Day: 6 April 2025

Climate Positive Investors Are Driving Progress on Corporate Policy Engagement Despite Political Challenges

Stuart Mitchell

A new InfluenceMap briefing identifies key trends for 2024 in corporate climate performance from the 165 Climate Action 100+ (CA100+) Benchmark focus companies. It finds that in 2024 investor pressure helped secure several improvements in real world climate policy engagement from these companies. These data behind these findings were used as part of the CA100+ 2024 Benchmark, published in October. Key Findings: In 2024 there was a 5% reduction in companies assessed as being ‘misaligned’ in their real-world climate policy engagement. This trend has been driven predominantly by improvements in…

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Zenobē powers up a world first solution and Europe’s biggest battery at Blackhillock, Scotland

Stuart Mitchell

Zenobē, the UK’s leading owner and operator of grid-scale batteries on the GB transmission network, has announced that Europe’s largest battery site, located in Blackhillock, Scotland, has begun commercial operations today. The Blackhillock site is launching in two phases. Phase 1 comprises of 200MW which is going live today and will be followed by a further 100MW in 2026, making a total of 300MW/600MWh. The total capacity of the site is the equivalent of powering >3.1 million homes, substantially more than all the households in Scotland, for one hour. Deliberately…

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UK Economy Heading for $141 Billion Loss Caused by Stranded Fossil Fuel Assets, With Pension Funds on Track to Lose $19 Billion

Stuart Mitchell

The UK economy is disproportionately exposed to stranded fossil fuel assets, with potential losses for UK pension savers reaching tens of billions of pounds by 2040, according to a new report from the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) in collaboration with Transition Risk Exeter (TREX). Their analysis traces the complex web of financial ownership of fossil fuel assets and tracks the exposure of end beneficiaries – such as individual investors, pension funds and governments – to the risk of these assets becoming ‘stranded’. This refers to oil, gas…

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UN Global Compact and PRI Convene Business Leaders to Accelerate Sustainable Finance for a Resilient Future

Stuart Mitchell

The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) successfully convened the Executive Roundtable on Sustainable Finance – Driving Leadership in Sustainable Finance for a Resilient Future at the Orchard Hotel in Singapore today. This high-level gathering brought together CEOs, CFOs and institutional investors to mobilize private and institutional capital towards financing sustainable development, addressing biodiversity loss and closing the SDG financing gap in the Asia-Pacific region. With Asia facing an annual shortfall of $1.5 trillion to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), discussions centered on scaling…

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Tree giveaway schemes are more effective when you ask people to pay for their trees, new research finds

Stuart Mitchell

Tree schemes are an effective way for organisations to get trees established in a wide range of locations, and asking people to invest financially in their trees significantly improves their survival rates, according to new trial results. A trial led by the Trees Outside Woodland research project reveals that subsidised tree planting schemes significantly improve survival rates and cost effectiveness compared to free tree giveaways. This new finding offers insights for local authorities aiming to expand tree cover. Jon Stokes, Director of Science and Research at The Tree Council said:…

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