A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is warning that the challenge to keep global warming to 1.5C has become even greater due to a continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

The Climate Change Committee is warning that achieving the Government goal’s of a reliable, secure and decarbonised power system by 2035 is possible – but not at the current pace of delivery.

A new study published in Nature Communications by an international team of scientists shows that an irreversible loss of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, and a corresponding rapid acceleration of sea level rise, may be imminent if global temperature change cannot be stabilized below 1.8°C, relative to the preindustrial levels.

Chris Skidmore MP, Former Energy Minister and Chair of the Government’s Net Zero Review, is warning that more should be done to ensure the UK reaps the economic benefits of the opportunities offered by net zero.

The Met Ofice has confirmed that human induced climate change has driven 2022 as the UK’s hottest year on record, with an average temperature of over 10°C recorded for the first time.

In an Expert Focus article from AECOM, sustainability experts Ben Murray, Principal Sustainability Consultant and Alex McMahon Consultant, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, discuss the practical and regulatory challenges the UK water sector is facing in cutting capital and operational carbon while at the same time maintaining performance standards in the face of a changing climate. 

Steve Morris, Managing Director at wastewater technology specialists HUBER Technology, explores the key role optimisation of treatment processes can play in reducing energy costs, cutting carbon emissions and delivery on the step up in efficiency Ofwat is expecting to see from the water companies.