United Kingdom
UK ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY UNVEILS ECO-LABELING AT FARMING CONFERENCE
01/08/2024
Update Volume
54
Update Issue
1

Last week, business leaders, policymakers, and farmers gathered at the 2024 Oxford Farming Conference (ofc.org). During the conference, UK Environment Secretary Steve Barclay unveiled plans for a new labeling scheme intended to highlight food produced to British environmental standards, providing consumers with the option to choose eco-friendly products (Guardian).

U.K. FUNDING OF OVERSEAS NATURAL GAS PROJECT CHALLENGED IN COURT
12/13/2021
Update Volume
51
Update Issue
35

During a three-day hearing at London’s High Court, Friends of the Earth challenged the United Kingdom’s (U.K.'s) financing of a liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique. In July 2020, the U.K. government’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF), approved $1.15 billion of funding through loans and guarantees for the $20 billion project. In December 2020, the United Kingdom then committed to ending overseas fossil fuel project support.

UK ANNOUNCES ITS STRATEGY TO REACH NET ZERO EMISSIONS BY 2050
10/25/2021
Update Volume
51
Update Issue
30

The U.K. government released its Net Zero Strategy this week, less than two weeks prior to COP26. The Strategy lays out a plan for reaching net zero emissions by 2050, mapping out funds for electric vehicles, nuclear and wind energy, carbon capture and storage, low-carbon heating systems, ecosystem restoration, and more (ReutersBBC).

COURT RULES BP CAN CONTINUE OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING IN NORTH SEA
10/11/2021
Update Volume
51
Update Issue
28

Greenpeace lost a case against the U.K. government and BP in Scotland's highest civil court, allowing BP to continue offshore drilling operations at the Vorlich site off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland. Drilling began at the site, located in the North Sea, in late 2020 at a rate of 20,000 barrels per day. The permit approved a total of 30 million barrels of oil (Bloomberg).

BANK OF ENGLAND AIMS FOR NET ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS BY 2050
06/07/2021
Update Volume
51
Update Issue
16

On June 3, the Bank of England (BoE)’s Governor, Andrew Bailey, stated the bank would seek to cut greenhouse gas emissions associated with running its physical offices and printing banknotes to net zero by 2050 “at the latest.” The decision is in line with a larger push by the United Kingdom to improve its climate action agenda ahead of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), to be hosted by the country in Glasgow later this year (Reuters and

U.N. POSTPONES 2020 CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
04/06/2020
Update Volume
50
Update Issue
10

On April 1, the United Nations announced it would postpone this year’s climate change conference to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (UNFCCC). The talks, originally to be held November 9-20 in Glasgow, mark the five-year deadline for countries to update their national climate targets according to the Paris Agreement of 2015.

U.K. COURT BLOCKS HEATHROW AIRPORT EXPANSION OVER CLIMATE IMPACTS
03/02/2020
Update Volume
50
Update Issue
7

On February 27, Britain’s Court of Appeal ruled against an $18 billion proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport, stating policymakers had failed to consider the U.K.’s climate change commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement when designing the project (AP News, Reuters, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/27/heathrow-third-runw…

BRITAIN IMPOSES ZERO EMISSION TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT ON NEW SHIPS
07/15/2019
Update Volume
49
Update Issue
20

On July 11, Britain's maritime minister announced that all new ships ordered from 2025 onwards and destined for its waters must be equipped with zero emission technology in an effort to curb maritime pollution. The new requirements are part of the Clean Maritime Plan that includes a competition to find innovative ways to reduce maritime emissions and a call for evidence to reduce emissions in the United Kingdom's (UK's) waterways and on its domestic vessels.

UK PROPOSES NET ZERO EMISSIONS TARGET
06/17/2019
Update Volume
49
Update Issue
17

The United Kingdom (UK) government is proposing to amend its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, which was agreed to under the Climate Change Act in 2008, to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The net zero target was recommended last month by the government's advisory Committee on Climate Change. According to the committee, there is a 50-50 chance of staying below the recommended 1.5°C temperature rise by 2100 if the UK and other countries achieve the target. For the full story, see https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48596775.

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