The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2026 puts Europe in the top 10 positions. The 2026 EPI ranks 177 countries on 47 environmental indicators across 12 issue categories representing critical sustainability challenges in environmental public health, ecosystem vitality, and climate change. The results for 2026 are as follows:
Category: Updates
Home
Updates
Post
12 July 202612 July 2026Regulation, Updates
Commission adopts revised ESRS; small companies get voluntary standard
The European Commission has adopted revised European sustainability reporting standards (ESRS) and a voluntary reporting standard for smaller companies. ESRS cover environmental, social, and governance issues, including climate change, biodiversity and human rights. They provide information for investors and other stakeholders to understand the sustainability-related risks to which companies are exposed and their impacts on people and the environment.
Post
Global electrification reaches tipping point as energy demand hits record highs
The Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy findings reveal a year in which energy demand continues to surge, low-carbon electricity reaches a historic milestone and transition pathways diverge sharply across regions - all against a backdrop of rising geopolitical risks. The Energy Institute, in partnership with Ember and in collaboration with Kearney and KPMG, has released the 75th edition of the Statistical Review of World Energy, offering the first complete look at global energy data for 2025.
Post
£47m UK Government funding to protect and improve peatland
Thousands of hectares of vital peatland will be better protected and managed thanks to nearly £50m in new funding. This will help to reduce carbon emissions, better protect rural communities from the risks of wildfire and flooding and support local economies.
Post
TotalEnergies found liable for failing to fulfil climate vigilance obligations
In the climate lawsuit brought by Notre Affaire à Tous, Sherpa, France Nature Environnement and the City of Paris against TotalEnergies, the Paris Judicial Court has just ruled against the multinational for failing to meet its duty of climate vigilance. The court recognised that the company does indeed have a duty of climate vigilance that extends to its emissions from the combustion of oil and gas products (Scope 3), which account for nearly 90% of its carbon footprint.
Post
£219m boost for sustainable aviation fuel to cut emissions and back innovation
Innovative companies from across the UK are invited to bid for a share of £93m over the next two years to develop low carbon fuel, with applications opening in mid-July. The fund will focus support on the most promising projects meaning those closest to the actual production stage.
Post
Oil and gas: set to increase production; ignore climate commitments
Major oil and gas companies are planning to "increase their upstream oil and gas production" according to new research published by the TPI Global Climate Transition Centre (TPI Centre) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The report analyses 22 leading global companies in two sectors critical to the low-carbon transition: 16 in oil and gas and six in diversified mining.
Post
Middle East conflict sends global growth to lowest rate since COVID-19
The conflict in the Middle East is expected to slow global growth to the lowest rate since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic amid higher energy prices, steeper inflation, and increased borrowing costs, according to the World Bank Group’s latest Global Economic Prospects report. Global growth is forecast to slow to 2.5% in 2026, down from 2.9% in 2025. Forecasts for two-thirds of economies have been downgraded relative to January of this year.
Post
Commission presents first EU strategies for islands and coastal communities
The European Commission has adopted two dedicated strategies, one for EU islands and one for EU coastal communities, setting out for the first time a coordinated European approach to support both types of territories and unlock their long-term potential. The two initiatives introduce a targeted approach, dedicated to the specific needs and unique challenges of: 17m people living on more than 4,000 islands across 16 EU Member States; and 95m people living along the 70,000km of EU coastlines and in coastal areas across 22 EU Member States.
Post
EU deploys largest ever wildfire response for 2026 summer
With wildfire risks rising across Europe, the European Commission is helping finance and coordinate the deployment of a record number of firefighters, aircraft and emergency experts under the Civil Protection Mechanism. 777 firefighters from 14 European countries will be strategically pre-positioned in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal.
Post
World Ocean Assessment: the most important book about the ocean written
The 1,600-page assessment is the result of more than five years of work by 550 experts from 86 countries, offering a detailed overview of the mounting pressures on the ocean and the action needed to safeguard it. The report provides a foundation for “understanding the profound changes that are underway, from climate-driven shifts to biodiversity loss, and for shaping effective action both at the local level, but also at the global level”. Despite decades of progress, vast areas of the ocean, particularly the deep sea, remain poorly understood.
Post
8 June 20268 June 2026Finance, Regulation, Updates
Landmark global framework for net zero transition planning launches
A landmark international framework designed to help financial institutions carry out credible, transparent and high‑integrity net zero transition planning has been published by BSI to encourage banks and financial institutions to close the gap between climate ambition and action. Net Zero Transition Planning for Financial Institutions (ISO 32212) specifies requirements and provides recommendations for strategic net zero transition planning by financial institutions.
Post
New WMO report says more global temperature records to come
Global average temperatures are likely to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, with Arctic temperature anomalies expected to continue to be higher than the global mean, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), produced by the UK’s Met Office. The Global Annual-to-Decadal Update also takes a look at the observed climate over the past five years and gives regional predictions for temperatures and precipitation over the next five years.
Post
Sustainable debt market surpasses $7tn in aligned issuance
The global sustainable debt market has reached a major new milestone, with cumulative aligned issuance surpassing $7tr, according to the latest data from the Climate Bonds Initiative. The Climate Bonds’ database of green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked (GSS+) bonds aligned with its methodologies has now crossed the $7tn threshold, demonstrating the rapid growth of sustainable finance from a niche segment into a significant part of global capital markets.
Post
British way of life under threat from heat, flooding and drought
The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has published A Well-Adapted UK. This new report sets out a comprehensive package of solutions to address the growing impacts of climate change affecting every aspect of life in the UK. The country’s independent climate advisors identify better cooling, flood protection and a more secure water supply as the most critical priorities to protect the UK from the three biggest climate risks – heat, flooding and drought.