Day: 25 October 2022

New poll indicates strong business appetite for net zero regulation

Stuart Mitchell

An overwhelming majority of business leaders surveyed in seven major economies agree government policies are necessary to deliver the net zero transition.   A new YouGov poll commissioned by the University of Cambridge institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) finds eight in 10 leaders of large businesses across five continents say they believe regulation is needed for their net zero ambitions and for economy-wide decarbonisation.   In the wake of this year’s IPCC mitigation report which suggested progress in policies, regulations and market mechanisms could be scaled up and applied widely to produce…

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Microsoft, Planet and The Nature Conservancy launch the Global Renewables Watch

Stuart Mitchell

Microsoft Corp., Planet Labs PBC and The Nature Conservancy recently announced its plans to launch the Global Renewables Watch (GRW), a first-of-its-kind living atlas intended to map and measure all utility-scale solar and wind installations on Earth using artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite imagery, allowing users to evaluate clean energy transition progress and track trends over time. With initial mapping of solar and wind energy installations in Germany and India, as well as solar installations in Brazil and Egypt completed, the GRW is being built to serve as a publicly…

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ICO sets out revised approach to public sector enforcement

Stuart Mitchell

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has set out a revised approach to working more effectively with public authorities. This approach, which is outlined in an open letter from the UK Information Commissioner John Edwards to public authorities, will see use of the Commissioner’s discretion to reduce the impact of fines on the public sector, coupled with better engagement including publicising lessons learned and sharing good practice. It will be trialled over the next two years. In practice, this will mean an increased use of the ICO’s wider powers, including warnings,…

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Influential young changemakers recognized by UN

Stuart Mitchell

Every two years, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth picks out young change-makers who are at the forefront of attempts to combat the world’s most pressing issues, and whose leadership is catalyzing the achievement of the SDGs. The current cohort of leaders were chosen following an open call for applications earlier this year, which resulted in more than 5,400 applications from over 190 countries. Since launching in 2016, the initiative has collectively reached millions of young people around the world. The 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development…

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Sale of horticultural peat to be banned in move to protect England’s precious peatlands

Stuart Mitchell

All sales of peat to amateur gardeners in England will be banned by 2024, the UK Government has announced. Peatlands are the UK’s largest carbon store but only approximately 13% of our peatlands are in a near-natural state. This degradation has occurred due to drainage for agricultural use, overgrazing and burning, as well as extraction for use in growing media. Bagged retail growing media accounts for 70% of the peat sold in the UK and is frequently misused, for example being used as a soil improver rather than a medium…

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