The Sustainable Futures Report

Unless we get action from our government and all governments, nothing will solve the climate crisis. Also hydrogen and heat pumps and wise words from Mark Carney. Bill Gates has a new book and in snowy Texas they think the problem is wind turbines.

Do you know where your savings or your pension are invested? I mean in detail. Can you be sure you're not supporting coal mining, deforestation or conflict minerals? It's not easy to find out, but I've been talking to Peter Krull of Earth Equity Advisors who's been addressing this problem since 2004.

This week the Sustainable Futures Report looks at coal, the wonder fuel that drove the Industrial Revolution and now is shown to be threatening our very survival. Despite our race to achieve net zero by 2050 - 30 years or so off - new mines with lives of 60 years or more are being planned all over the world. Including in the UK!

There are growing demands for the protection of biodiversity and for recognition of the true worth of Nature. I look again at CO2 and the imperative to mitigate climate change. While much is being said by major corporations about being environmentally responsible, how far are they really committed? Why are governments continuing to punish those who point out that governments are still not doing en...

Do you like fish? I've just been reading a book which made me think very hard about whether I wanted to eat any fish ever again.  And then I found out about all the terrible things we're doing to our oceans...

This flagship government scheme is off to a shaky start. So far it seems to be destroying jobs and leaving consumers in the cold!

We're planning to reach Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050. How do we get there from here?   I put this question to a panel of experts: Chris Goodall, Deirdre Lane, Nicola Steen and Alessandro Vitelli. Here's what they told me.

If we are to develop a sustainable world we need to know that the products we buy and the services we use are based on sustainable sources. We need to be able to track things back along the supply chain and gather information at every stage. How do we do that? Well I recently spoke to Tyler Chaffo, at Avery Dennison.

In this last episode of the Sustainable Futures Report before Christmas I'm going to concentrate on actions. Actions promised by governments and others to meet the climate challenge. Recommended actions. Actions criticised either because they are not seen as sufficiently far-reaching or simply because they're not being implemented. And actions that some are still taking to deny that there really i...

This week I'm talking to Harald Overholm, CEO of Alight Energy of Stockholm, about coupling renewable energy with power purchase agreements.   The UK government has published its NDC, the CCC has set out a detailed plan, there's more news of extreme weather from the Met Office and sad and worrying news about dangerous air pollution.  

Is the planet hurtling towards disaster, as reported by the BBC this week, or are the UN climate goals now within reach, as reported by the BBC this week? No wonder the general public generally finds the climate crisis far too complex to engage with. Stories this week about the State of the Planet, the climate clock, Energy, Protests and finally a story of recycling what was once seen as scrap to...

Only governments really have the power to make significant change. The question in the media is whether Boris Johnson's 10-point plan, published last week, will make that needed difference. There's a lot of other news as well. There's US politics, Chinese politics and Australian politics. There's more on Hurricane Iota and other extreme weather. And we round off with EVs, CCS and whether sustainab...

Is Boris's 10-point plan a best laid plan? I explain, eventually. And there's also news from the National Audit Office, from the Treasury and from the Committee for Climate Change. The Climate and Ecology Emergency Bill makes its way through Parliament  and the Dalai Llama assures us that Buddha would be green. There's energy news and as Hurricane Iota hits Nicaragua there's more evidence of extre...

It's Friday, the 13th. Unlucky for some, but not for you because you've got a new edition of the Sustainable Futures Report to listen to. This week There's a new US president-elect. We'll look at what he can do on the climate front and what he might find rather more difficult to do. We'll look, too, at what Prime Minister Johnson might do on the climate in the UK. The IPPR has a 10-point plan. Wha...

Apart from the US election, there is environmental news this week ranging from the Arctic to Australia and pollution problems from plastic waste to artificial light and used cars. There is another carbon offset scheme. This one's for investors. How does blockchain relate to the climate and how can you make money for charity by making an internet search? Finally, I'll share a concerning article I f...

Once again, I'm covering a whole range of issues in this week's episode. There's no silver bullet for Boris, and although we reported last time that he's supporting offshore wind, the IEA tells us that while electricity from offshore wind is cheap, onshore wind is cheaper, and solar is cheapest of all. I'll be talking about food standards and fishing standards; about air pollution costs and risks...

Apparently it may take 700 years to improve the nation's housing stock (shame that the grant scheme I mentioned last time ends next March), CCS is in the news again and so are Greta Thunberg and Erin Brockovich - remember her? COVID is a disaster like we've never seen, but amid reports of collapsing ecosystems are we missing the big picture? There's more extreme weather. Are you in the (hyper)loop...

This week I learn how to keep warm at home and I interview Simon Ayers, CEO of TrustMark, the organisation that assures the quality of home improvements and insulation.

Project Drawdown aims to bring us to the point beyond Net Zero where greenhouse gases in the atmosphere start to decline. Prince William's Earthshot Prize aims to find solutions to environmental issues and the climate crisis. Boris Johnson aims to build back greener. I aim to bring you reports and insights about a sustainable future. This week's Sustainable Futures Report has the latest!

A conversation with Blair Sheppard, Global Lead for Strategy and Leadership at PwC.

The climate crisis hasn't gone away and the COVID crisis hasn't gone away, but don't give up now. There's positive news from BP, Scania, Mercedes, Tesla and Airbus. We're moving in the right direction. Let's keep moving.    

Are we at a tipping point? On the point of runaway climate disaster? A tipping point as mass extinction accelerates out of control? Or a tipping point as politicians and public realise it's time to act?

Nations suing governments, deforestation and population, and CO2 as a fuel. XR protests continue and the government claims activists shouldn't break the law - while preparing to do just that. But first, let's talk about diet. If we're environmentalists should we be vegan? Your feedback always welcome!

As the Arctic melts, Extinction Rebellion urges the British government to speed up its response to the climate emergency.              

And finally…no, this isn't the last episode, just the last episode in July before I close down for August. Hold tight - there's a lot to get in. I'll be talking about transport, climate, too much water, too little water, energy, campaigns and opinions and I chat briefly about pollution with Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk Radio. There are pages of links to all these stories on the blog at www.sustain...