James Murray

Absolutely. The problem is they may be about to move some of the cost into taxation, but then just cut spending on energy efficiency programmes. Truly chronic short termism in every way.

Rachel Reeves decides against cutting VAT on energy bills in Budget Chancellor expected to continue with support package for households, including easing of electricity costs

This would be the right decision, as there are better ways to cut energy bills that do not incentivise burning more gas. But after briefing a VAT cut on energy bills for so long, you have to ask what the hell is going on in there? www.ft.com/content/82f0...

All this, plus fuel duty revenues are actually already falling as sales of new petrol and diesel cars start to fall. Surreal that the government does not want to claw some of this back.

beginning to believe I would actually vote for a dead pigeon on a stick if it just promised to restore the fuel duty escalator

Why Tech Sucks – Cory Doctorow on Enshittification and how to fix it Spotify video

Tried to feel optimistic while listening to the potential solutions to enshittification, but can’t help feeling we’re so fucked. Fascinating conversation though.
open.spotify.com/episode/0pK9...

Brilliant thecritic.co.uk/auntie-in-th...

'Proudly built right here in the UK': Nissan LEAF becomes latest EV to qualify for £3,750 grant Sunderland-manufactured EV secures maximum grant through government scheme, with nearly 40 models are now eligible for discounts

Nissan Leaf qualifies for Electric Car Grant scheme. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522334...

British International Investment commits $150m to transition finance in Africa UK government-owned international development investor to provide capital and assistance to help FirstRand establish new transition finance facility

UK government pumps $150m into African transition finance projects.
www.businessgreen.com/news/4522330...

A third runway, but only for electric planes The government insists airport expansion can be made compatible with climate goals, but how would you go about proving that will be the case?

Want to make a Heathrow third runway compatible with climate goals? There's an obvious solution... www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/44...

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

Co-op and Podback launch coffee pod recycling trial Latest partnership brings Podback’s network of drop-off points to 1,100 retail locations

Coffee pod recycling news... www.businessgreen.com/news/4522306...

'Perfect storm': RSPB and Wildlife Trusts warn Budget could push nature into 'freefall' Conservation groups warn Planning and Infrastructure Bill and proposals to water down Biodiversity Net Gain scheme are set to badly undermine Labour's pre-election promises to drive nature recovery ef...

There's real concern this Budget could be very bad for nature (and do little to actually deliver more homes) www.businessgreen.com/news/4522276...

COP30: Five key takeaways for business from the Belém Climate Summit Many businesses wanted a more ambitious climate deal in Brazil, but COP30 still delivered important progress and market signals on a number of fronts

From this excellent round up from @michaelholder.bsky.social www.businessgreen.com/analysis/452...

If it hadn't been overshadowed by the row over the proposed roadmaps, this would have been quite a strong signal from the COP30 agreement. Also underscores the self-harming nature of those governments that want to restrict planning for a transition they acknowledge is inevitable.

I think that’s true of some of them. But lots of them were true believers who genuinely thought it was the right thing for the country. They must be mortified by now, or at least have some self doubt, and yet…

Trump's Vendetta Against Wind Is Gutting Jobs and Raising Prices

President Donald Trump’s bizarre war on offshore wind is getting worse — and it’s screwing workers and anyone who uses electricity.

And still not a single mea culpa from the architects, many of whom continue to be regarded as sages by much of the press.

Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.

“I would never ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way”

Nigel Farage responds to allegations of racist behaviour from when he was a teenager at school

@itvnewspolitics.bsky.social

Yup. Nothing wrong with being a broad church, but it has to be a church. There have to be some shared moral values and fundamental beliefs and it is increasingly hard to see what those are.

Still no better heuristic for revealing a politician or public figure's deep unseriousness than checking whether or not they are a climate sceptic.

The so-called “Global Warming Policy Foundation”, generally recognised as a #ClimateDenial lobby group, has Lord #Glasman giving its annual lecture…..

BusinessGreen Spotlight on Climate Diplomacy: What your business needs to know about the COP30 Climate Summit This interactive webinar will follow the close of the COP30 Climate Summit and will bring together experts in international diplomacy and climate politics to provide strategic insight on how business ...

If you want to hear more about the business implications from COP30, you can still sign up to our latest Spotlight webinar tomorrow.

webinars.businessgreen.com/what-your-bu...

We saw it with big tobacco, we saw it with the fossil fuels industry. When their own internal research showed the harm from their product, the defunded the research and attacked independent researchers coming to the very same conclusions.
#ScienceUnderSiege

My favourite moment during the Brexit negotiations was when David Davis went to the press to complain that none of the EU member states would agree to negotiate trade deals with Britain on a one-on-one basis and would only do so as a bloc – as though they were in some sort of union.

The Beaver Trust is advertising for a new Chief Executive. Not easy finding a link to the job advert other than via Facebook, but here’s the link to the recruitment pack. Closing date for applications is 10th December. #wildlife #beaver #speciesreintroduction beavertrust.org/wp-content/u...

Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen

Fifth?

It is also very hard to see how you get anywhere close to legally binding nature targets without a healthy BNG regime or something very like it. And given it is up and running and showing real signs of working it would be very bizarre to try and start over with something else.

The quid pro quo for easing planning restrictions is meant to be that you get better nature protection and restoration elsewhere. But smashing up the pipeline for the BNG market would badly undermine hundreds, if not thousands, of conservation projects.