Deadline for proof of carbon footprint reduction
A deadline is fast approaching for companies bidding for large Government contracts to prove how they are reducing their carbon footprint as part of the national drive towards Net Zero in 2050. From 30th September, contractors hoping to secure Government contracts worth more than £5million will have to provide a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) explaining […]
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, […]
Focus turns to embodied carbon emissions
The Syntegra team is committed to helping the construction industry fulfil its requirements of cutting emissions from embodied carbon – as well as operational carbon – in the drive towards net zero to tackle the climate crisis. Embodied carbon emissions have largely been overlooked historically but contribute around 11% of all global carbon emissions, according […]
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 […]
Government urged to prioritise public transport, walking and cycling to reduce emissions
More Government effort should be directed at encouraging the use of public transport, cycling and walking to reduce emissions rather than simply focusing on increased take-up of electric vehicles (EVs) to decarbonise transport, according to a new study. IPPR analysis of the Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon Budget advice suggests that efforts to decarbonise road transport through […]
G7 agree on ‘historic steps’ to make climate reporting mandatory
G7 countries have agreed to make climate reporting mandatory for corporate entities in line with the recommendations of the global Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). G7 finance ministers made the decision to make it mandatory for corporates to report climate impacts and investment decisions, and also agreed on new measures to strengthen central company […]
Poverty harming UK’s chances of reaching net-zero
Unfortunately, the word ‘poverty’ is one with which we are all too familiar and conjures up images of people, often children, in far off lands struggling to survive in poor economic situations. Sadly, while the UK is considered an affluent country with a stable economy, we also suffer our own levels of relative poverty. And […]
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 […]
Report outlines broader UK green recovery
The UK Government has been urged to adopt a broader “green recovery” approach focusing on policies for biodiversity and the circular economy as well as energy and transport transformation. The calls to action have been made by MPs through the Environmental Audit Committee’s (EAC) report, ‘Growing Back Better: Putting Nature and Net-Zero at the Heart […]
Government unveils ‘radical’ energy efficiency standards for homes and office
All homes and business premises in the UK will be required to meet new energy efficiency standards that reduce energy consumption and lower bills by 2025, in line with the Government’s new Future Homes Standard. New homes will be required to have a reduced carbon footprint of 31% compared to current levels, the Government revealed […]
UK’s net-zero target under threat through lack of green laws, new report warns as Johnson unveils new 10-point plan
A lack of legislative requirements on key sectors and infrastructure are putting the UK’s net-zero target at risk, a green thinktank has warned, highlighting an £11.4bn investment shortfall in reaching net-zero across transport, buildings, circular economy and natural infrastructure. The Green Alliance argues that a net-zero aligned approach to infrastructure would help the nation deliver […]
£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 […]
Renewables generation accelerating, report forecasts
As much as 65% of the UK’s energy demand could be met by renewable generation within a decade, according to the National Infrastructure Commission – a significant reassessment from its most recent forecast of 50% but a modest appraisal by industry insiders. In its latest report, ‘Renewables, recovery and Reaching Net Zero,’ said there is […]
Historic planning overhaul unveiled to get Britain back in business
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled what he describes as ‘the most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War’ and has pledged a ‘new approach’ to planning as new and greener building strategies were announced as part of his programme to bring Britain out of hibernation following the brunt of […]
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 […]
UK’s first grid-injected hydrogen trials begin on university campus
A pilot project has been launched to inject zero-carbon hydrogen into an existing gas network. The HyDeploy project is injecting hydrogen into Keele University’s existing natural gas network, supplying 30 faculty buildings and 100 domestic properties and results in hydrogen accounting for up to 20% of the gas mix in the network. The team responsible […]
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 […]
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 […]
Government announces £80m fund to decarbonise aviation and road transport
The UK Government has unveiled a new £80m pot to fund electric car and plane projects to boost the country’s uptake of low-carbon transport solutions ahead of the 2050 net-zero deadline. The money will be used to help researchers and businesses develop and commercialise ‘the next generation’ of transport, said the Department for Business, Energy […]
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. […]
Cities pledge to decarbonise buildings by 2050
A project has been launched that will see a coalition of eight European cities, including Dublin and Leeds, completely decarbonise their existing building stocks by 2050. The commitment, Build Upon2, is being convened by the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and will see the cities collaboratively develop and implement a built environment renovation and retrofitting […]
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 […]
Net-zero economy aim for UK government
The UK Government has confirmed it is seeking advice on how to reduce carbon emissions and move to a net-zero economy. Following the release of a report last week by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warning that the global temperature increase will hit 1.5C by 2030, and 3-4C by the end of […]
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