Barclays follows HSBC in ditching net zero banks club August 1, 2025 Barclays has become the second London-based bank to exit the net zero banks club as the financial services industry continues to row back on climate policies. The FTSE 100 giant – which recorded a £1bn profit jump for the second quarter – said on Friday the UN-convened Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) “no longer has [...]
London must prepare for new climate extremes July 29, 2025 Floods, extreme temperatures, wildfires… the new London Plan must not treat planning for freak weather as an optional extra, says Emma Howard Boyd London and New York are officially the world’s most globally connected cities. Not only are both classed as ‘supercities’ but they are also the world’s only combined financial, commercial and cultural superhubs, [...]
Artists, pop stars, musicians, lend me your ears: We can’t stop AI from using our work July 2, 2025 Banning AI from training on artists' work is like banning people from reading, writes Sir Robin Millar in today's Notebook.
City minister doubles down on green finance as firms turn sour June 30, 2025 The City minister has reaffirmed the government’s ambition for a green transition across the financial services sector, despite the industry pivoting on climate priorities. Speaking at City Week on Monday, Emma Reynolds said: “The UK has a world leading financial and related professional services ecosystem and the research that is needed to integrate sustainable finance.” [...]
The public don’t understand net zero – it’s time for new arguments June 16, 2025 Widespread uncertainty about the costs and implementation of net zero risks undermining support for climate action. Effective communication can shift opinions, says Sir Craig Oliver In the face of a rising tide of anti-net zero rhetoric, the battle over climate and energy policy in the UK has never been fiercer. The current arguments being made [...]
London Tech Week day 3: Let’s use that NHS budget on tech June 11, 2025 From NHS waiting lists to global warming, if we get it right we can use technology to address our biggest challenges, writes Russ Shaw.
Green finance withers as Trump effect spreads April 24, 2025 Financial hubs are ditching green finance, fresh research shows, after President Donald Trump’s return to the White House triggered a global retreat. Centres across the world had their green finance rating reduced in the 15th edition of Z/Yen Global Green Finance Index (GFFI). Despite topping the index, London’s rating reduced 36 points to 598. Zurich [...]
Ignore the climate alarmism – the biggest polluter is poverty April 22, 2025 Instead of being scared by sensationalist rhetoric into spending trillions on policies that won’t work, we should remember the remarkable progress nations have made on the environment as they have become richer, says Bjorn Lomborg As we mark Earth Day, it’s tempting to believe that the world is on the brink of environmental collapse. We [...]
Kemi Badenoch: Net Zero by 2050 is “impossible” March 18, 2025 Kemi Badenoch is set to launch a party “policy renewal” process starting with net zero and energy as she is expected to claim net zero by 2050 is “impossible”. The Conservative leader will say her party would “confront the real problems” but that she is not making a “moral judgement” on net zero or debating [...]
What do Conservatives really think about climate change? March 12, 2025 The public is clear that it wants action on climate change, but don’t want to pay more for it – and Conservatives are particularly opposed to higher taxes. The future of the centre-right depends on resolving this tension, says Simon Clarke What do the public think about the environment and the UK’s commitment to climate [...]