Author: Archie Burkinshaw

As the world grapples with the urgent need to mitigate climate change, protect the environment, and ensure the well-being of future generations, could the intersection of AI and sustainability open the gateway to a sustainable future? Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm. The release of tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT has demonstrated the potential of AI to revolutionise many aspects of our lives. The World Economic Forum even lists AI as one of the top emerging technologies expected to make a significant impact over the next three to five years. While AI has the potential to address…

A spokesperson for the UK government has announced Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not scale back or drop the commitment to support countries most affected by climate change. The UK, along with the US, is currently hosting a forum to discuss ways to unlock more financial support for international emissions reduction and climate adaptation projects. Grant Shapps, the British energy security and net zero Secretary, and John Kerry, the US special envoy for Climate, are co-hosting the summit.  The outcomes of the forum will be communicated to the King, who is expected to further discuss the issue with President Joe…

The English FA has unveiled its new sustainability strategy, titled ‘Playing for the Future,’ which outlines a five-year plan to reach its environmental goals until 2028. The announcement signals a clear commitment by the FA to making a positive impact on the environment and communities by investing £35 million to achieve its targets, including reaching net zero by 2040. Initial efforts will focus on operational sustainability, particularly waste, food, and energy, at Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park. The new strategy will then build upon this foundation and will be reviewed every two years. “The climate crisis is a significant…

At the Innovation Zero clean tech congress in London, Sustainable Future News sat down with Heather Buchanan, co-founder of Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ), to discuss her journey of co-founding the company and developing a net zero certification program aimed at accelerating sustainability efforts across industries. The role and responsibilities bankers face in fighting the climate crisis are laid out in stark detail according to a 2022 report. “Banks have a crucial role in providing new finance to green infrastructure, phasing out… and discontinuing funding for existing fossil fuel infrastructure,” the report notes. “Banks can also create awareness and educate…

The United Nations (UN) has revealed the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) has removed all requirements for its members to establish or disclose greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The significant revision to the alliance’s rules comes as a response to political pressure from the United States, which led to the departure of several members. The NZIA is among the UN-backed coalitions aiming to unite financial institutions in their efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, this year, the alliance has faced criticism from Republican politicians in the US who accuse it of violating antitrust regulations and driving up…

Companies in the UK that produce environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings for different firms will be subject to a new voluntary code of conduct. This move comes in anticipation of potential regulations in the sector, which handles trillions of dollars in investments. Investors looking to invest in sustainable companies rely heavily on rating firms to make informed and reliable decisions with their capital. However, the rating sector is not currently regulated in the UK. Investors have expressed concern about the lack of consistency in sustainability ratings between different providers, due to the use of a variety of methodologies used.…

South Korean multinational corporation Samsung Electronics has revealed its 2023 Sustainability Report, which presents the company’s latest strategies for sustainability across areas such as people, the planet, and principles. The report highlights Samsung’s advancements, including the introduction of its Global Human Rights Principles and progress in implementing the New Environmental Strategy announced in September 2022. According to the report, the New Environmental Strategy is a crucial component of Samsung’s growth, outlining the company’s plan to achieve net zero emissions within the Device eXperience (DX) division by 2030 and extends to the entire company by 2050. “Everyday Sustainability is grounded in…

A newly published white paper has unveiled a lack of clarity surrounding the definitions of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) and found sustainability poses a significant obstacle to decision-making, hindering businesses and investors in their pursuit of sustainability goals. The study, a collaboration between Hong Kong-based law firm Stephenson Harwood and PIE Strategy, a certified B Corporation, involved in-depth interviews with 26 key decision-makers from various sectors across the Asia-Pacific region.  The interviews revealed unanimous agreement that a transition towards a low-carbon future was inevitable, but the means to achieve it, the required pace, investment amounts, and profitability were…

The government has announced new funding to enable UK businesses to shift to cleaner energy alternatives and reduce their carbon footprint. Businesses across the United Kingdom have received a significant financial boost from the government, with over £80 million in funding allocated to support their transition away from costly fossil fuels towards cleaner alternatives.  Announced by Energy Minister Graham Stuart at the UK’s Climate Innovation Forum, as part of the government’s broader £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio initiative, which seeks to promote state-of-the-art clean technologies, such as hydrogen, biomass and carbon capture. The initiative is the government’s latest effort…

In a world grappling with the urgency of climate change, businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are increasingly focused on transitioning towards zero carbon emissions. Governments play a crucial role in aligning their policies and strategies with this transition – but public-private alignment is always challenging. Initiatives such as the First Movers Coalition (FMC) from the World Economic Forum (WEF) aim to move things in the right direction. The FMC coordinates a coalition of 12 governments to promote the adoption of low-carbon technologies on a larger scale. Launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, by the following year’s conference…