What's on parliament's transport agenda this year? As a cross party body, the transport select committee plays an important role in scrutinising the government's transport policy. Following the publication of Chris Skidmore MP's Net zero review , transport decarbonisation will be a key priority for the committee. But how does the committee work to hold the government to account? In this episode Alice Watson sits down with Iain Stewart MP, newly elected chair of the transport committee, to unders...
Feb 02, 2023•15 min•Ep. 96
Rising prices and falling wages are driving the cost of living crisis, making it harder for people to heat their homes and travel to work or appointments. By the end of 2022, more than 6 million UK households were living in fuel poverty while increasing public transport and petrol prices drove many households into transport poverty. This comes at a time when the UK urgently needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions to reach net zero. Transport is responsible for more of the UK's greenhouse gas emiss...
Jan 19, 2023•22 min•Ep. 95
What is the role of business in halting and reversing the decline of nature? At COP15 and COP27 this year, the interests of the private sector at these summits came under some scrutiny. There are concerns about large corporations having an outsize influence on international environmental agreements. To better understand the intention of businesses at summits like COP15, Jim Elliott speaks to Melissa Miners , global sustainability senior manager at Unilever. Ahead of travelling to Montreal to att...
Dec 19, 2022•15 min•Ep. 94
COP15 is a long awaited global moment for biodiversity. Countries around the world are joining together to agree on a new set of nature targets for the next decade. After two years of delay due to COVID-19, there is hope that COP15 will see meaningful action taken to end biodiversity loss. In this episode, Lydia Collas speaks to Patrick Greenfield , a reporter for The Guardian , who is in Montreal at COP15. Patrick provides an insight into the atmosphere on the ground and explains why we need a ...
Dec 15, 2022•23 min•Ep. 93
The cost of energy has soared over the past year. As well as protecting consumers and industry from the higher energy bills, the UK government must address the root causes of the problem: the global price of gas. The current electricity market is designed for a commodity based system which reflects the fluctuating price of gas. However, as renewables make up a bigger proportion of our electricity system, a new approach is needed. One solution to bring down energy costs is to reform electricity m...
Oct 27, 2022•34 min•Ep. 92
Electrical waste (ewaste) is the fastest growing waste stream in the world. The UK is the second highest producer of ewaste globally, throwing away 350,000 tonnes of electricals a year. From smartphones to single use vapes, disposable culture is contributing to an increasing environmental problem. It is estimated that 1.3 million vapes are thrown away each week in the UK. Aside from these environmental concerns, ewaste is a barrier to digital inclusion. Ten million people in the UK are digitally...
Oct 19, 2022•25 min•Ep. 91
As part of its Net zero strategy and transport decarbonisation plans, the UK government is seeking to introduce a new zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate soon to boost the electric vehicle market. Ambitious targets are essential to achieve climate goals while also attracting new investment and securing market share to make the most of the UK’s transition to electric vehicles. Leading the world on a ZEV mandate is California which first implemented a ‘ZEV requirement’ over 30 years ago, in 1990,...
Oct 13, 2022•29 min•Ep. 90
The urgent need to tackle the climate and nature emergency is changing how we manage land, leading to new farming practices, more tree planting and the restoration of natural habitats. But private investment in these changes can be controversial, with some local communities worried that change is being imposed on them by corporations. In this episode, we discuss two approaches which seek to avoid this by giving local communities a more active role in the decisions made about the land around them...
Sep 29, 2022•38 min•Ep. 89
Since World War Two, farming has been synonymous with growing as much food as possible. In wealthy countries, this has led to overabundance which is driving environmental and human health problems. We now know we need land to provide more than just food. As well as producing healthy and sustainable food, farmers must be empowered to rise to the challenge of offering restored habitats, carbon removal, wood for construction and land that soaks up floodwater and stores it through droughts. This wil...
Sep 01, 2022•28 min•Ep. 88
People are bracing themselves for extraordinary energy bills this winter, driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our homes are notoriously bad at keeping in heat and upgrading their insulation is a way to permanently reduce energy use. Although there will be savings in energy bills over the medium term, the upfront costs of upgrading a home’s energy efficiency can be significant. Support is available for lower income households through targeted government schemes like ECO, but the Climate Ch...
Aug 18, 2022•16 min•Ep. 87
The UK was the first major economy in the world to commit to a legally binding target to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. However, transport is devolved and the approach to delivering net zero has varied between the countries of the UK. Road infrastructure investment increases traffic, exacerbating congestion and air pollution, resulting in higher levels of operational and embedded carbon. The UK government has an ambitious policy package to support vehicle electrification...
Jun 22, 2022•26 min•Ep. 86
The government’s net zero carbon goal can’t be achieved by central government alone, local authorities are essential partners in the bringing about the changes needed. Local leaders around the country, from district councils to metro mayors, are leading the way. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has set its net zero target 12 years ahead of the national target, aiming for 2038. In this episode, Green Alliance’s political adviser Robbie MacPherson spoke to Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater M...
May 06, 2022•18 min•Ep. 85
“We’re not on track to achieve what governments have agreed” warns Nick Eyre, professor of energy and climate policy at Oxford University and one of the authors of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report. In this episode, Caterina Brandmayr, head of climate policy at Green Alliance, speaks to Nick about the importance of the report’s findings and what it tells us about how to cut emissions and the extent to which the UK has made progress in meeting its own t...
Apr 20, 2022•16 min•Ep. 84
Achieving net zero means changing how we travel. That means switching from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric cars, walking and cycling for shorter journeys and flying less. But how we move cargo in a net zero world is not the same question as how we move people. Innovation in transport need not be limited to speed and efficiency. Understanding more about what motivates us and how we perceive the world around us could enable changes to the transport system that make behaviour change possible...
Apr 05, 2022•20 min•Ep. 83
In 2021, the UK hosted the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow and the government published its net zero strategy, setting out how it will meet its target for net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But in 2022, with inflation at a 30 year high, gas prices rising and the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis is at the top of the political agenda. Some voices are calling for more North Sea oil and gas production, while others are urging the government to take another look at fracking. There has be...
Mar 22, 2022•19 min•Ep. 82
Unlike nuclear fission, which has been part of our energy mix for decades, we’re on the cusp of a nuclear fusion breakthrough. Nuclear fusion is the same energy process that powers the stars, and could lead to boundless energy capacity in the future. In this fascinating chat between Green Alliance senior policy adviser Helena Bennett and Melanie Windridge , we learn about how fusion works and how in the years ahead it could become commercially viable for the first time. Melanie is a specialist i...
Feb 23, 2022•19 min•Ep. 81
Along with flying and agriculture, steelmaking is firmly in the tricky box when it comes to the low carbon transition. Steelmaking was at the heart of Britain's industrial revolution and is still used in everything from bridges to fridges. Most of the UK’s steel production is very carbon intensive, still relying on coal and a chemical reaction with carbon dioxide as an unavoidable by-product. But new technologies are emerging and buyers are starting to demand greener steel. In this wide ranging ...
Feb 08, 2022•25 min•Ep. 80
Veganuary is an annual challenge that urges people to go vegan for the month of January. Since it started in 2014, the number of people taking on the challenge has skyrocketed. In 2022, over 600,000 signed up. There are many good reasons to consider eating more plant-based food and cutting back on meat and dairy. Animal agriculture drives deforestation that exacerbates climate change, while the methane produced by cows and other animals is a potent greenhouse gas emission. There are also concern...
Jan 25, 2022•15 min•Ep. 79
For nearly three decades, the United Nations has brought together world leaders, negotiators, government representatives, businesses, and citizens for global climate summits called COPs to track progress in tackling climate change. Back in 2015, world leaders signed the Paris Agreement, aiming to limit global temperature rises as close as possible to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels and avoid the most severe impacts of the climate crisis. Last year, it was the UK’s turn to host the summit...
Jan 11, 2022•19 min•Ep. 78
As the single biggest source of UK carbon emissions, the transport sector is critical to getting the UK on track for net zero by 2050. Getting more people using public transport is a vital part of this transition. But, a new report by the Centre for Cities, finds that just investing in better public transport isn’t enough. Our urban areas are less dense than comparable cities in Europe, making public transport less accessible and efficient. Zoe Avison, policy analyst at Green Alliance, spoke to ...
Nov 30, 2021•18 min•Ep. 77
As the UK hosts COP26 in Glasgow, climate and environmental policy in the UK has never been a hotter topic. The UK government has finally published the long-awaited plan for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while the London media has relocated to Glasgow for the climate conference. The prime minister’s slogan of “coal, car, cash and trees” has resulted in a focus on electric vehicles, climate finance and clean power generation at COP26. But precious little attention has been paid to t...
Nov 02, 2021•26 min•Ep. 76
At the Labour Party conference in September 2021, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves declared she wanted to be Britain's first 'green chancellor'. However, the current chancellor has the reins of the economy and could quickly put himself in pole position in the race to be green chancellor. In this episode, Sam Alvis, Green Alliance’s head of green renewal, speaks to leading economist Dr Matthew Agarwala, of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, about what it will t...
Oct 18, 2021•21 min•Ep. 75
Green Alliance’s senior political adviser, Joe Tetlow, speaks to Conservative backbench MP Bim Afolami. With the chancellor’s spending review due in late October 2021 and the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021, the government is under pressure to set out how it will get the country to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. They discuss what needs to happen to achieve 100 per cent clean power by 2035 and whether there’s too much focus on red wall seats in the Midlands and the North....
Oct 04, 2021•19 min•Ep. 74
Shaun Spiers speaks to Hilary Benn MP about the IPPR Environmental Justice Commission’s recent findings. The discussion covers green jobs, how the UK can meet its climate targets and create a fairer economy, and Labour’s role in the net zero debate. Hilary Benn co-chairs IPPR’s Environmental Justice Commission, established in May 2019, which has focused on addressing the climate crisis and restoring nature, as well as creating jobs and a fairer society. After two years of work and four citizens’...
Sep 21, 2021•25 min•Ep. 73
Our head of resources Libby Peake spends a lot of time thinking about plastic. But she also knows that – we need to be thinking about more than just plastic. Everyone knows that the world has a problem with plastic pollution. People are right to be concerned and demand that we protect ecosystems and human and animal health from what has been described as a “global scourge”. But in searching for solutions we surely don’t want to store up future problems. There is a cautionary tale from the invent...
Aug 23, 2021•25 min•Ep. 72
As the UK prepares to host the COP26 conference in Glasgow later this year, UK politics on net zero is looking increasingly difficult and divided. The consensus that net zero should be a political and spending priority of the government is beginning to fray at the seams, from the backbenches to the very top. How we heat our homes in a net zero economy is seen as one of the most politically difficult challenges ahead. Along with a bunch of other government strategies, the Heat and Buildings Strat...
Aug 11, 2021•17 min•Ep. 71
The government commissioned Henry Dimbleby, founder the Leon restaurant chain, to conduct a review of our food system. Part one of this National Food Strategy review was published last May with a focus on food inequality. Part two was published this summer and contained recommendations such as guaranteeing funding for farmers, and the development of a rural land use framework to advise on the best use of different areas of land. Our strategy director Belinda Gordon spoke to Henry to find out mor...
Jul 27, 2021•30 min•Ep. 70
Jul 13, 2021•18 min•Ep. 69
You can also watch the event on YouTube or listen to the podcast from our previous event on racism in the environment sector here .
Jul 08, 2021•31 min•Ep. 68
If you want to learn more about Green Alliance’s work on green jobs, read our report on how the government can unlock thousands of green jobs across many regions of the UK. You can also explore Public First research , commissioned by Green Alliance, into what people think about green jobs.
Jun 28, 2021•26 min•Ep. 67
