29. UK Government required to rethink net zero plans

Welcome to the twenty-ninth edition of the xtonnes? Sustainability Scoop, your gateway to the latest insights and updates on climate change, carbon regulations and green industry practices. Providing you with bitesize chunks of the latest headlines, it's designed to support you in your journey to decarbonise with confidence.

??Climate check-in??

Extreme heat across South and South-East Asia throughout April has caused huge disruption after heat records were broken across the region. For example in Vietnam, there were 102 weather stations which experienced record highs in April.

David Boyd, the UN's departing authority on environmental and human rights issues, suggests that the imperative task of preserving our planet is hindered by a global economy reliant on the exploitation of both people and nature.

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Numerous beaches across Scotland continue to display the aftermath of a succession of intense storms that have ravaged the country over the past eight months. Many have endured significant sand depletion and damage to nearby structures. Increasingly volatile and stormy weather reduces the time these environments have to recover and rebuild before the next big storm.

According to the European Environment Agency, the effects of climate change are already influencing the daily lives of Europeans and Europe is not prepared for rapidly growing climate risks as highlighted in the EEA’s recent European Climate Risk Assessment.

??Industry insights??

There is a huge gap in financing for climate transition activities, as reported by the Financial Times. According to analysis from the Climate Policy Initiative, as much as $9 trillion will be needed a year globally for climate finance by 2030 if average global temperature increases are to be kept in line with the 2015 Paris agreement. The total was, by comparison, $1.3tn in 2021-22. Finding public and private sources to fund the required transition investment will be key to meeting the requirements of the Paris agreement.

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Plastic-free packaging has taken a step forward recently, with the development of a paper margarine tub with no plastic liner, from Upfield, the company which owns Flora. The entire packaging can be recycled as paper and cardboard household waste. This is expected to lead to the removal of 2 billion plastic tubs by 2030 for Upfield.

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A company called Seratech, along with many other star-ups are developing low-carbon methods for cement production, which will be key to decarbonising construction, currently one of the highest emitting industries due to the embodied carbon emissions in the materials used in construction.

??Regulatory round-up??

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive is set to become law, which will significantly change business obligations across a number of areas, including for climate related disclosures. Businesses in scope will be required to adopt a climate transition plan for climate change mitigation, and aim to ensure that the business model and strategy of the company are compatible with the Paris Agreement global warming limit of 1.5°C.

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The UK Government was defeated in court last week for failing to make sufficient progress against net zero targets. The legal challenge was brought by environmental groups Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth and The Good Law Project, arguing that there is not enough evidence that policies are in place to reduce emissions in line with targets.

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The European Commission announced last week that it has launched an action against 20 airlines operating in the EU over misleading information relating to greenwashing. The specific focus is on claims that the CO2 emissions caused by a flight could be offset?by climate projects or through the use of sustainable fuels, to which the consumers could contribute by paying additional fees. Věra Jourová, Vice-President for Values and Transparency said, “If we want responsible consumers, we need to provide them with accurate information. More and more travellers care about their environmental footprint and choose products and services with better environmental performance. They deserve accurate and scientific answers, not vague or false claims. The Commission is fully committed to empowering consumers in the green transition and fighting greenwashing. We expect airlines, as well as any other industry operator, to make a responsible use of environmental claims.”

On the 7th May, the European Commission adopted an Implementing Regulation updating the templates for Member States to report their climate action data.?The updated templates take account of developments in the context of the Paris Agreement on the accounting of removals from bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (bio-CCS), which Member States will be able to report in their inventories starting this year.

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We look forward to seeing you next week! In the meantime, check out our blog, webinars and free online learning courses.

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