UK
UK aid and foreign ministry merger raises fears for politicisation of climate finance
The move puts Britain’s economic interests abroad above efforts to eliminate poverty and protect the most vulnerable, experts warn
Covid-hit UK begins 18-month preparations for UN climate summit
The stakes of the next climate talks have been raised as countries make decisions to reboot the economy that could impact climate action for years to come
Citizens’ assemblies on climate change seek to shape the post-Covid recovery
French and British initiatives to involve ordinary people in climate policy are adapting their work in light of the coronavirus pandemic
To be credible at Cop26, the UK needs a plan for its climate plan
The obvious time for the UK to publish its NDC would be before the Commonwealth meeting in June, to leverage countries like India and South Africa
UK climate diplomacy ‘already happening’ for Cop26 despite leadership vacuum
The UK’s top climate diplomat said the country had been able to do ‘a huge amount’ of pre-diplomacy work despite the lack of a Cop26 president
UK’s Boris Johnson urges all countries to set net zero emissions goals in 2020
The UK’s Prime Minister launched Cop26 hours after being accused by sacked talks president Claire O’Neill of ‘not understanding’ the issues at stake
UK must cut land use emissions by two thirds to meet 2050 goal, advisers warn
Committee on Climate Change warns a fifth of all agricultural land needs to be released for climate mitigation to help the UK achieve carbon neutrality
The UK must steer the Paris Agreement out of its ‘perilous decade’
Demands for action are outstripping political will. The diplomatic task of bridging the expectations gap falls to the hosts of next year’s climate talks
No-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the climate
Boris Johnson’s leadership increases the likelihood of a hard exit from the EU, shattering the bloc’s solidarity and empowering a radical deregulation agenda
UK carbon price to plummet under no-deal Brexit
A proposed UK tax on heavy polluters would come in at nearly half the EU carbon market price, reducing the incentive to cut emissions
Former UK energy minister Claire Perry appointed Cop26 president
A champion of phasing out coal power internationally, Perry has been named to lead critical UN climate talks in 2020, which the UK expects to host
UK told to close climate policy gap or ‘be embarrassed’ in 2020
The British government is off track for its 2050 net zero emissions target, advisers warn, undermining its credibility as likely host of Cop26 UN climate talks
UK forms citizens’ assembly on climate change
A cross-section of society will be invited to debate how to share the costs and rewards of meeting the government’s net zero emissions target
UK tells fracking industry it won’t relax rules on earth tremors
The Conservative government has long backed shale gas exploration, but denied industry calls to loosen ‘unworkable’ limits on seismic activity
Sydney and Melbourne vow to ditch coal power
Australian cities joined global alliance to end coal-fired power, while the federal government proposes using taxpayer cash to underwrite new plants
Trailblazing UK climate change act is a model for the world
Ten years after its creation, the landmark legislation has many lessons for other countries as they look for ways to turn the Paris deal into national action
Fracking ‘part of a low carbon future’, says UK minister, as drilling restarts
Claire Perry requested a net-zero emissions probe on Monday but defended fracking, saying gas was ‘absolutely part of our future’
19 countries team up to go carbon neutral
The UK, Canada, Denmark and Spain joined a coalition to slash emissions to net zero on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York
As the UK swelters, government plan for extreme heat is criticised
The UK’s new five year plan to adapt to climate change lacks proper action to deal with the rising threat of extreme heat, according to its own advisers
UK government refuses to commit to EU clean energy targets after Brexit
The UK helped craft a deal on EU renewable and energy efficiency ambition but its participation after it leaves the union is uncertain