Philippa Nuttall

The EU Commission’s proposals may have found favour with many in business and industry, but sustainability-minded investors are worried At a glanceThis week, the first debate was held in the European parliament on the European Commission’s omnibus proposal to simplify EU sustainability due diligence and reporting rulesMany in business and industry are supportive of a reduced scope for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, though differences of opinion exist around how much SMEs should be covered by the lawInvestors are concerned about a mismatch between rules covering them and those aimed at companies, and are also looking to the review of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation for more clarity. They warn the uncertainty created by the omnibus could harm sustainability investment

In his latest book, author and academic Mike Berners-Lee calls for a ‘climate of truth’ from business, politicians and the media At a glanceAuthor and academic Mike Berners-Lee believes dishonesty about climate change and other challenges facing the world is behind the lack of progress in reducing emissions and tackling wider problems such as pollution and nature lossHe insists change is possible, but calls on everyone to be more truthful, and to call out the media, business and policymakers when they are being dishonestRegulation, in conjunction with high penalties and strict enforcement, is necessary to ensure business is delivering on environmental stewardship, he says

The latest edition of our Sustainable Views newsletter With the promise of 200 executive orders signed on day one and plenty more to come, Donald Trump has wasted no time kicking off his deregulatory bonanza, including on climate and energy. Investors seem largely unfazed, though there is a growing recognition lessons need to be learnt and things done differently if the transition is to continue.

Sultan al-Jaber, president-designate of COP28, has promised to make adapting and transforming food systems a priority at the climate talks in Dubai. Food systems create one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN, and the more frequent extreme weather that these emissions can cause also destroy harvests and affect food supplies around the world. So news of Jaber’s pledge was welcomed as “fantastic” by Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of the restaurant chain Leon and lead adviser…

Today’s enlightened consumers may shun plastic straws and avoid plastic bags — indeed, legislators give them no choice in many jurisdictions — but they are swimming against a mighty tide. Plastic’s cheapness, lightness and versatility make it economically irresistible, even though the environmental downsides are severe. According to the OECD, global plastic production reached 460mn tonnes in 2019. Of that, three-quarters ended up as waste — with most going into landfill, but 22mn tonnes leaking…

Cars were a novelty once; so were oil wells, plastic bottles and coal-fired power stations. Novelty wears off, though — and, as the industries concerned acquired global heft, the environmental downsides became ever clearer. But it is not only the giants of the fossil fuel era that must confront the loss of innocence that comes with scale. The huge increase in renewable energy in recent years — a doubling of capacity since 2013, with COP28 expected to produce a push for a tripling by 2030 — mean…

News, analysis and comment from the Financial Times, the worldʼs leading global business publication

Environmentalists say unified messaging and policy are vital for behavioural change

Alok Sharma likes to think of himself as a “green growth climate warrior” after nearly three years as president-designate, and then full-time president, of COP26. In a world of high emotion, he won a reputation as a calm and effective influence ahead of last year’s COP summit in Glasgow, and has retained it ever since. “Sharma was not known as a political heavyweight but he was willing to put in the countless hours, and air miles required to build the understanding and trust necessary to broke…

A letter signed by 500 leaders from around the world is calling for a 50-50 split of men and women in the COP27 leadership team