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An inquiry into UK foreign aid programmes aimed at halting deforestation and preventing biodiversity loss, much of it caused by climate change, has recommended: greater emphasis on work aimed at helping women and indigenous people; a re-think of the large amounts of money spent on multilateral, internationally-administered programmes (as opposed to direct UK funding of projects); and improved co-ordination...

Reporting the ethnicity pay gap should be mandatory, and is the first step to addressing pay disparities between employees from different ethnic backgrounds, say a cross-party group of MPs. In a new report, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee call on the Government to introduce legislation which would require large companies to publish their ethnicity pay gap data. While...

20,000 social housing properties across England with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or lower receive upgrades to improve their energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions as government announces a £179 million funding, which forms a part of the £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF). Today’s announcement sets out the 69 projects that have been allocated the...

The UK’s journey to net zero by 2050 is set to be bolstered by the social sciences, following a major new investment from ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council). The £6.25 million investment in the Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science (ACCESS) leadership team seeks to ensure the UK leads the world in understanding how to achieve the...

New scheme for schools to improve the health of our bees and pollinators and help protect eco-systems has been announced in Northern Ireland. The £2m scheme will provide grants between £3,000 and £12,000 to schools to create or enhance a pollinator garden and will be delivered by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. Speaking at launch of the scheme at Carr Primary School,...

Schools, colleges and universities across the country have been recognised for their work to create hedgehog-friendly campuses by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). Despite being one of the UK's most iconic mammals, hedgehogs are now classified as vulnerable to extinction. According to the BHPS, hedgehog numbers have declined by nearly 50% since the turn of the century. The national Hedgehog...

Millions of households will receive £350 of government support to help protect them from rising energy costs, the Chancellor has announced today. The Energy Bills Rebate is set to provide around 28 million households with an upfront discount on their bills worth £200. Energy suppliers will apply the discount to domestic electricity customers from October, with the Government meeting the...

The energy price cap will increase from 1 April for approximately 22 million customers, with those on default tariffs paying by direct debit will see an increase of £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 per year (difference due to rounding). Prepayment customers will see an increase of £708 from £1,309 to £2,017. According to the regulator, the increase is driven by a...

SME sustainability plans have been negatively impacted by the need to make further progress on recovery from the pandemic, according to new data from NatWest’s Sustainable Business Tracker. Survey data highlighted that UK SMEs have reduced their focus on sustainability action in comparison to the levels seen prior to the pandemic. This is in despite of green policies boosting recovery...

Ofwat must ensure that England’s water industry is doing more to protect the environment, the Government has announced as it set out its priorities for the regulator over the next five years. The new Strategic Policy Statement (SPS), which will be set by the Government and formally laid in Parliament later today, will stress the importance of protecting the environment...