Learn about record-breaking winter heat spells in Europe, pressures to end production of 'forever chemicals', raw sewage discharges in England and more, with our summary of this week's sustainability news.
06/01/23
This past week was filled with interesting sustainability and climate news, we’ve summarised the top stories below.
New map shows the scale of raw sewage discharges by Thames Water
A new interactive map created by Thames Water reveals raw sewage discharges into rivers in real-time.
The map was created and published after pressure from the public and environmental campaigners.
The data shows that in certain locations, storm overflows lead to hundreds of hours of war sewage discharges into England’s inland waterways.
Campaigners underline the importance of the real-time map by stating that it will allow local communities to access sewage-release data and put pressure on the company more effectively.
The interactive map provides information about storm discharges from all of the 468 Thames Water’s permitted locations.
The alerts will be available for third parties through an open data platform available here.
Pressure from investors to end production of ‘forever chemicals’
Shareholders have started pressuring chemical companies to halt production of PFAS, also referred to as ‘forever chemicals'.
Investors say that production of these toxic compounds linked to numerous health issues, including cancer and immune disorders, represents a significant threat to companies’ profits.
PFAS are a large group of chemicals that are used as ingredients in everyday products to make them water or stain resistant. They cannot naturally break down.
A recent letter signed by 47 investors holding $8tn in assets, such as Axa or Credit Suisse, cited increasing regulation imposing limits on the compounds’ use and the chemicals’ public health threat.
The letter was circulated among 54 chemical companies and demanded the industry to phase out the production of PFAS.
One of the world’s largest PFAS manufacturers, 3M, has announced its decision to discontinue production of the chemicals by 2025.
However, apart from 3M there are currently only four PFAS-producing companies that have a plan in place to phase out production of the ‘forever chemicals’.
Record-high winter temperatures recorded in Europe
Record-high temperatures were recorded in Europe over the new year, causing ski slopes to close and plants to bloom early.
High temperatures brought calls from activists for more decisive action against climate change.
In France, temperatures hit nearly 25 degrees Celsius in the southwest on New Year’s Day which was the warmest since the records began.
Switzerland’s Office of Meteorology and Climatology issued a warning to pollen allergy sufferers from hazel plants that started blooming early.
Early growth of plants and animals waking up mid-hibernation makes them vulnerable to being killed off by later cold waves.
This record-breaking heat across Europe over the new year directly follows a year of extreme weather events which are confirmed by scientists to be directly linked to global warming caused by human activity.
The mild temperatures have given some short-term relief to governments struggling with scarce gas supplies and soaring gas prices. However, they are being cautioned not to allow this mild period to “lull them into complacency about Europe’s energy crisis”.
Investors disappointed as the UK does not fulfil its green taxonomy obligations
It has been revealed that the UK government failed to fulfil its legal obligation to incorporate the climate element of its green taxonomy into law by the end of 2022.
A green taxonomy is a framework that defines what can be called an environmentally sustainable investment.
A Treasury lords minister has stated that the UK will restate EU taxonomy law and take another year to decide the UK’s approach.
The government confirmed that the reason to delay the implementation of the new taxonomy law is the need for a review of the approach to taxonomy development in order to “maximize the effectiveness of our sustainable finance agenda”.
Potential investors and commentators are “disappointed” and have called for more clarity on the UK government’s plans to reach its net-zero 2050 target.
The decision follows the recent approval of the first UK coal mine in 30 years which has brought even more criticism from environmental activists and investors.
