The jury is out on whether the old adage ‘you can manage what you can measure’ will come up trumps for Britain’s bug life; but a scheme for measuring the bug population is making citizen scientists of many people in the UK, and proving a valuable entry point for them to understand the catastrophic impact of nature loss.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published its Critical Minerals Outlook 2025. It points out that critical minerals, which are essential for a range of energy technologies and for the broader economy, have become a major focus in global policy and trade discussions. Price volatility, supply chain bottlenecks and geopolitical concerns make the regular monitoring of their supply and demand vital.
The UN body responsible for setting up a carbon market under the Paris Agreement has adopted important new standards to guide how emission-reducing projects measure their impact. Known as the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM), it enables countries and other actors to work together on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by generating high-integrity carbon credits that support global efforts to fight climate change.
The World Bank has approved a $200m concessional credit to support Uzbekistan in modernising its irrigation and drainage infrastructure and improving the quality of irrigation service delivery. The project aims to reduce water losses and increase the energy efficiency of irrigation systems across five regions of the country. The Government of Uzbekistan will provide $23.2m in co-financing.
Natural capital accounts containing information on the extent, condition and ecosystem services for woodlands in the UK have been published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics. They show that the UK land area covered by woodlands increased from 7% in 1965 to 13% in 2023. The asset value of UK woodlands was an estimated £382bn in 2021. While timber and wood fuel is often seen as the main woodland asset, it accounted for just 3.9% or £14.bn.
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) Australia, a developer of sustainable energy solutions, and the Canadian infrastructure fund OMERS have announced the commissioning of the Lauriston Solar Farm, in partnership with Genesis Energy.
The Great British Energy Bill has received legislative consent from all three devolved governments. This will allow Great British Energy to operate more effectively in each devolved nation. Great British Energy will invest in clean power projects across the UK as part of the UK Government’s Plan for Change to become a clean energy superpower.
CorPower Ocean, has signed an agreement to build a 5MW wave energy project at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland. Scheduled for deployment in 2029, the 5MW array is expected to become the UK’s largest wave energy project. Deployed at EMEC’s grid-connected Billia Croo wave energy test site, it will comprise 14 wave energy converters, operating for up to 15 years.
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $350m grant from the International Development Association to support Malawi’s Mpatamanga Hydropower Storage Project (MHSP), a large infrastructure operation aiming to transform the country’s energy landscape and its economic development trajectory.
The EU Ombudsman has launched an inquiry into how the European Commission prepared its ‘Omnibus Simplification Package’. This follows a complaint brought by eight civil society organisations against the European Commission.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has published the Interim National Energy Balance for 2024, which shows that Ireland’s energy-related emissions are now at their lowest level in over 30 years, falling a further 1.3% last year. This marks an overall decrease of 11% since carbon emissions targets were introduced in 2021 and the third consecutive year with an emissions reduction.
The North Sea Transition Authority and Crown Estate Scotland have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to collaborate on energy and carbon storage in the North Sea. The SoI includes a pledge to progress net zero targets by helping different technologies share space and taking a coordinated approach to managing the seabed.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is making a $30m loan available to Obelisk Solar Power, a project company owned by Scatec ASA. The financing facility will finance a new 1GWac solar plant in Egypt with 200MWh of battery storage. It is expected that the project will reduce CO2 emissions by 1.3m tonnes per year.
The UK and the EU have agreed a substantial cooperation agreement in relation to trade and free movement. Included in the package are two energy and emissions trading arrangements.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says that, between January and April this year, claims for weather-related damage to people’s homes and possessions in the UK topped £200m for the first time ever. Pay-outs surpassed the previous quarterly record from Q1 2022 by £67m.