The Icon

Together with partnering organisations, the European Commission has launched the Destination Earth initiative to develop a highly accurate digital model of the Earth.   Supported with an initial €150 million from the Digital Europe Programme until mid-2024, the digital twin will help monitor, model and predict natural and human activity, and develop and test scenarios for more sustainable development.   ‘High-quality information, digital...

Less than 300 out of nearly 4,000 companies in the Asia Pacific region disclosing through CDP (8%) had net-zero targets in place as of 2021, according to a new report by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). The report, Rising to the Challenge: How companies in Asia Pacific are preparing for the net-zero economy, finds that while the region’s companies showed increased...

The RSPB is calling for everyone to join 'the wildlife-planting revolution' after a YouGov survey revealed that three quarters of people are now doing at least something in their garden or outside space to help wildlife (with 19% trying a lot, 30% trying a fair amount, and 26% trying a little). The survey, commissioned by the charity as part of...

Renewables is one of the industries a new programme to attract a more skilled workforce to Scotland is set to focus on. As part of a priority action in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation to meet skills gaps so employers can take advantage of business opportunities, Business Minister Ivan McKee has chaired the first meeting of the Industry Advisory...

From June 2022, applicants to government tree planting grants must source saplings from approved suppliers, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have announced.  The Biosecure Procurement Requirement means that, applicants for funding under the England Woodland Creation Offer and the Future Farming Tree Health Pilot must commit to sourcing their trees from suppliers who...

Labelling of plastic products needs a drastic overhaul including a new "sustainability scale" to help consumers, according to researchers. In a recent paper, a team of experts led by the University of Exeter suggest a new internationally applicable labelling system that moves focus from recyclability to sustainability, is specific to the country and region of purchase and informs the public...

For many people, a lack of space is often the main reason for not creating wildlife friendly habitats in their gardens. However, researchers at the University of Sussex, with the help of citizen scientists across the UK, have shown that even a space of just 4m2 is enough to provide a rich habitat for pollinators and support biodiversity. Researchers Janine Griffiths-Lee, Dr...

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published guidance to support the delivery of social value across built environment projects. Since the launch of the Social Value Act in 2013 a significant amount of guidance on social value has been published for the built environment sector, ranging from measurement to embedding social value into procurement, planning and design. However, according...

Mars Incorporated has announced a new effort to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers. Two programs will aim to support 14,000 smallholder farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia on a path to a sustainable living income in the next eight years. Designed in consultation with cocoa farmers and development partners and build on lessons learned from Mars’ recent efforts to...

Secondary school students will be able to study the natural world through a new GCSE in natural history to be introduced by September 2025. It forms part of new plans announced by Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, detailing how the UK education sector is to become 'a world leader' in climate change by 2030, as part of the launch of the...