‘A reckless step’: Conservative party ditches net-zero by 2050 commitment
Conservatives’ Net-Zero Rollback Sends the Wrong Message The Conservative Party’s plan to abandon the 2050 net-zero commitment is a concerning step backward at a critical moment for sustainability. Environmental Gains Should Transcend Politics Convincing voters of specific ideologies is not my role, but environmentally friendly strategies appeared to gain bipartisan support recently. The climate crisis […]
The world has only deployed 10% of the climate technologies it needs to achieve net zero, new research by McKinsey shows
I was somewhat disappointed- although less surprised – to read a recent summary of where the world is at in relation to deployment of effective climate technologies to tackle the crisis engulfing our planet. While people of my generation and younger have grown up knowing our energy mix has to change from fossil fuels to […]
Net Zero: Biggest challenge ever
Net zero presents the “single biggest challenge that anyone working in the built environment has ever faced”, and pressure is increasing to achieve the aim, according to a report by the The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM). By 2030, emissions need to be reduced by 50%, and by 2050, net zero must be achieved, according to Government […]
More businesses setting ambitious decarbonisation targets
Increasing numbers of businesses are setting ambitious decarbonisation targets in a bid to achieve net-zero by the middle of the century, according to a new study. According to Climate Action 100+, there has been a 17% year-on-year increase in the number of large businesses setting such targets. The report found a variety of methods used by […]
Billions lost in missed solar savings opportunities
UK businesses are missing out on as much as £12 billion in annual energy savings by failing to have facilities assessed to see if solar panels could be installed on rooftops, a new study has revealed. Analysis by solar data providers PowerMarket in their Solar Feasibility study examined the 30 largest science parks in the […]
Report shows construction industry can improve sustainability record
The built environment needs to do more to improve its sustainability credentials, particularly in relation to reducing carbon emissions, according to a new report. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Sustainability Report 2022 said that while progress had been made in certain areas, ‘the rate of advancement needs to accelerate significantly and become more widespread’. […]
Net zero strategy unlawful, court rules
On the day the UK was subject to its first ever red alert for extreme heat, the Government was dealt an embarrassing blow as the High Court ruled its strategy for getting to Net Zero is inadequate and unlawful. The Climate Change Act requires Government to hit Net Zero by 2050, to make proposals as […]
COP26 deal ‘overall positive’ – Syntegra
The Syntegra team has welcomed the new Glasgow Climate pact announced at the culmination of the recent UN COP26 summit an called on UK businesses to lead the way in reducing their carbon footprint by implementing sustainable solutions across the built environment. ‘The document signals further international commitment to tackle climate change which is overall […]
UK Government hopeful of an entirely renewable-based grid by 2035
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed his aim for a 100% clean energy electricity grid by 2035. Coal-fired electricity generation will end in 2024 and he hopes there will be an end to gas-powered generation 11 years later meaning renewables – mainly solar and wind power – will drive electricity production, along with controversial […]
Call for new policies to tackle climate crisis
New policy measures are essential to tackle the climate crisis, scientists have warned ahead of this Autumn’s next round of talks, Cop26. With some changes to the environment now considered inevitable or irreversible, more should be done to tackle those issues still within human control, they said. The comprehensive assessment of climate science published last month, […]
Built environment accused of failing to account for projects’ lifecycle emissions
Less than 1% of global building projects currently calculate and report on lifecycle emissions, according to a new report which urges businesses in the built environment sector to measure the full extent of their carbon footprint in the bid to reach net-zero by 2050. A new report from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), supported […]
Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) deadline imminent
Companies are reminded that the deadline is fast approaching for the latest phase of Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR). With a deadline of March 31st, it’s not too late for organisations to prepare their reports – and Syntegra staff are on hand to help you gather relevant documentation ahead of the cut-off date. Three […]
Green investment at the heart of Budget 2021
The Chancellor has vowed to put green investment at the heart of the UK’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. In his Budget, Rishi Sunak unveiled the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio which will provide funding for low-carbon technologies and systems to decrease the costs of decarbonisation and help the UK reach its net-zero objectives. The […]
£1bn Salix funding announced and Syntegra call to action for additional cash to match £450m German ventilation fund
UK grants are available to businesses and homeowners to reduce carbon footprint and boost the green economy in the current crisis, and more recently the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy launched a £1bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The scheme will also support the Government’s net-zero and clean growth goals and will be delivered […]
UK’s electricity system could be carbon-negative from 2033, new report suggests
Operators of the UK’s National Grid have predicted the country’s electricity supply could capture, offset or absorb more carbon than it emits by 2033 if more effort is put into increasing renewable energy generation and developing carbon capture technology. The National Grid Electricity System Operator’s (ESO) new Future Energy Scenarios Report said, in its ‘most […]
Government announces new funding to boost hydrogen production and clean up industry
Two new low-carbon hydrogen production plants and a series of trials into cutting industrial process emissions will be funded by a new £90million UK Government pot. A total of £70 million will be spent on hydrogen production plants near Mersey and Aberdeen, while a third project will use offshore windfarms off the Grimsby coast to […]
Call for urgent boost to offshore wind and carbon capture and storage to meet net-zero target
The UK has been warned it needs to implement a four-fold increase in low-carbon energy, including significant expansion of offshore wind capacity, in order to reach its net-zero emissions target for 2050. The key finding is from Atkins Global’s Engineering Net Zero report, which highlights the capacity and policy barriers that the UK needs to overcome to […]
Call for planners to be better funded to deliver net zero carbon emissions
The chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has called for greater resources to be given to local authority planners to enable them to deliver net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Victoria Hills said the new Government now needs to address key issues to ensure town planners and the planning system are able […]
New rules to encourage business energy efficiency with SECR
Businesses need to be up to speed with the Government’s new Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) policy which mandates them to disclose their energy and carbon emissions. The policy, which came into effect on April 1st this year, affects almost 12,000 companies under the Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon […]
Calls to change climate policies and fossil fuel production to avoid catastrophe
The world’s existing climate policies will not be enough to end the upward trend of energy emissions rising beyond 2040 without a “grand coalition” of governments and investors, according to the global energy watchdog, the International Energy Agency (IEA). In its World Energy Outlook, the IEA said that carbon emissions from the global energy industry reached a […]
Defining and delivering net-zero built environment
The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched a new five point framework outlining how developers, designers, owners, occupiers and policymakers can define and deliver a net-zero built environment. The report, co-sponsored by sustainable developers the Berkeley Group, aims to build consensus on what net-zero looks like and means in relation to the built environment, both […]
How sustainable is this World Cup?
Now that we can all breathe again following Monday night’s World Cup wobble for England, we thought we’d share with you a great thought-inspiring read from our friends over at Edie.net who have pulled together this excellent look at the sustainability of this great festival of football. With the eyes of the world on Russia […]
Budget 2017: Chancellor takes action on air quality, electric vehicles and plastic waste
22 November 2017, source edie newsroom Chancellor Philip Hammond has today pledged to build an economy “fit for the future” by announcing new air quality funding, tax incentives for electric cars, and measures to combat plastic waste in his 2017 Autumn Budget. Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered the 2017 Autumn Budget to a jubilant House of […]
Brexit Boasts Business As Usual For Building Services
The building services industry should assume that European regulations that currently affect the UK will still be in force immediately after Brexit in 2019, says CIBSE technical director Hywel Davies. ‘Brexit will change nothing immediately – at least in terms of legislation that affects our industry,’ said Davies, who supplied a list of regulations that […]
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