Mike Barry

If we are headed for exceeding 1.5 degrees of global warming , with 2.7 degrees the current trend target, and the actions of the COP's not reducing overall emissions , then the importance of the UK's National Adaptation Programme to Climate Change (NAP3) becomes even more important. Yet the review of the current programme by the Climate Change Committee in March this year , said that it a) falls short of what we need b) the current approach is not working c) an urgent review of NAP 3 is needed now Its worth a read .. we do need to prepare ourselves better - and sooner .. https://lnkd.in/eTB9krCE

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Questions for a Sustainable Future // 1. What are the topics you'd like to explore with AberInnovation, me and colleagues at our Shaping a Sustainable Future Conference on 3rd December? 2. What help might you need to develop a strategy and business plan that's based on working with the laws of physics and biology rather than the convenient comfort of continuing to do the wrong things better, and call that enough? 3. What people skills will you and your teams need to respond fully to the wild scale of disruption coming our way as we head towards our planned and intended temperature increase of +3c? 4. What would you set out to do if you took the evidence around as real, and knew that when you responded, you couldn't fail? Climate LinkUP Mark Jones Alan Horton Rhian Hayward MBE Iain Donnison

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WRAP has published a practical guide for businesses to identify opportunities for transitioning to reusable and refillable packaging, reducing environmental impact by moving away from single-use plastics. https://lnkd.in/eJEMUYzX

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Scope 3 emissions reporting can have benefits beyond carbon reduction, according to industry respondents to DESNZ's call for evidence, helping with: 💠 Reputation 💠 Investor ratings 💠 Supplier relationships 💠 Incentivising resource efficiency & circularity This echoes some of what businesses told me & Heather Plumpton when we looked at how to scale up circular business models back in 2022. Moving from voluntary to mandatory Scope 3 reporting for larger firms could be a game changer for developing circular value chains. From the call for evidence: “One of the benefits of scope 3 reporting is the increased visibility it provides on the emissions embedded in materials and products a company uses throughout its supply chain. Emissions associated with purchased goods and services upstream in a supply chain are often the largest source of a company’s carbon footprint. This increased visibility, and target setting based on it, would reduce non-carbon environmental impacts as it encourages greater resource efficiency and circularity.” (Trade association) https://lnkd.in/eTiZqn8n? (Our 2022 Green Alliance report: https://lnkd.in/eeWj2wat)

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Breaking news on low carbon and the Labour Manifesto …… Key strategies include: - Introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism to protect British industries and meet climate objectives. - Ensuring the institutional framework supports reaching net zero and meeting carbon budgets. - Mandating UK-regulated financial institutions to implement credible transition plans aligning with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. ### Heat Pumps and Low Carbon Heating Support the widespread adoption of low-carbon heating solutions, including heat pumps, through: - Offering grants and low-interest loans under the Warm Homes Plan to support the installation of heat pumps and other low-carbon heating systems. - Ensuring private rented sector homes meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2030. ### Solar PV To expand solar power usage, Labour intends to: - Triple solar power capacity by 2030 as part of the mission to deliver clean power. - Provide support through the Warm Homes Plan for solar panel installations. - Deploy more distributed production capacity through the Local Power Plan, partnering with local authorities and cooperatives for community-based solar projects. ### Insulating Homes Labour's manifesto highlights a significant focus on improving energy efficiency in homes through: - Investing an extra £6.6 billion over the next parliament to upgrade five million homes, aiming to reduce bills and fuel poverty. - Providing grants and low-interest loans for insulation and other improvements. - Working with combined authorities, local, and devolved governments to roll out the Warm Homes Plan. - Ensuring that no one will be forced to replace their boiler as a result of these plans. ### Details on the Warm Homes Plan The Warm Homes Plan is a cornerstone of Labour's strategy to improve energy efficiency in homes. Key elements include: - Offering grants and low-interest loans to support investment in insulation, solar panels, batteries, and low-carbon heating solutions. - Partnering with combined authorities, local and devolved governments for a comprehensive rollout. - Collaborating with the private sector, including banks and building societies, to provide additional private finance to accelerate home upgrades and low-carbon heating. - Ensuring homes in the private rented sector meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2030, which will save renters hundreds of pounds per year. - Guaranteeing that no one will be forced to remove their boiler as part of these improvements. ### Training on Low Carbon Technologies To support the transition to a green economy, Labour plans to: - Establish Skills England to bring together businesses, training providers, and unions with national and local government to ensure a highly trained workforce for the Industrial Strategy. - Devolve adult skills funding to Combined Authorities - Reform the Apprenticeships Levy to create a flexible Growth and Skills Levy. GTEC Training

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There are so many ways organisations like PWC and their supply chains can help nature. A great way is to support and invest with organisations like Chiltern Rangers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), The Woodland Trust and others to take action in their local areas. Working locally reduces travel and creates a better, more connected landscape. Not only can positive activity sessions like Be a Ranger days help directly e.g. tree planting, river cleans or coppicing in the woods; these days are great for teambuilding, health and well being, giving back to the community and much more. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dmm27gDx What stops your company for booking these sessions and making the difference for people, place and nature??

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The first international standard on net zero is due to launch next year. New ISO standards will clarify the net zero transition and give the public confidence and guard against greenwashing. Launched last week at London Climate Action Week, ISO’s Head of Sustainability, Noelia Garcia Nebra said, “ISO takes our role in supporting a net zero transition seriously. As part of our Climate Commitment, we look forward to delivering an international standard the market has been asking for, and importantly, suitable for organisations of all sizes, sectors and geographies.” For more information on this story and how it could impact your organisation, check out:   https://lnkd.in/e34Kr4k2 #NetZero #ISOStandards #Sustainability

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Another smart choice by the UK Govt. https://lnkd.in/e2MfQipp The Climate Change Committee in good hands at an important inflection point. And with Chris Stark at Mission Control for net zero energy we will know both where we are and where we are going. I am looking forward to helping extend the UK's role as a trusted partner and using foreign policy as an international delivery arm of the UK's energy transition

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5 good recs and reminders below from emily porro at Ragan. “Focusing on personal benefits, technological innovation, local and community impacts, resilience and tangible results, businesses can connect with consumers more meaningfully by answering the question “why” in a way that is more closely to where they are. We just need to adjust to audiences who are increasingly looking for practical, actionable, measurable solutions to address their own challenges directly.” https://lnkd.in/e6JHquJb

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Good to see more progress from colleagues at The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) in efforts to build end to end integrity in the VCMs. The helps the buyers VCMI focuses on identity high integrity credits. https://lnkd.in/dJMSNxus #carbonmarkets #integrity #climatefinance

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🔉🔉 🔉 I don't know why this isn't bigger news today in our #sustainability community but... UK businesses via UN Global Compact Network UK look set to lean into double materiality! 📣 Richard Howitt* states: "...the choice to be made between single (financial) #materiality in the company's sustainability reporting or double materiality (including the company's impact on people and planet), Global Compact member companies are firmly recommended to take the latter, more comprehensive approach. This choice is reaffirmed in the positions quoted in the report from the UK's #sustainableinvestmentforum and by the @UK Impact Investing Institute underlining that many in the financial community itself, want companies to be able to see beyond a short-term, finance-only perspective." ++++ "we predicted it!" is not always helpful but because our statements are always based in 20 years empirical research i do think it helps to know the sources you can lean on to shine a clean light on the path forward in such a confusing space. 🌊 Contrary to popular belief progress is not happening step by step - there are waves of change and then ripple effects. #Greenwashing - #CSRD leavers were the big waves - once these checks and market drivers were in place we advised for all organisations - regardless of geography - to start working towards a double materiality (or better still - context based scoping and materiality). Why - well once the market realised that financial reporting would extend to include environmental, social reporting + governance we knew that getting this right would be the gold standard of how all assets are valued. ✅ What we are advising now is not just geographically but - regardless of being pulled into mandatory reporting ALL organisations should look to at least understand what double materiality looks like for them. Why? - simply put the organisations in the mandatory disclosure bracket will not reach their targets without kicking the pressure up and down the supply chain. ❗ a shocking 84% of listed companies are not aligning with netzero ref: MSCI Inc. Get ahead of changes and join our September 'Beyond Carbon' cohort (with a 50% discount if you will give some time to me for my research on knowledge gaps - Chatham House rule): https://lnkd.in/eEcyqAh2 *Richard Howitt is Strategic Advisor, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Business and Human Rights, former Member of the European Parliament responsible for the E.U.'s first rules on corporate sustainability reporting and global Chief Executive of the International Integrated Reporting Council. https://lnkd.in/eYJyHEPb

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Are there any groups out there focused on businesses and organisations actually delivering circular economy or regenerative products or services? There seems to be lots of chatter but a shortage of groups linking organisations who are taking action. Input welcome!

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Really useful post from Hannah Ritchie summarising the PHEV vs BEV debate For me it’s clear that BEVs are the future - and that we need to incentivise the purchase of them to keep the momentum of rapid market scale up that we’re now seeing … hopefully new battery chemistries will drive down costs and lifetime carbon even more… #climatechange #climatecrisis #energytransition #electricvehicles https://lnkd.in/e4QnwujA

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The clock is ticking & the next climate COP is kicking off. We WRAP with IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) EY have just launched an evidence-based report confirming the sheer scale of change, in investment, in action, that needs to happen if we are to create a Net Zero UK Food System - and that is possible. We know that a proliferation of ‘pathways’ has been a barrier to focus and scale. So we have come together, as NGOs and businesses behind one shared understanding of how to get to Net Zero. And we hope Govt as it develops a food strategy will also take & build on this report. Daniel Zeichner It is not perfect. But we don’t want to make perfection the enemy of progress, and we do want to take a step forward together towards scaled action via three key actions: 1. By investing in our farmers, recognising all the pressures on them. Without fairness, security and sufficient financial rewards for Net Zero action & for protecting and restoring nature, there can be no meaningful climate action in the food sector. 2. By reducing food waste – which as well as costing our planet, is costing the average household of four around a staggering £1000 a year in good food going in the bin. Whilst we’ve made great strides on food waste reductions through the voluntary food sector's Courtauld Commitment,  we need to put our foot down on the accelerator (EV obvs)  to hit the 2030 goal of halving the nation’s waste. That is just 6 years away.. So now is the time to step up to the plate backing proven solutions, finding innovations. 3. Changing the nation’s diet - critical for hitting net zero goals and  creating a resilient UK food system that can provide nutritious, affordable food for everyone.  We will need to lean into the tough debates, complexity and need for clear evidence and data, with practical, workable solutions. This report provides us all with the best current truth on the pathway to Net Zero, it is the recipe bringing together all the ingredients that the UK food sector have, to make this historic transition to a better food system, to do it well, and to do it on time.. We hope we will all to use it as that catalyst to action. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Sarah Bradbury Catherine David Kirsty Saddler David Kennedy Simon Roberts Sebastian Munden Check out the overview, the summary report, and the full technical report 👉 https://lnkd.in/eRMTq9jB 👈

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🌍BREAKING: The adoption of rhe Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (#CSDDD) will be a game changer for all companies doing business in the #EU 🇪🇺 Soon, the era of sustainability being “nice to have” will be fully a thing of the past. Companies will have to manage #sustainability risks in their supply chains with the same rigor and priority as they have been managing financial risks. This is great news for #nature and #climate, and also good news for all businesses, (as managing sustainability risks is simply good business too 💶) and especially those frontrunners who have exercised due diligence on a voluntary basis for many years. Because now there is a more level playing field.

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Must-Attend Training Opportunity: Biodiversity A second event for Yorkshire Sustainability Festival fringe - the Biodiversity Collage. Learn what’s behind the word “biodiversity” and why it matters. Remember that we humans may think we’re the main character, but we’re supported by a cast of plants and animals who make our existence possible. Let’s make sure we keep them around so that we can thrive. This workshop will help you get to grips with the role humans play in the grand game of nature, and understand why giving consideration to our impact on animal and plant life is an essential component of every sustainability strategy. Best of all, it’s free and hands-on. You’re gonna have fun while learning to be a planet custodian. Will I see you there ?

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Phase 4 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme presents a great opportunity for public sector buildings such as education, hospitals and healthcare settings, civic buildings and libraries etc. to attract grant funding to decarbonise and reduce energy consumption. Building Controls and BEMS are the perfect technology to support this. Win-Win.

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Mary Creagh has been appointed as Minister of Nature (UK) in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with responsibility for circular economy. Steve Reed (Environment Minster) announced that moving Britain to a zero waste economy was one of his five core priorities alongside cleaning up rivers, lakes and seas, boosting food security, ensuring nature recovery, and protecting communities from flooding. Great to finally see a convergence of agenda's, after all, its all connected! #CircularEconomy #NatureRecovery #ClimateandNature https://lnkd.in/gpCg77dx

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