This past week was filled with interesting sustainability and climate news, we’ve summarised the top stories below.
UK gardeners using eco-friendly techniques could receive council tax cuts, according to a study by the University of Sheffield, which recommends incentives to tackle the trend of paving over gardens and using plastic grass.
Greenpeace, ClientEarth, WWF and other NGOs are suing the European Commission over the inclusion of gas and nuclear energy in the EU's guide to "green" investments. The legal challenge is based on the claim that the inclusion of these energy sources breaches EU climate law and the bloc's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
A survey by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) found that almost 75% of UK business leaders surveyed said their companies have been forced to compromise on their sustainability efforts due to rising energy prices and other rising business costs.
An EU report warns of "frightening" impacts of the 2022 Europe heatwaves and droughts, which killed over 20,000 people and damaged crops. The report highlights the need for rapid carbon emissions cuts to limit the damage of global heating.
UN Secretary-General warns that current climate policies would make the world 2.8 degrees hotter by the end of the century, which he called "a death sentence." He added that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C is still possible, but it requires a "quantum leap in climate action."
A report by Audit Scotland found that the Scottish government's plans to tackle the risk of climate change are "vague," and there are blurred lines regarding accountability for actions. The Scottish government expressed a desire to strengthen its approach.
Campaign groups, including Extinction Rebellion, demand action on climate change from UK government, calling for an end to all licenses, funding, and approval for new oil and gas projects and the creation of "emergency citizens assemblies" to tackle the climate crisis.
