Tony O'Donnell’s Post

UK's Climate Crossroads: 10 Actions for a Sustainable Future The UK Climate Change Committee has published their independent assessment of the key actions the UK needs to take to catch up on climate action. Their timely review comes at a crucial juncture following recent changes in UK Government and yesterday's King's Speech, with its focus on growth and renewal. With changes in our weather becoming more apparent, it's clear that action on climate adaptation is becoming as vital as mitigation efforts. Helpfully, the CCC has identified the following 10 actions for the UK to accelerate climate progress: 1. Make electricity cheaper by removing policy costs from prices. 2. Reverse recent policy rollbacks, especially on household boiler phase-outs and energy efficiency in rented homes. 3. Remove planning barriers for heat pumps, EV charging points, and onshore wind. 4. Implement a comprehensive decarbonisation programme for public sector buildings. 5. Effectively design renewable energy auctions to deliver 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030. 6. Accelerate industrial heat electrification through a strengthened UK Emissions Trading Scheme. 7. Significantly ramp up tree planting and peatland restoration efforts. 8. Finalise business models for large-scale deployment of engineered carbon removal. 9. Publish a strategy to support skills transition in affected sectors and communities. 10. Strengthen the National Adaptation Programme with clear objectives and integrate adaptation across all government departments. This balanced perspective on climate action offers a pragmatic framework for moving forward, potentially fostering UK-originated sustainable solutions that could drive economic growth and benefit society at large. #climateaction #sustainableinnovation #opportunity Here is a link to the CCC Report - https://lnkd.in/eKZ33j_H

The Climate Change Committee reported to Parliament today. Despite the UK meeting all three of its carbon budgets to date - carbon emissions are now less than half the levels in 1990 - with six years to go we are no longer on track to achieve 2030 targets. "The UK should now be in a phase of rapid investment and delivery. Yet almost all our indicators for low-carbon technology roll-out are off track, with rates needing to significantly ramp up". The CCC solutions include; Cheaper Electricity, Accelerated Electrification of Industrial Heat, and a Strategy to Support Skills. All areas ECA - Excellence in Electrotechnical and Engineering Services have been working on for years. " The new Government has an opportunity to reset the UK’s direction. It must send long-term consistent messages on the importance of climate action to businesses and households, back that up with key policies to support investment and focus on removing barriers to deployment". https://lnkd.in/g_DB4zPb

What’s new in the #Purpose and #Impact space this month? 📣 Only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the UK’s 2030 target are covered by credible plans, according to the UK Climate Change Committee who has recently published its 2024 Progress Report to Parliament. 💡 New research from CDP and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has found that corporates’ disclosed Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions are 26 times higher than their operational (Scope 1 and 2) emissions. 💵 Climate adaptation and resilience, or A&R, represents a $2 trillion market opportunity according the World Economic Forum. 💧 A landmark UK Supreme Court ruling might open the way for claims against water firms for the release of sewage into waterways. Read more updates in our latest Purpose & Impact roundup: https://lnkd.in/enNcbV5J

🌍 Scotland's Approach to Climate Targets: A Need for Pragmatic Legislation The Scottish Government's decision to ditch the ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target is a wake-up call. While aiming high is commendable, setting achievable goals is essential. Before setting such significant targets, it's crucial for governments to understand the intricate requirements needed to achieve these goals. Legislation should follow a structured approach: 📏 Measurement: Every company should begin by measuring and reporting their current carbon emissions. This step is vital—it gives both businesses and the government a clear baseline and helps in understanding the immediate challenges. 📄 Planning and Implementation: Next, companies need to devise actionable plans to reduce their emissions. These plans should not only aim at reduction but should also include methods to track and measure their success over time. 💷 Government Support: The Scottish Government could enhance these efforts through tax incentives or grants, especially focused on sectors where emissions cuts can have the most significant impact. Only through a measured, transparent, and collaborative approach can we hope to tackle the climate crisis effectively. Let’s use this opportunity to set realistic, achievable targets and support them with robust, clear legislation and incentives. This is not just about setting targets but ensuring we have the means and commitment to meet them. #ClimateAction #SustainableScotland #EnvironmentalPolicy #sustainability #environment #renewables https://lnkd.in/ehicdXup

“To future-proof the Canadian economy, the financial sector must align with our climate commitments and replace investments in emissions-intensive activities with increased investment in energy efficiency, clean energy, and clean technologies.” Read Mitchell Beers' thoughts on the climate risk reporting standards recently released by the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB). https://lnkd.in/gVN8Rki8 Climate & Capital Media Climate Group Toronto Star CANADA NEWS The Globe and Mail National Post, Inc. Toronto Sun The Energy Mix #climate #climatechange #cliamtefinance #climateinvesting #climateeconomy #esg #esgreporting #esgdata #esgeconomy #esginvesting #esgfinance #canada #canadanews #canadaeconomy

Reporting that the Government acted unlawfully by approving a strategy to meet the UK’s climate targets, a High Court judge has ruled. The plan outlines how the country will achieve targets set out in the sixth carbon budget, which runs until 2037, as part of wider efforts to reach net zero by 2050. The three environmental groups argued the new plan was also unlawful because it was agreed based on incorrect assumptions about its viability, citing the fact that the then-energy minister, Grant Shapps, was not told of the risk that policies to reduce emissions could not eventually be delivered. In response to the decision, a DESNZ spokesperson said: “The UK can be hugely proud of its record on climate change. Not only are we the first major economy to reach halfway to net zero, we have also set out more detail than any other G20 country on how we will reach our ambitious carbon budgets. The claims in this case were largely about process and the judgment contains no criticism of the detailed plans we have in place. We do not believe a court case about process represents the best way of driving progress towards our shared goal of reaching net zero.” #netzero #climatechange #climate https://lnkd.in/ehyrCrFz

The bit they forgot to tell you all about? 🤔 A report by the Climate Change Committee shows just how much action the new Labour Government needs to take to achieve the country’s targets. That the UK is not on track to meet its climate targets is the clear message of a report by the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) today, assessing the Government’s progress towards the emissions reductions required by law. Looking across every sector of the economy, the CCC has come to a stark conclusion: only one-third of the emissions reductions required by 2030 can be accounted for by credible policy plans. The incoming Labour administration has pledged to make Britain a global leader on climate change and this report issues the first serious challenge to that commitment. https://lnkd.in/dF7TtzF8

The UK government’s independent climate adviser, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has recommended that the UK uses its new national climate plan (NDC) to set a target to reduce emissions by 81% by 2035. This sets the right level of ambition and sends a signal to the international community that the UK is back as a global leader. This headline figure is what the science dictates and also what is technologically and economically achievable – it is how the UK can move away from fossil fuels to clean energy. As the CCC advice states, the investment and jobs case in favour of the clean energy transition is clear, and rapid reductions in fossil fuel dependence are the best way to enhance UK energy security. But, as our Managing Director of Policy Andrew Prag told the Financial Times: “Ambitious national climate targets are just the first step. The UK Government needs to provide detailed implementation plans for priority sectors like heating and buildings. Clear guidance on how these targets will be achieved will encourage both British and international companies to invest in developing clean energy technologies in the UK.” Read more in the Financial Times: https://on.ft.com/3YFESng

Last week, the UK @ ClimateChangeCommittee released its annual progress report to Parliament, which acknowledged that the UK is off track to meeting 2030 climate targets. The report noted that only one-third of emission reductions needed to meet the 2030 target are covered by credible plans. The new government has an enormous task ahead to turn this around in six years. A strong and high-integrity voluntary carbon market (VCM) will be critical to meeting the UK's later carbon budgets and Net Zero. Leading the development of a global VCM and encouraging a thriving VCM ecosystem operating from within the UK will also help the Labour government deliver on its manifesto pledge to make the UK the green finance capital of the world. Access the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eeyh3Scf #NetZero #Sustainability #VCMs #Climate

Three really good stories today on BusinessGreen about the CCC's annual progress report, which has ended up becoming an utterly damning post mortem on the climate policy efforts of the Conservative government's last year in office. I must admit to experiencing a genuine sense of sadness - and not a little anger - when editing them. There has been real progress over the past decade in accelerating decarbonisation efforts and there were even some positive moves over the past 12 months - the ZEV mandate, the increase in heat pump grants, the confirmation of the next Carbon Budget. But taken as whole, the past two years have been a massive wasted opportunity in terms of climate policy and green investment. The last government was just utterly complacent and chronically short termist in its approach to some of the most important political and policy questions out there. It's approach not only failed on its own terms, it ate up what little time there is to deliver on climate goals. We don't now get that time back. The deliberate triangulating on climate action achieved so little, did real damage, and now means meeting net zero goals will be even harder. https://lnkd.in/e-Ucrfq2 https://lnkd.in/eE86thhe https://lnkd.in/eUNMkwXA