Getting the housing industry to net zero will cost at least £5bn, industry leaders say May 28, 2021 In the push for a low-carbon future in the housing sector, renovating the UK’s draughty homes would cost the government £5bn over the next four years and create 100,000 jobs, industry leaders have estimated. The revamps would also cut people’s energy bills and lift tax revenue, leaders have written to ministers today, the Guardian reported [...]
SSE profit rises as energy giant ramps up net zero push May 26, 2021 SSE today posted a rise in profit for the full year as the energy giant pushes ahead with its strategy of reaching net zero carbon emissions. The FTSE 100 firm posted adjusted profit before tax of £1.06bn in the year to the end of March, up four per cent on the previous 12 months. This [...]
Over half of financial services professionals claim ‘greenwashing’ is rife in the industry, study says May 25, 2021 More than half of financial services professionals believe ‘greenwashing’ is rife within the industry, according to a study released today, as employees fear competitors intentionally inflate their sustainable practices. The study by data agency iResearch Services, which polled 550 decision-makers at financial institutions, also found that 38 per cent believe every business is operating ‘unethically’ [...]
National Grid cuts Covid-19 losses with ‘solid’ year May 20, 2021 National Grid this morning said it had limited the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic to £296m, well ahead of the £400m hit it had previously predicted. The FTSE 100 firm this morning revealed that its underlying pre-tax profit had slipped just three per cent over the full year, falling from £2.5bn to £2.4bn. The [...]
Furlough and unemployment will keep inflation figures down and give Rishi Sunak breathing room May 20, 2021 Fresh statistics have shown inflation in the UK has more than doubled in the last month. This has dominated the headlines as many economists fear spiralling inflation. However, the reaction is The news from the ONS that UK inflation has more than doubled in April has generated concerned headlines. Such a reaction is somewhat inevitable. [...]
Do you know your bots? May 19, 2021 Robots are everywhere — from robotic wearables, bionic hands and arms, companion robots, medical devices and even biomorphic drones that model the behaviour of bees. The fastest and most significant new innovations are taking place right now in three subsectors of the robotics sector which focus respectively on cobots, drones and medical robots. Cobots Cobots [...]
UK CPI: Inflation rate surges to 1.5 per cent in April May 19, 2021 UK inflation more than doubled to 1.5 per cent in April, up from 0.7 per cent in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said this morning. Economists had forecast a rise of 1.4 per cent, as a jump in electricity and gas bills pushed inflation higher. Core inflation, which excludes energy prices and other [...]
Net Zero: New oil, gas and coal development must end this year, IEA says May 18, 2021 New oil and gas field development and extraction must end this year, while no new coal-fired power stations can be built if the Earth is to stay within safe limits of global warming, the world’s leading energy organisation has said today. Halting developments is fundamental to meeting the net-zero emissions goal by 2050, to keep [...]
Countdown to COP26 – how 2021 is a “make or break” year in the fight against climate change May 10, 2021 This year will be “make or break” in the fight against climate change, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned. The next United Nations climate summit, COP26 – or to give it its full title, the 26th Climate Change Conference of the Parties – is due to take place in Glasgow in November. Postponed from last [...]
Does an emissions scandal await the real estate sector? May 6, 2021 In September 2015, news broke that Volkswagen (VW) had been selling cars in the US that had a so-called “defeat device” installed in diesel engines. It could detect when they were being tested and change performance to improve results. The German carmaker admitted to cheating emissions tests and it soon became clear that this was [...]