely produce battery-electric vans for Vauxhall, Opel, Peugeot and Citroën.

LIDL JOINS THE FIGHT

Lidl GB has announced its plans to become a carbon neutral business by 2022 this was announced alongside Lidl’s parent organisation the Schwarz Group’s wider commitment to reduce operational emissions across the chain as a whole. Lidl has even encouraged its key suppliers to set their own carbon neutral goals.

TRANSPARENT SOLAR PANELS TO IMPROVE HARVEST YIELD.

A pilot project has been launched to explore the impact of new transparent solar panels on the yield of certain crops and how the use of sunlight control can in fact increase fruit yield.

PLASTIC WASTE GIVEN NEW LIFE

That is right, plastic waste has been recycled and used to support trains. These new sleepers will replace the traditional concrete sleepers used to keep the correct distance between the two rail tracks and provide stability.

UNPARALLELED ‘GLOBAL BLOCKAGE EFFECT’ RESEARCH APPROVED

The Global Blockage Effect in Offshore Wind (OWA GloBE) project is the latest joint industry initiative to be delivered under the Offshore Wind Accelerator and is designed to collect data to improve the understanding of the true impact of the GBE by undertaking an unparalleled measurement campaign of GBE under authentic offshore conditions.

PLANS TO OPTIMISE OFFSHORE WIND FARMS

A joint industry programme was launched on the 3rd of December 2020 by the Carbon Trust which aims to increase the contribution of offshore wind to reduce the cost, allow flexibility, reliability and increase the likelihood of achieving a Low Carbon energy future.

CIRCULAR FUELS LTD

SHV Energy and KEW Technology, two pioneering UK sustainable energy solutions companies join together to develop cutting edge renewable dimethyl ether (rDME) production plants. This strategic collaboration will demonstrate the viability of converting renewable and recycled carbon feedstock into renewable liquid gas.

UK GOVERNMENT FUNDS FOUR CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE CLUSTERS

Plans to inject an extra £200 million into factories to assist with the task of burying carbon dioxide deep underground. The UK government has invested several hundred million pounds in carbon capture and storage technology as part of a new 10-point action plan to tackle climate change. This is to assist with the commitment the UK has made to reduce its carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050. The UK government is the first to implement laws to restrict industrial carbon emissions.

CARBON CAPTURE PROJECT RECEIVES FUNDING INJECTION

The HyNet North West project has been given £72 million in funding to implement decarbonisation strategies to assist in delivering a net-zero industrial sector, it is expected to create 6,000 new jobs and reduce carbon emissions by 10 million tonnes every year, by 2030.

EQUINOR AND ENGIE ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP.

Low-carbon hydrogen development gains momentum as Equinor and Engie announce partnership