Market Intelligence Service

Partnership to promote biodiversity investment Locked

Members include the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and the University of East Anglia.

UK

Climate finance ‘fails to hit the target’ Locked

Report by climate consulting experts calls for better coordination across multilateral and bilateral sources, greater flexibility and simplified access requirements.

UK

Blueprint sets out sustainable transformation for rail industry Locked

RSSB publication focuses on carbon reduction, air quality, protecting and conserving biodiversity and improving quality of life.

UK

AI technology reveals actions to help pollinators Locked

Data collected from rewilding project shows impact of habitat changes on pollinators, with pollinator activity increasing by 38% since the project began.

UK

Cross-disciplinary collaboration optimises land model

A Sustainability Delivery Group Expert Talk looked at how two departments in Arcadis combined forces to create contaminated land screening software. Sarah Winne and Katy Baker explain how difficult choices were made for the risk assessment model.

UK

UK strives to regain ground with grid and green industry package Locked

Plans announced in the Autumn Statement will reduce grid connection time from five years to six months and halve the time it takes to build high-voltage power lines.

UK

Expert Opinion: COP28 calls on global leaders to redouble climate efforts Locked

With the world having likely failed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, there is a danger that past failures might limit future success. Stephanie Wray of RSK argues that COP28 offers a critical opportunity for leaders to review, reassess and reunite on the way forward.

UK

Ecosystems provided £47bn worth of services in 2021 Locked

Natural capital accounting by the ONS points to growing monetary value of nature’s contributions to public health, food and water.

UK

Government offers investment boost for offshore wind Locked

Offshore wind sector to benefit from increased contract prices for next renewable energy auction, as the government acknowledges inflationary impact on development costs.

UK

RSK acquires Australia’s largest heritage specialist Locked

Project management capability, scale and geographic reach were the deciding factors in the acquisition.

Asia Pacific, Europe, Global, UK

Climate conference catalyses pre-COP commitments Locked

Global stocktake of progress on net zero, sign off of loss and damage fund, and meaningful final statement will count as successes.

Africa & Middle East, Asia Pacific, Global, North America, UK

Conference spells out obstacles to the energy transition Locked

Permitting, grid infrastructure, skills shortages, market reform and social justice were among the priorities identified at Energy Transition Europe 2023.

Europe, Global, UK

ERM enhances digital services through partnership with Google Locked

Now a service partner of Google Cloud, ERM says the collaboration will boost the consultancy’s sustainability offering with additional data-driven capability.

Europe, Global, UK

LUC diversifies offering with arboriculture service Locked

Seasoned arboriculturist Karen O'Shea will lead environmental planning firm’s new arboriculture service, helping clients manage tree-related issues in their development projects.

UK

EORs: more distractions than solutions?

INSIGHT: Brexit has released environmental assessments from EU rules, leading to UK government plans for environmental outcomes reports. But will this result in a streamlined process, requiring more or less input from specialist consultants?

UK

BIP acquires net zero consultancy Verco Locked

Growth strategy for Italian-headquartered BIP will expand geographical coverage, focusing on the UK, France and Germany.

UK

UK to toughen regulation for ESG raters Locked

New watchdog has not been ruled out — but expanding the remit of the Financial Conduct Authority is considered more likely.

UK

Toolkit helps councils invest in net zero Locked

Eight councils have raised £6.4m through local climate bonds, with Westminster Council raising £1m from 484 investors in nine days.

UK

Environmental & sustainability consulting shifts gear in era of transformation

EA report finds accelerating market growth, supported by vibrant M&A scene and ratcheting green finance streams. The ‘Great Reshuffle’ has brought climate and sustainability factors to the forefront of client projects and investment programmes, as well as internal competitor strategies.

Global, UK

CGI invests in sustainability with net zero innovation lab Locked

Research areas for the consultancy-academia partnership will include climate mitigation and adaptation, natural capital, waste reduction and sustainable supply chain solutions.

UK

Waterman builds framework to drive circularity in construction Locked

Materials passports resolve ambiguities relating to the performance and warranties of used materials in the construction industry.

UK

Mixed policy messages confuse environmental sector Locked

Commitment to new oil fields overshadows the Energy Act, which was intended to create a hydrogen business model and introduce a licensing framework for CO2 transport and storage.

UK

Purpose-led firms are determined — and frustrated

Companies are eager to drive progress to net zero but are being hampered by inadequate policy support and finance, according to participants at the Blue Earth Summit.

UK

Ambition to action: advancing the practice of EIA in Scotland Locked

Scotland's new national planning framework provides a platform to address climate and biodiversity crises through environmental impact assessment, concluded the 2023 Scotland EIA conference.

Europe, UK

Unlocking the energy transition: top execs push against barriers Locked

A major, pre-COP28 global corporate attitude survey undertaken by AECOM dives deep into the factors motivating and blocking action on the energy transition at senior executive level.

Global, North America, UK

PwC advises global nature campaign for business Locked

Campaign to embed nature in organisational strategies aligns with the Global Biodiversity Framework launched at COP15 in 2022.

Europe, Global, UK

Online tool calculates climate impacts risk for investors Locked

Tool is enabled by satellite observation, open-access mapping and computer models able to forecast extreme climatic events.

Europe, Global, UK

Forest impacts still not featuring in CDP reporting Locked

Overall reporting to CDP increased, but only 1% of companies reported on all three areas — climate change, water security and deforestation.

Global, North America, UK

EFRAG partners with CDP to support ESRS take-up Locked

Companies will be able to access technical guidance to accelerate their compliance with EU sustainability reporting standards.

Europe, Global, UK

Infrastructure watchdog calls for consistent government policy Locked

A milestone report from the National Infrastructure Commission has strong words for the government on project overspend, policy u-turns and net zero apathy.

UK