Calls for a Government hydrogen strategy
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has urged the UK Government to implement a Hydrogen Strategy to help decarbonise carbon-intensive sectors. The National Grid has also announced plans to build a new hydrogen testing facility. The EAC held an inquiry in July seeking views on effective technological responses to help combat climate change. More than 100 […]
Covid recovery plan – ‘once in a lifetime chance’ for net-zero economy
The UK’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has published what it described as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ plan to help the Government deliver a green COVID-19 recovery programme and transform the country into a net-zero economy. The CCC is an independent, statutory body established under the Climate Change Act 2008 to advise the UK and devolved governments on […]
Green New Deal unveiled for London
London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced plans to spend £50m on a Green New Deal for London as part of a pledge to make the city carbon neutral by 2030. He said his plans would help improve the capital’s dangerous levels of air pollution “I’m unapologetic at how ambitious my plans are for a Green New […]
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 […]
UK businesses wasting £60m in avoidable energy bills
A staggering £60m is being wasted by UK businesses in unnecessary energy bills, according to a new report. Energy thinktank Green Alliance says energy management needs to be improved if the country’s climate targets are to be met. The built environment accounts for 40% of national energy use and around one-third of emissions This month’s […]
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 energy performance rules imminent for residential development
The Government’s Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for assessing the energy performance of residential units is being updated. SAP covers the energy cost rating of a dwelling and has not been updated for seven years. SAP10 has been issued but has not yet come into force, although its launch date is imminent and developers are being […]
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 […]
Government unveils new net-zero support for buildings and ‘every single mode of transport’
The UK Government has unveiled new measures to decarbonise buildings and all modes of transport to demonstrate commitment to reaching net-zero carbon by 2050. The report indicates that the UK Government has allocated £2bn to decarbonisation projects since the amendment to the 2008 Climate Change Act was ratified, with significant amounts of funding being allocated […]
UK renewable energy target likely to be missed
While UK figures for renewable energy reached record levels last year, officials still believe the 2020 national renewable energy targets will be missed. Government figures show 33% of electricity produced in the UK in 2018 was renewable, new Government figures show, up 2.9% on 2017, driven by growth in oil, wind, solar, bioenergy, and waste. […]
Carbon neutral deadline revised by UK Government
The UK has increased its commitment to reduce carbon usage by 80% by 2050 to a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050. This is expected to be achieved by adopting Hydrogen as an alternative to gas, and using renewable sources for electricity generation, with a greater utilisation of GSHP and Air Source heat pumps. […]
Climate change: positive steps to celebrate
Once again as Brexit continues to dominate airtime, column inches and many a social media post, it can be hard to find glimmers of any positive moves being made to tackle the country – and world’s – even more pressing emergency: climate change. Yet buried deep in the weeds of daily news coverage this week […]
UKGBC urges business leaders to embrace net zero measures
Syntegra Managing Director Alan King is fortunate to be a member of the UK Green Building Council’s Leaders Network which recently received a very useful update on key developments in the built environment sector and what organisations can focus on in a bid to achieve net zero carbon by 2050. Below are some of the […]
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 […]
Building a sustainable future with CLT
With all eyes very much on the built environment getting its house in order in the sustainability spotlight, one solution might be waiting neatly packaged for developers to consider. Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), has many advantages over traditional build materials in terms of cost, speed and safety of construction and, critically, environmental concerns. Softwood boards […]
Draft Environment Bill ‘severely downgrades’ environmental laws from EU standards, MPs warn
The UK Government’s draft Environment Bill would lead to significant environmental policies being ‘severely downgraded’ in comparison to current EU rules, MPs have warned following their scrutiny of proposals. The Environmental Audit Committee criticised the Environment Principles and Governance Bill as ‘lacking coherence’ and claimed it leaves “many Governmental departments exempt” from environmental responsibilities. Committee […]
New carbon tax model could make polluters fund green policies
Ministers are being urged to introduce a raft of policies paid for by a new carbon tax model that would make corporates in the oil and gas sector pay a premium for failing to decarbonise after a new Friends of the Earth report revealed at least £44 billion worth of costs are being caused through […]
UK cities to become ‘climate hubs’ under new £3.5m scheme
A series of ‘climate hubs’ are to be created in some of the UK’s major cities bringing together research and best practice to tackle the decarbonisation issue. The Government’s £3.5m initiative, the Place-based Climate Action Network (P-CAN), will cover work in Edinburgh, Belfast, Leeds and some projects in London. The Department for Business, Energy and […]
It’s a snow-brainer – remote working is a sustainable business option
It’s that time of year when we’ve all got one eye on the weather app or out of the window to check for snow and the chance of a snow-day remote working from home. But should businesses capitalise on people’s enthusiasm for remote working and actively encourage it – not just rely on goodwill when […]
The 10 Year Challenge: How the UK’s low-carbon economy has changed
As our clients know, here at Syntegra we like to read widely around our subject to broaden our knowledge and expertise and spend a considerable amount of time explaining to potential new customers how making even very small changes to their sustainability record can have an impact on their environmental footprint. So we were delighted […]
UK Clean Air Strategy launched
The UK Government has unveiled its Clean Air Strategy to how it will tackle all sources of air pollution. Exposure to the pollution still present in our atmosphere is one the UK’s biggest public health challenges, shortening lifespans and damaging quality of life for many people. It also harms the natural environment. Clean air is […]
Emissions increase – focus on the built environment
The first rise in Co2 emissions for four years has been recorded by UN scientists who announced their findings on the eve of a follow-up to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. To meet the goals of the Paris deal, global emissions need to peak by 2020. But the UN emissions gap report suggests that won’t happen […]
Emissions reduction and cash savings identified by use of low carbon technologies
Carbon emissions from energy generation and use could be cut by more than half with the introduction of low carbon technologies, a new report has indicated. Electric vehicles, renewable energy and innovative new fuels could help power the shift and lead to a reduction in emissions of 54%, says the report, ‘Technology – the climate […]
From puddings to packaging: Inside the UK’s Christmas waste problem
While the Christmas decorations have been taken down and everyone is immersing themselves at work again (and many on diets!), our friends at Edie have shared with us the sustainability cost of the festive season and given us food for thought in relation to the waste associated with this time of year. With plastics action […]
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