When it comes to the climate crisis we seem to be bombarded with news on just how bad things are. Whether it’s in a national news programme or all over Twitter, it seems almost inescapable and can lead to eco-anxiety and the feeling that there’s nothing we can do. But there are good new stories that are easily missed, and here are 3 from the last week!
Switzerland are going Net Zero!
In a country famous for going neutral, a recent referendum on the country going net zero came back very positively with the aim of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. 59% of voters decided to strengthen the government’s Climate Protection Targets, Innovation and Strengthening Energy Security to drive net emissions down to zero and do what the can to limit their climate emergency impact.
As with anything with the words ‘Net Zero’, there was push back from the more nationalist opposition with predictions of energy price rises for the Swiss people. But a recent heatwave in the country that is dependent on its glaciers and mountainous landscape for tourism makes it all the more important that it cuts its emissions and does more to aid the natural environment.
Kingfisher Makes Huge Emissions Cuts!
You may not have heard of the company Kingfisher but you definitely would have heard of the brands like Screwfix and B&Q that it manages. The company is one of the few that have made science-backed pledges to cut emissions and make major improvements in their supply chain, and are well on course to achieve those targets.
Two years ahead of its target, Kingfisher have cut their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by more than half (52.6%) based on a 2016/17 baseline and by more than a third (34%) with their Scope 3 emissions which is only just below their 2025/26 target (40%). The company are also working with a number of environmental trusts and charities to reduce those net emissions even further.
If only more companies had the same drive to cutting emissions…
Bentley Driving with Solar!
And finally, one of the UKs biggest and most well-known car manufacturers is driving forward with solar powering its production line. Bentley’s Crewe headquarters and manufacturing facility had already been certified carbon neutral back in 2019, but they now want to increase the amount electricity they use coming from solar power sources.
By November 2023, the car giant will produce 10MW of electricity from the solar panels on the headquarters and manufacturing facility roofs – equalling abut 75% of their current electricity demand.
They don’t plan to stop there either, they want all business operations to be carbon-neutral by 2030, at which point they will also transition their entire vehicle portfolio to electric vehicles.
