Global biodiversity is declining at unprecedented rates. ISO 17298 provides a practical framework to help organisations of all types and sizes understand how they depend on and impact nature – and take concrete action to address it. Developed by ISO’s expert committee on biodiversity (ISO/TC 331), this is the first International Standard that guides organisations in embedding biodiversity into their core strategies, operations and decision-making processes.
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Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences awarded for theories on growth
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2025 to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt “for having explained innovation-driven economic growth” with one half of the prize to Joel Mokyr (of Northwestern University and Tel Aviv University), and the other half jointly to Philippe Aghion (of INSEAD and The LSE) and Peter Howitt (of Brown University) “for the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction”.
Poll: upholding by EU of its own environmental laws important
New online polling conducted across 10 European countries reveals that 75% of respondents rate the upholding by the European Union (EU) of its own environmental laws within EU member states as important (38% selected “very important”, 37% selected “fairly important”).
Ralph Lauren retires net zero goal in favour of rolling milestones
Ralph Lauren Corporation has announced that it will evolve its approach to climate as part of its ongoing commitment to decarbonisation. It will retire its 2040 net zero goal in favour of setting rolling five-year GHG reduction milestones, with a near-term focus on its current SBTi-validated 2030 goal to reduce emissions by 30% from its FY20 baseline.
Stadler to build first hydrogen trains for Sicily
Stadler has expanded its presence in Italy and signed the first contract with Ferrovia Circumetnea (FCE) for the design and supply of two narrow-gauge hydrogen-powered trains. The new vehicles will contribute to sustainable rail transport and will run through the volcanic landscapes of Mount Etna.
H1 2025: solar/wind outpace global electricity demand growth
The increase in solar and wind power outpaced global electricity demand growth in the first half of 2025, according to a report from Ember. Solar alone met 83% of the rise, with many countries setting new records. Fossil fuels remained mostly flat, with a slight decline. Fossil generation fell in China and India, but grew in the EU and the US.
June 2025: first month ever where solar is main EU energy source
In the second quarter of 2025, 54% of net electricity generated in the EU came from renewable energy sources, an increase from the 52.7% registered in the same quarter of 2024. This increase was mostly due to solar energy, which generated a total of 122,317 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the second quarter of 2025, representing 19.9% of the total electricity generation mix.
€545m package to accelerate Africa’s clean energy transition
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, has unveiled today a €545m Team Europe package to accelerate Africa's clean energy transition. This announcement is an important milestone in the ‘Scaling Up Renewables in Africa' campaign, co-hosted with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. This campaign raises global awareness and mobilises public and private investments for clean energy generation and access across Africa.
Commission guides States on fulfilling Social Climate Plans
The European Commission has issued new guidance to help EU Member States effectively implement the Social Climate Fund (SCF) and complete their Social Climate Plans (SCPs). Starting in 2026 and mobilising over €86bn, the Social Climate Fund has been created to ensure the transition to a greener economy is fair and leaves no one behind, and to support vulnerable households and small businesses in their efforts to switch to cleaner energy and transport.
President Xi Jinping announces China’s climate commitments
China will, by 2035, reduce economy-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by 7% to 10% from peak levels, said President Xi Jinping of China at the United Nations Climate Summit on 24 September. China will increase the share of non-fossil fuels used in its energy supply to over 30%; expand the installed capacity of wind and solar power to over six times the 2020 levels; make electric vehicles mainstream; expand the National Carbon Emissions Trading Market to cover major high-emission sectors; and establish a climate adaptive society.
Close to 100 countries signal new climate targets
Close to 100 countries – including nearly 40 Heads of State and Government – have announced, committed to finalising or set out their commitment to implementing their new climate targets ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil this November. The announcements came at a Climate Summit convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil on the margins of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
Electricity demand surges across the Middle East and N Africa
Electricity demand in the Middle East and N Africa tripled between 2000 and 2024 as populations and incomes rose. Based on today’s policy settings, the region’s electricity consumption is projected to rise by another 50% by 2035 – adding the equivalent of the current demand of Germany and Spain combined.
António Guterres welcomes the BBNJ Agreement
As the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction – the BBNJ Agreement – reached the required threshold of ratifications for entry into force, UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed this historic achievement for the ocean and for multilateralism.
Climate TRACE: 1.6bn people are at harm from pollution
Climate TRACE has released a tool that makes the threat of harmful particulate matter (PM2.5) visible to all. The tool shows the flow of air pollution plumes out of sources that contribute to the climate crisis and into the air that 1.6bn people in more than 2,500 urban areas breathe.
UK launches principles for navigating grid transformation
As the UK looks to further its move towards net zero, the transformation of its electricity grid is central to delivering clean, secure and affordable energy. The Government Office for Science has published a set of key principles for policymakers to consider when developing policy to strengthen and expand the national electricity grid. The principles support the embedding of social science into the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower.

