Adam Vaughan

Beans before beef: shoppers’ tastes adapt amid rising cost of meat Drought, Brexit and climate change have driven up the price of meat by £3.31 per kg in five years — which could have a silver lining for the nation’s health

The cost of meat in British supermarkets has risen sharply compared with plant-based alternatives, with @madrebrava.bsky.social research suggesting the widening “meat to beans gap” may be reshaping the nation’s diet

Story 👇
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Latest England biodiversity stats are flashing red
www.gov.uk/government/s...

Many birds and butterflies considered to be in "deteriorating" state

Bats one of the few bright spots, see story here for more:
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Labour stops short of ban on all wood-burning stoves Amid the push for cleaner air, manufacturers may no longer be able to sell some of the dirtiest stoves — but people who already own one won’t be affected

The dirtiest wood-burning stoves could no longer be sold under government plans to meet a tougher air pollution target.

However, the push for cleaner air will stop short of a blanket ban on new stove sales, as some campaigners have called for.

www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025

The UK government's plan for meeting all its legal environmental targets is out. Everything from how it'll meet air and water pollution goals to nature ones.

The revised Environmental Improvement Plan is here:
www.gov.uk/government/p...

Yes, we’ve been told. Film too apparently

National emergency briefing on climate change and biodiversity loss taking place in central London

@chrisgpackham.bsky.social says climate denialism “a mainstream thing again” amid a “dangerous wave of misinformation”

Audience of more circa 150 MPs and peers, Vince Cable and Jennifer Saunders here

UK chancellor Rachel Reeves promises average household enery bill will fall £150/yr from April 2026

The reduction will be funded by cutting the ECO energy efficiency scheme and the govt shouldering the cost of old renewable energy subsidies for three years (the RO). Both are levied on energy bills.

Michael Gove accuses Labour of ‘profound biodiversity mistake’ The former environment secretary has criticised the government over plans to exempt small plots from biodiversity net gain rules

Ministers are considering gutting a scheme to restore England’s habitats for wildlife, leading the former environment secretary Lord Gove to accuse Labour of a retreat on protecting nature.

Latest on biodiversity net gain here:
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

I hear via people at the conference centre that the fire is now under control.

But looks like huge number of people have been evacuated. I’ve asked UN how many and whether it will disrupt core negotiations.

YouTube video by AFP News Agency Fire breaks out in pavilion at COP30 climate talks: AFP journalists | AFP

There's a fire underway at #COP30 (a literal one, not a metaphorical one about climate change or state of talks).

I'm told delegates are being evacuated.

Video here
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-6G...

Water resources 2024 to 2025: analysis of the water industry’s annual water resources performance

From new EA report on water companies www.gov.uk/government/p...

Punchy language from the Environment Agency.

England can no longer take water for granted, the EA has warned after finding an average person's water use is "unacceptably high".

The regulator said household water efficiency should be a "national priority".

Sign of how intense drought worries are.

A cynic might say that non-negotiated deals at UN climate talks are great PR but to be taken with a huge pinch of salt...

Four years on from landmark pledge, has deforestation slowed? As countries prepare for the Cop30 climate conference in Brazil, we assess the world’s progress on an ambitious goal set at the 2021 talks in Glasgow

Here's the detail on deforestation
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Global Methane Status Report 2025 The 2025 Global Methane Status Report provides updates on global progress on methane mitigation and the remaining work needed to achieve the Global Methane Pledge, as well as the potential for further...

Four years ago a bunch of deals were made on the sidelines of the #COP26 climate summit in Glasgow

We already knew the deforestation one was off track

Today we've found out the methane one is too. The world is headed for an 8% cut in methane by 2030 versus promised 30% cut, @unep.org report says

The Story The flagship podcast from The Times and Sunday Times, with Manveen Rana, Luke Jones and William Hague. One remarkable story, told in depth, each day.

You can listen to Rachel Kyte direct on podcast here
www.thetimes.com/podcasts/the...

UK to reconsider paying into Brazil TFFF fund to protect the world's rainforests Britain’s climate envoy has said that the government will take a “fresh look” at paying into a new fund to protect the world’s rainforests, in a sign that a decision not to contribute could be reverse...

UK will take a "fresh look" at contributing to Brazil TFFF fund to protect the world's rainforests, says top climate envoy
www.linkedin.com/pulse/uk-rec...

Global CO2 emissions have hit another record high.

The glimmer of good news it there is now a “green club” of 35 countries including Britain that are cutting emissions while growing GDP. A decade ago there were just 18. And another 19 are on the verge of joining.

www.linkedin.com/pulse/global...

Anglesey chosen to host UK’s first ‘mini’ nuclear power stations Three small modular reactors will be built by Rolls-Royce at Wylfa, the site of a previous nuclear power station

Ministers have chosen the Welsh island of Anglesey as the location for the UK’s first “mini” nuclear power stations. Story:
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Environmental Improvement Plan also coming this year, Land Use Framework next year, Reynolds confirms

looks like this might just be my ignorance!

@richardfoxbc.bsky.social tells me that it's not unusual for Peacock and some other butterflies to be active at this time of year

Bonkers!

I saw a Peacock butterfly in the South Downs at the weekend.

Is anyone else in the UK seeing weird signs of a "second summer for nature" because of the mild weather?

E.g. flowers blooming again, insects that wouldn't normally be out in November.

Would love to hear your examples...

Ed Miliband: Cop30 will prove net zero doubters wrong The environment secretary has countered claims the world is turning its back on clean energy, which he says is vital for economic growth

International talks in Brazil to curb climate change will prove doubters wrong and show that most countries are shifting towards clean energy, UK energy secretary Ed Miliband has said

Story:
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

No countries sign up for Keir Starmer’s global clean power alliance The prime minister and President Lula of Brazil had set up the ‘inverse Opec’ at Cop29 to boost renewables

Not a single country has joined a global clean power alliance launched by Britain and Brazil a year ago

It was billed by Sir Keir Starmer as an “inverse Opec”, in a nod to the powerful cartel of Saudi Arabia and other major oil-producing countries

Story 👇
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

The EU NDC dropped about an hour ago on the UN website
unfccc.int/NDCREG?field...

Just in time for the COP30 leaders' summit tomorrow, to save the bloc's blushes...

Britain’s red-tailed bumblebees may have an unlikely saviour in solar farms Though intensive farming has ravaged its habitat, could sensitive planting at energy sites aid the species’ revival?

Britain’s red-tailed bumblebees may have an unlikely saviour in solar farms
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A quarter of Britain’s native plants are now at risk of extinction

The first update in two decades to a “red list” of plants found a substantial increase in the number of threatened species
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Is it just me who finds these range goals ridiculous? China one same (7-10%???).

EU countries agree weakened 2040 climate goal and target for COP30 The deal avoids the EU going empty handed to the COP30 climate summit starting on Nov. 10.

The EU has finally agreed an NDC ahead of COP30 (although it's not submitted it yet as the bloc only agreed it late last night!)

Goal of 66.25%-72.5% cut below 1990 levels until 2035

www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...