How Labour’s £28bn green pledge could deliver beyond climate
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The Policy Ask with Chris Stark: “The government has undermined its climate message by giving the green light to new coal mines”
The CEO of the Climate Change Committee on public speaking, planning reform, and Gordon Brown.
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Net zero jobs growth “not guaranteed”, says Climate Change Committee
The UK may be missing opportunities for green jobs, warns a new report by the independent body.
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Twenty-two heat pump myths debunked
This technology, vital for reaching net zero, is misunderstood.
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The Policy Ask with Helen Clarkson: “I’ve learnt the value of a proper apology”
The CEO of the Climate Group on working for Doctors Without Borders, the importance of listening, and the UK’s…
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The case for sustainable thematic investing
A new approach for investors can complement ESG frameworks.
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How innovation and green tech will transform Africa
Ahead of Cop28 in the UAE, the Annual Investment Meting will bring together investors and governments to understand the…
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The Policy Ask with Adam Scorer: “The UK still seems allergic to learning from other governments”
The chief executive of National Energy Action on the cost-of-living crisis and the UK’s failing benefits system.
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How to make your business indispensable in the green economy
Microsoft is empowering companies with the tools it has developed on its own sustainability journey.
New guidelines on enforced prepayment meters fail to protect the most vulnerable
It’s disgusting that the government is allowing companies to continue this unscrupulous practice.
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Why G7 climate leadership is on the line in Japan
Fossil fuel use could decline as soon as next year, but G7 proposals risk slowing the green transition.
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Most companies struggle to track their carbon emissions. Here’s what they can do about it
Many corporations still use spreadsheets to track their carbon footprint, making it difficult to abide by science-backed emissions targets.
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More than £2bn of government funding for retrofitting homes remains unspent
A third of the money devoted to decarbonising housing and public sector buildings has not materialised.
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Musidora Jorgensen: Sustainability is good for business
Microsoft’s chief sustainability officer, UK, on how the tech giant has made the green transition an integral part of…
Will the government have another “green day” in court?
Rishi Sunak’s latest net-zero proposals mean the UK would still exceed its carbon budget by 2037.
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The government’s climate plans are a recipe for disaster
What was touted as a “Green Day” instead revealed a refusal to acknowledge painful realities.
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Can we solve the UK’s heat pump problem?
Britain has the lowest heat pump installation rate in Europe.
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Concern about climate change stays strong through cost-of-living crisis
Climate action remains a popular policy among the UK population.
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Why market reform, not freezing bills, is the answer to energy security
New research argues the long-term solution to volatile fossil fuel prices requires public ownership of energy generators.
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“Everything, everywhere, all at once”: UN climate report has no time for doomism
A definitive new IPCC assessment of the climate emergency presses for action over despair.
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How Wales could save the world
Sophie Howe, the nation’s first-ever commissioner for future generations, on what it takes to prioritise well-being over GDP.
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Vanuatu’s existential climate threat: “Losing my country is not an option”
In the wake of the latest warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Pacific island nation renews…
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New analysis suggests climate coverage downplays livestock’s impact
Polling reveals a lack of knowledge about the environmental harm done by livestock consumption.
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The Policy Ask with Quinn McKew: “The government must stop its attempt to throw away our human rights”
The freedom of expression campaigner on protecting our liberties, supporting Ukraine and rescuing a colleague in crisis.
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What would make Jeremy Hunt’s budget a green success?
Six announcements to look out for in the Chancellor’s spring statement.
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Can a booming start-up scene help Norway turn its back on oil’s “poisoned pill”?
The oil-rich nation’s green surge is not as big as it should be.
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It’s time to talk policy in the SNP leadership race
So far, constitutional matters have dominated the debate over key issues like the climate and child poverty.
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Why communities are vital to tackling the multiple crises we face
Radical local policies can build the Green New Deal.
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Can a new university breathe life into Britain’s climate education?
Black Mountains College in Wales, and its co-founder Ben Rawlence, is advocating a wartime-style overhaul of the way people…
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The autonomous future is nearly here – with Wejo
A special podcast from Spotlight, the New Statesman’s policy supplement.
Minette Batters: “Food cannot be the poor relation to the environment”
Minette Batters, head of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), doubles down on food security in the face of green…
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To tackle the climate “doom loop”, embrace the hope spiral
Managing our emotional reaction to the climate crisis is as vital as our policy response.
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British Oil’s record profits outweigh renewables investment
Instead of investing in renewable alternatives, British oil companies have doubled down on business as usual.
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The need to grow London’s EV infrastructure at speed and scale
London has made great strides in growing its electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
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Powering careers that secure our net zero future
We're helping to transition workers to a green economy.
UK corporate leaders group: we are trailing in the global race for green growth
The next ten years will be about which economies are fittest for the net-zero transition.
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How universal public services can end the cost-of-living crisis
Government provision of basic human needs, like healthcare and housing, can fight price shocks and save the planet.
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“Spawn of the devil”: the dangerous escalation in Tory climate rhetoric
Climate campaigners are the ones with perspective, no matter the misrepresentations of some Conservative MPs.
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Labour has the ear of small business – let’s prove we can deliver
Keir Starmer needs to give SMEs a strong offer on skills, business rates and net zero.
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Dartmoor’s wild camping battle is a fight for nature itself
Will the last wild camper please turn out the light?
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Conservative Environment Network: the government must attract green investment, not deter it
To balanced the nation’s books, the Chancellor needs to accelerate efforts to reach net zero.
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Are we there yet with electric cars? The EV story – with Wejo
A special podcast from Spotlight, the New Statesman’s policy supplement.
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The legislative battles to watch out for in 2023
UK policymakers and experts reveal the legislation and policy initiatives they have their eye on as parliament returns.
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The UAE must show political leadership in its Cop28 presidency
The former UN climate head asks what it will take for the UAE to successfully lead this year’s climate…
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New Year promises won’t resolve our meat problem
Just under a third of Brits say they are going reducetarian this year, but we need more to meet…
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What Greta Thunberg’s arrest means
Climate activists are facing dark times with courage.
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Sherif Tawfik: The Middle East and Africa are ready to lead on the climate
Microsoft’s chief sustainability officer for MEA on why the region is key to growing the green economy.
“Nothing green” about soaring waste incineration, says former Defra chief scientist
Burned waste is marketed as “renewable” energy, but it produces more carbon emissions than natural gas and is no…
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How many floods will it take for the Tories to take net zero seriously?
“We need more wetlands,” says chair of Natural England, as Chris Skidmore’s review of the government’s climate response is…
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The climate forecast for 2023: El Niño and more record-breaking temperatures
Last year was the UK’s hottest and climate change heralds further destabilising extremes.
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“We have an open goal”: how Labour plans to unlock the climate vote
A new party forum including leading MPs wants to build consensus and challenge the Tories’ rural dominance.
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How Newham can lead the way on net zero
A variety of stakeholders, technologies and initiatives must come together to speed up the energy transition.
Meet the shipping engineer transitioning from oil and gas
Seafarers are having to adapt to new sources of energy.
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Key policy moments of 2022
Policymakers and experts on their policy highlight – or lowlight – of the year.
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Doug Gurr: “We are potentially decades away from a mass extinction”
As Cop15 ends, the former Amazon boss turned director of the Natural History Museum wants to make nature count…
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Cornwall Insight’s Gareth Miller: “Next winter is going to be really challenging”
The CEO of the energy consultancy known for its price cap forecasts says reduced government support could be catastrophic…
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The Policy Ask with Ravi Gurumurthy: “We need to incentivise electrification rather than hold it back”
The CEO of social change charity Nesta on Mahatma Gandhi, the urgency of home insulation, and why we need…
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When will nuclear fusion produce more heat than hype?
Why a fusion power “breakthrough” is a true first, but won’t prevent climate breakdown.
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The net zero opportunities for small business are huge, with the right help
In uncertain times, entrepreneurs need the right information and support to grow.
The green jobs bonanza is already here
The renewable energy transition promises to create tens of millions of jobs, but the UK risks missing out unless…
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Nuclear power is just a slow and expensive distraction
Despite recent breakthroughs in nuclear fusion, renewables remain the most important technology for reaching net zero.
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Rishi Sunak’s lack of leadership on nature is failing businesses
The UK’s stop-start approach to the climate and biodiversity crises makes it hard for industry to act.
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Ukraine’s energy grid is teetering on the brink of collapse
As temperatures plunge and Russia attacks, Kyiv is fighting to keep the lights on.
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Michael Gove’s coal mine decision is a climate disaster – and it’s only the beginning
Britain’s first new deep mine in 30 years has perpetuated net zero myths that could lead to more fossil…
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The green transition can unlock 40,000 new businesses and £175bn
New research shows SMEs could contribute 50 per cent to the UK’s total emissions reduction ambition by 2030.
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Cop15: the most important summit you’ve never heard of
This month’s UN biodiversity summit is a “last chance” for much of the earth’s nature abundance.
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City of London Corporation brings stakeholders together to drive climate action
Localised, low carbon and cost-efficient sources of energy will play a key role in delivering urban decarbonisation strategies.
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What are the green skills of the future?
To reach the UK’s net-zero targets education must keep up with the rapidly evolving job market.
The UK still has some way to go to meet its renewable electricity target
The green share of Britain’s power is increasing steadily, but still lags behind Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal’s.
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Labour’s target of net zero by 2030 is impossible without planning reform
Finance is no longer the key constraint on decarbonisation.
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Ovo chief Raman Bhatia: the energy crisis has been “very sobering”
The head of the UK’s third-largest energy supplier on prices and purpose.
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Meet the renewables installer who is training the next generation
Apprenticeships in sustainable energy can shape the future of the sector.
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How Johnson, Truss and the Tory rebels learned to love onshore wind
The winds of change are blowing in favour of this renewable energy source.
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“This is not new stuff”: the verdict on the government’s home insulation scheme
Rishi Sunak’s plan lacks ambition, say experts.
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Black Friday’s green dilemma
Can retail culture ditch the climate cover-ups and focus on getting the planet “out of the red”?
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Meet the manager of a heat pump company who feels like starting a revolution
In South Yorkshire, Emma Bohan is working to save the planet one pump at a time.
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Britons are reducing energy use to save money – and the environment
Exclusive Ipsos polling explores how people are coping with rising energy costs.
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“People want to buy and source locally now”
Working with farms like the Lakes Free Range Egg Company boosts food quality, local economies and sustainability.
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Why we signed up to the ICS Clean Air Framework
We can’t achieve the NHS’s net zero goals without action on air pollution.
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End the circus of COP once and for all
We’re the clowns, smiling manically as weak pledges are presented as progress, amid mayhem.
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Cop27 shows climate collaboration can survive dark times
Diplomacy is fraught and slow, but a new pledge on loss and damage shows there may yet be a…
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Businesses are at a “cliff edge” – and the Autumn Statement hasn’t helped
The British Chambers of Commerce director-general says Hunt has ignored the private sector’s biggest concerns.
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The five climate pitfalls of the Autumn Statement
From higher taxes on renewables to inadequate energy efficiency, experts warn Jeremy Hunt’s climate policies are “damaging”.
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The Policy Ask with Gail Bradbrook: “I don’t believe the UK is a functional democracy”
The scientist and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion on her working class background, fossil fuels and citizen rights.
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How climate success rests on a carbon market crackdown
Cop27 is at (article) sixes and sevens over rules governing the trade of carbon credits.
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Cop27 must not ignore the clarion call for climate finance
Poorer countries face mounting debt unless the system changes.
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The African Cop must ensure rich nations pay up
Broken climate pledges undermine the global order.
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Cop27 leaders – hold your nerve and reinforce the need for urgent action
In the second week of fraught talks, negotiators at the UN climate summit need to stay focused.
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“As a farming family, we have a part to play in sustainability”
Greg Pickstock on how support from McDonald’s is helping him produce quality beef.
Ofgem’s “regulatory failures” cost billpayers £2.7bn
The energy watchdog was “too slow” to prevent supplier bankruptcies, MPs said.
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Live carbon emissions tracker: How do countries compare?
The New Statesman is tracking the progress of the world’s emissions and pledges in the run up to Cop27…
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Importing US gas is hypocritical – but not in the way pro-frackers think
The world is on course to produce far more gas than is safe.
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Risk and Resilience: Shoring up the economy
Features and analysis on today's risk and resilience issues. With Guy Hands, Walton Webson, Caroline Wagstaff and Charles Walker…
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From Just Stop Oil to Egypt’s hunger striker: climate action is sparking human rights solidarity
Not only can climate activism not be silenced, it is amplifying resistance to global injustice.
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Labour can win by telling a better story about climate action
The opposition must focus on economic resilience and stay out of “loss and damage” culture wars.
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Why we need to speak of climate crisis, not climate change
In this case, semantics do matter.
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What would make Cop27 a success?
Climate finance, offsets rules and indigenous rights all need attention at this year’s UN climate summit.
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Boris Johnson tries to upstage his latest replacement at Cop27
The former PM’s call at the conference to “incarnate the spirit of Glasgow” is an attempt to burnish his…
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Climate finance: Who pays to close the inequality gap?
The UN's annual climate finance target of $100bn is not nearly enough to help poorer countries cope with the…
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Surveillance, greenwashing and a hunger strike: welcome to Egypt’s Cop27
Can the authoritarian state, currently building a water-consuming desert capital, host a summit that achieves real change?
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UK cities must adapt to a changing climate
Faced with heatwaves and flooding, the UK needs to invest in resilient infrastructure alongside cutting its carbon emissions.