Amazing to hear a discussion on #BroadcastingHouse about Kemi Badenoch's 'drill, baby, drill' anti-net zero policies without a word about #ClimateChange. What would Kemi Badenoch and the Tories do about it? And is there any Reform policy on climate and energy she won't imitate?

A couple of faves from today’s march against the far Right (&, judging from some of the banners & chants, for & against umpteen other things…). It was good to see such a huge number of people (mostly) taking a stand for tolerance & diversity. Now for a cup of tea.

It’s depressing to hear Mel Stride suggest that ditching climate action should be the government’s economic priority in the face of Trumpflation. He sounds like a slightly less vulgar version of Richard Tice. Does the Conservative Party even believe in climate change now? #r4today

Ten years after the zero carbon homes standard was scrapped, it's good news that we're finally getting there - but the government really must stand up to the housebuilders and avoid further unnecessary delay! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Amol Rajan on #Today: "the chronic challenges don't get much bigger or harder than fixing the planning system so we can build many more houses." He should stop taking his talking points from the anti-planning Tufton Street think tanks and developers blaming planning for their slow build out rates.

I’m disappointed (but perhaps not surprised) to hear Robert Jenrick repeat the line that EU rules on nutrient neutrality are stopping the UK building 100,000 houses. Does Reform really want to be the sewage party? There are ways of building more homes without adding to river pollution.

It’s hard to listen to the LRB podcast, Aftershock: the war on terror, & not hear echoes of today’s war - the mix of “arrogance & provinciality” in the US approach, the failure to think beyond the conflict, Tony Blair’s keenness to outsource UK policy to the White House etc etc. Recommended.

So Tony Blair thinks we should slavishly back US wars, legal or not. There’s a surprise. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

This week's ECO Chamber podcast is live ⚡ with special guest @shaunspiers1.bsky.social on green politics, Labour's by-election loss and Reform UK. "I think we might be living in an age of populism now where people are so fed up with politics and the difficulties of getting change." Listen now ⬇️

Despite recent gloom, there are signs the economy could be picking up. The question is whether that momentum will translate into green investment. In this blog, Steve Coulter outlines what the environment needs from the Spring Statement.

Nick was fixing laptops at work when he was told there was no time to repair a broken screen. The whole thing had to go. That frustration sent him to a repair café where he now fixes things for free, every week. Our latest podcast hands the mic to people like Nick who love the circular economy.

Good to hear @fleuranderson.bsky.social at the @environmentappg.bsky.social event on the Global Oceans Treaty emphasise cross-party support for action: “The ocean does not recognise political divisions & nor should we in our ambitions for it.”

Zia Yusuf's rhetoric of protecting Christianity, rhetorically, is combined with an indecent threat to deport many tens of thousands of Christians, including those here 5-20 years with permanent status, as well as recent arrivals, from across the Commonwealth and elsewhere outside Europe

"Does the UK want to still build cars in a decade’s time? If the answer is yes, ministers need to prove it by backing what works, providing certainty where it counts and committing to a clear industrial vision. The window is still open. It will not remain so indefinitely."

"In his enthusiastic adoption of proposals to rip up environmental safeguards, Keir Starmer is showing the same misunderstanding he showed over the Planning & Infrastructure Bill.... There is nothing to be gained from fast-tracking developments if we destroy our environment in the process."

Enough of myth peddling! This article on Reform's energy pledges highlights my concerns on Richard Tice's regressive energy policies. "This idea that more oil and gas is going to get bills down is blatant myth peddling... It's misleading." Read more here: www.endsreport.com/article/1948... (1/2)

"My advice to the Tories is listen hard to distant but approaching thunder. Climate negligence and fossil politics will not be a winning formula in the hotter world of the next election. That niche is best left to Reform." www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...

Reform UK's "shadow cabinet" has an opponent of climate action covering the Treasury, a climate denier covering business, trade and energy and, as far as I can tell, no one covering the Defra brief. Forward to the 1950s!

The Tony Blair Institute out there today calling for more oil and gas drilling in an absolute gift for Farage and Badenoch. Government will be forgiven for thinking, with friends like these... www.businessgreen.com/news/4525624...

Good to hear Ed Miliband launch the government’s local power plan - “a glimpse of a different economy”.

People are eating less meat, but we're not producing any less. How will this affect livestock farmers? In this blog, we explore the impacts this might have if the trend continues, and identify the paths forward.

In other news... "The UK plans to slash its aid to poor countries stricken by the climate crisis by more than a fifth, the Guardian has learned, despite promises to increase assistance and warnings from campaigners that the move will cost lives and livelihoods." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

"You cannot be good on nature unless you are also good on climate." It's been reported that Reform is getting expert advice on nature policies. But unless it radically changes its approach to climate, its policies will be disastrous for nature says executive director @shaunspiers1.bsky.social ⤵️

I'm proud to be an adviser to the ReLondon board - there's lots of impressive stuff here on how ReLondon is working to make London a low carbon, circular city.

I hope Ben Goldsmith will be very clear with Reform: you can't be serious about nature unless you're also serious about climate change. Unfortunately, neither Reform UK nor the Conservative are. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

☀️ Everyone has a chance to lower their bills with clean technologies like solar panels under the government’s Warm Homes Plan. Nick Davies, head of climate at Green Alliance, responds to the Plan ⬇️

Great thread which begs the question, how does the Institute of Economic Affairs get away with such dodgy analysis and why do newspapers and broadcasters, including the BBC, continue to take it seriously?

The UK government's auction for offshore wind projects this morning confirms that renewable energy is good value for money. @shaunspiers1.bsky.social, executive director at Green Alliance, says ⬇️

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 | A new hydrogen strategy is on the horizon – should it prioritise demand or supply? 🤔 In our first of two new briefings, we recommend prioritising use towards hard to decarbonise sectors on the grounds of economic and energy efficiency. 1/2

I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality.

Good luck @laurenedwardsmp.bsky.social - but it really is bizarre that illegal waste & fly tipping sites like this can be tolerated for "almost a decade". Time for tougher & better funded regulation, rather than more attacks on "red tape"? www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/...

It is absurd that the government (& the BBC, Church of England & others) still support a platform that actively supports fascists across Europe, undermines democracy, pushes pornography & abuse etc etc. Leaving X is the right decision. Others with power or influence should take it.

In our latest blog, executive director @shaunspiers1.bsky.social discusses the challenges and opportunities facing UK environmental politics in 2026—what went right in 2025, how the government performed, and what the environment sector needs to do this year⤵️

The year ahead for environmental politics - some reasons to be be (reasonably) cheerful. And if we can't be cheerful, let's not be miserable. My new @green-alliance.org.uk blog. greenallianceblog.org.uk/2026/01/07/w...

The farming budget survived the spending review at £2.3bn/year until 2028-29 — but was it enough? With policy uncertainty mounting and schemes closed without warning, @lydiacollas.bsky.social explores whether 2025 was half full or half empty for farmers.

Just in case you weren't reading think tank reports over the Christmas break, another plug for @green-alliance.org.uk's report on the ceramics industry, produced jointly with @gmb.org.uk & @tuc.org.uk. Guardian report here: www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Such a familiar story: "Ministers are poised to allow homes in England to be built without carbon-cutting technology in what experts have said is a climbdown after pressure from housebuilders." Stop caving in to housebuilders who resist high standards! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A green levy on gas boilers could form part of the govt’s new Warm Homes Plan in January. “We know that heat pumps will get a lot cheaper over time,” @shaunspiers1.bsky.social of Green Alliance tells @nickwallis.bsky.social on Times Radio.

I'm delighted that @green-alliance.org.uk has worked with @gmb.org.uk & @tuc.org.uk on this important report on future proofing the ceramics industry. It's important the green groups & trade unions work together to protect jobs & tackle climate change.

I'm pleased the government is compromising on inheritance tax for farmers. If Rachel Reeves is listening at last, will we now see an end to Tufton Street-inspired planning liberalisation & the war on bats & newts? I hope so.

"Minds change when people see repair, reuse or sharing working in practice, try it themselves and feel the benefits." Policy adviser @emily-carr.bsky.social recounts her three key lessons from our recent project spotlighting the people already involved in the circular economy ⤵️

Hydrogen gets plenty of hype as a zero emission fuel, but direct electrification is increasingly recognised as safer and more efficient wherever it’s an option. Our new report explains where hydrogen does and doesn't makes sense, + the challenges around production, leakage, storage and transport.

Interesting to see farmers campaigning against public support for farmers.

🚨 Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has proposed to abolish the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate (ZEV). @shaunspiers1.bsky.social, executive director, responds to the proposal ⬇️

🌱The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has now been approved by Parliament. So, what does this mean for nature? Crossbench peers Lord Krebs and Baroness Willis of Summertown unpack the process, outcome, and whether there are any wins for the environment on our blog⤵️

What makes businesses invest? Clear policies & long-term direction, says the CBI’s DG, Rain Newton-Smith. “Carbon budgets have been shown to really work.” Questioning them makes investors nervous. #NetZero

Big divisions on climate change? Jacinda Ardern points out that in every country a majority of people want their governments to go further & faster on climate action. The lowest figures are in Russia & the US where support for action is still over 60%.

"If ministers genuinely want private finance to support nature, they must provide a stable policy framework & not leave the rules in doubt at a time the market is still trying to find its feet" - Green Alliance blog on biodiversity net gain from Philip Box greenallianceblog.org.uk/2025/12/03/t...

📗 It’s been a long wait, but the government’s new environment plan is finally out. ✅ The good news? It’s an improvement on its predecessor, with more detail and accountability. 🚀 But more ambition is needed to drive systemic change, with united action across government. www.gov.uk/government/c...

It's probably not the big story tonight, but Richard Hughes understands the big impact that climate change is having on the economy. He and his colleagues at the OBR have engaged well with @green-alliance.org.uk & our climate adaptation task force. I'm sorry to see him go.