26 Mar 2024

The European Commission has adopted its second strategic plan for Horizon Europe, of which the UK is again a part. Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion. It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness […]

26 Mar 2024

Energy & Utility Skills has launched its latest report Water Industry Workforce Resilience Research, and undertaken a “skills deep dive” into three key areas of the industry over the next decade. These are: Nature-based solutions Net zero and bioresources Artificial intelligence and data and digital skills This report supports the achievement of the industry’s Net […]

26 Mar 2024

Planet Tracker has released a report highlighting significant water-related risks faced by major fashion brands and retailers, including Adidas, Gap, H&M, Inditex, Levi Strauss, Nike, PVH Corp, Ralph Lauren and VF Corp. The report looks at increasing water stress in key manufacturing regions, and urges companies and investors to prioritise water risk management for long-term […]

20 Mar 2024

The government has (13 March 2024) responded to the Commission’s study on reducing the risks of surface water flooding, published in November 2022. While it accepts the principles behind a number of the Commission’s recommendations, the government’s response – in the Commission’s view – makes few new commitments on steps to manage surface water flood risk more actively, […]

20 Mar 2024

The UK’s plans for adapting to the effects of the climate crisis “fall far short” of what is required, the government’s statutory adviser has said. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has examined the national adaptation programme published by ministers last July, intended to set out how people, buildings and vital national infrastructure such as water, transport, energy […]

20 Mar 2024

Water companies in England and Wales have almost doubled their profits since 2019. During this parliament, which started in 2019, pre-tax profits at water companies have climbed by 82%, according to a Liberal Democrat analysis of Companies House data. It found that in 2022-23, England’s water firms made £1.7bn in pre-tax profits. This is up […]

20 Mar 2024

Will Hutton is a political economist, author and journalist. He is an Associate of the London School of Economics and Political Science and co-Chair of The Purposeful Company. He is also President of the Academy of Social Sciences and host of its podcast The We Society. CIWEM Policy Director Alastair Chisholm sat down with him to […]

20 Mar 2024

In a letter to the Defra Secretary, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee argues that green spaces should be a much higher priority, and calls for reforms and greater Government leadership to encourage more investment into and facilitation of green infrastructure. Read the letter published today Inquiry: Urban Green Spaces Environment, Food  and […]