Adding as little as £6.50 to annual power bills could ensure electricity from solar panels in the UK drops to the grid average cost within a few years, one of the country’s leading solar installation companies has claimed. Research by Engensa finds that a modest increase on the £2 currently tacked on to bills could build a viable industry and protect the 25,000 jobs the sector currently supports. Toby... 

A new footprinting service piloted by Tesco and PepsiCo promises to accelerate impact calculations for businesses looking to cut emissions from their supply chain and products. The new Product Portfolio Footprinting service has been launched by consultancy Best Foot Forward to help companies with substantive products ranges avoid lengthy lifecycle analyses on each one. By compiling materials and emissions... 

A tax on the shipping industry could provide finance for a fund to help poorer countries tackle climate change, according to a formal proposal published at the Durban climate summit today. The document proposes that “financial resources” are raised through unspecified measures designed and implemented by the International Maritime Organisation as part of efforts to cut the sector’s... 

Transport secretary Justine Greening has announced that the government will delay a decision on the controversial High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) project until early next year. The government was scheduled to rubberstamp the £34bn project before the end of the month after a consultation closed in July, although speculation was rife that it could delay the decision in order to explore alternative plans that... 

The next generation of corporate leaders are broadly committed to developing more sustainable business models, regard green issues as a major commercial opportunity, and want to work for companies with strong environmental records. That is the conclusion of a major new survey of 750 corporate graduate trainees, MBA students and “high potential middle-managers” commissioned by broadcasting... 

The next generation of corporate leaders are broadly committed to developing more sustainable business models, regard green issues as a major commercial opportunity, and want to work for companies with strong environmental records. That is the conclusion of a major new survey of 750 corporate graduate trainees, MBA students and “high potential middle-managers” commissioned by broadcasting... 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has issued his customary call today for world leaders to take urgent action on climate change, marking the start of high-level ministerial negotiations at the Durban Summit. Ministers from almost 200 countries are preparing to embark on four days of intensive talks intended to secure a new international climate change treaty, and Ban acknowledged that the deadlock... 

Commentary on negotiations, from the Doha round of world trade talks to the future of the eurozone, often suggests that the UK no longer has much negotiating power. Facts would seem to back that up here at the climate talks in Durban, where, due to the increase in pollution from rapidly industrialising countries, the EU is now only responsible for 12 per cent of global emissions. The UK itself represents... 

As retailers gear up for the annual boost in sales of Champagne ahead of the holiday season, Tesco has unveiled a new lighter bottle designed to curb carbon emissions and reduce waste associated with toasting in the new year. The supermarket chain has started this month stocking its De Vallois Champagne in 830g bottles, a reduction of 70g on the standard 900g design. The company confirmed plans to... 

Delegates at the Durban Summit would be well advised to consider the role IT can play in cutting emissions and mitigating the impact of climate change, the UN’s own technology body has said. IT is estimated to be responsible for between two and five per cent of global emissions, and businesses and governments are well aware of how to lessen that impact, Dr Bilel Jamoussi, chief of the International...