Search Results for: Pollution

Climate Group urges European Commission to maintain climate investment targets

Stuart Mitchell

Joint letter urges EU to safeguard 30% climate and 10% biodiversity spending in post-2027 budget to address escalating environmental and health threats. Climate Group joined 62 other businesses and civil society organisations in signing a letter calling for the European Commission to maintain at least 30% horizontal spending target for investments in climate and the environment in the post‑2027 Multiannual Financial Framework.  Dedicating at least 30% of the overall EU budget to the climate and 10% to biodiversity is a sustainable and urgent investment, which protects European communities from existential…

ActionAid UK Cuts Ties With HSBC After £128bn Climate Damage Link

Stuart Mitchell

ActionAid UK Moves Away from HSBC After Report Finds Over £128bn Climate Damage Link.  “My children are always coughing. They struggle to breathe. A strange new allergy has appeared on their skin, and we don’t even know what it is. The doctors can’t give us a proper answer.”  A damning new report from ActionAid UK and research group Profundo reveals that HSBC’s financing of fossil fuels and industrial agriculture between 2021 and 2023 is linked to an estimated £128 billion in climate-related damage — nearly three times the bank’s net…

Less than 3% of protest arrests result in charges as ‘right to protest’ campaign launches

Stuart Mitchell

Recent research by Greenpeace indicates that the Metropolitan Police have regularly arrested protesters when there is an extremely low chance of them ever being charged. Officers made more than 600 arrests in London over the last six years for conspiracy to cause public nuisance but only 18 of them (2.8%) resulted in charges. The research also showed an almost tenfold rise in the number of arrests in the capital since 2019, when environmental protests became widespread.  These numbers support the belief, widespread amongst activists and protesters, that the police are…

Winners of Revamped £2 Million Sky Zero Footprint Fund Revealed

Stuart Mitchell

Sky Media has announced the six winning brands of the 2025 Sky Zero Footprint Fund, securing a share of £2 million in media value to amplify their sustainable missions. This year’s winners – Tony’s Chocolonely, GoodGym, WRAP, Fussy, GUPPYFRIEND and PÄRLA – have been selected by a panel of industry experts for their inspiring sustainability stories and commitment to driving positive change. Each brand will receive significant advertising support across Sky Media’s platforms to bring their vision to life. The winners now move into the creative production phase, ahead of…

Microplastics are everywhere – but our methods to track them are all over the place

Stuart Mitchell

A new study from the University of Portsmouth has highlighted the growing role of citizen science in tackling one of the planet’s most pervasive pollution problems: microplastics and mesoplastics. While researchers often warn that a lack of standardised protocols risks muddying the waters, this research shows that public involvement could be key to plugging the data gaps and that comparability rather than conformity is key. The study compared three leading sampling protocols across coastal sites in southern England. These methods included two citizen science sampling protocols, the Big Microplastic Survey…