Research
World needs to stabilise population and cut consumption, says Royal Society of London
World population needs to be stabilised quickly and high consumption in rich countries rapidly reduced to avoid “a downward spiral of economic and environmental ills”, warns a major report from the Royal Society of London. The assessment of humanity’s prospects in the next 100 years, which has taken 21 months to complete, argues strongly that to achieve long and healthy lives for all 9 billion people expected to be living in 2050, the twin issues of population and consumption must be pushed to the top of political and economic agendas. Both issues have been largely ignored by politicians and played down by environment and development groups for 20 years, the report says.
The Guardian p17 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/26/earth-population-consumption-disasters?newsfeed=true
Consumers
M&S and Unilever want bolder tactics to tackle consumer waste
Marks & Spencer and Unilever have called for more creative thinking around alternative business models to influence consumer behaviour on waste reduction. During an online debate yesterday on Unilever’s sustainable living lab, M&S’ head of sustainable business Mike Barry and Unilever’s global packaging sustainability director Louis Lindenberg said that radical change was needed to drive more sustainable consumption.
Environment
High carbon ‘trap’ could ignite six degrees rise – WWF
The world is at risk of being “locked-in” to high carbon infrastructure for decades to come – unless major investment in renewables is made, WWF has warned. At a press conference held yesterday, as part of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), WWF said that decarbonising energy systems and implementing renewable forms of energy is an “absolute necessity”. Addressing ministers from the UK, Denmark and Germany at the Foreign Office in London, WWF-International leader of the global climate and energy initiative Samantha Smith warned that failure to invest urgently in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies could lock the world into temperature increases of up to six degrees – making large areas uninhabitable.
Edie http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=22328&title=VIDEO%3A+High+carbon+%27trap%27+could+ignite+6+degrees+rise+-+WWF
UK Government aims to ignite biomass industry with new strategy
Accelerating the use of biomass to power homes, businesses, and transport could build a sector capable of supplying 11% of all UK energy by the end of the decade, according to a new government strategy to be released today. The government committed to producing a new Bioenergy Strategy when releasing its Renewables Roadmap last year, a document that claimed burning wood, waste or agricultural residues could contribute up to 6GW of electricity, more than double the current level, and 50 terawatt hours (TWh) of heat by 2020.
Business Green http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2170330/uk-aims-ignite-biomass-industry-strategy
Diversity
UK in recession, but some female business owners are weathering the economic storm
While GDP data yesterday suggested the UK is back in recession, a new study bucked the gloomy trend and revealed that female entrepreneurs are weathering the economic storm. Women’s business start-ups have proved resilient in hard times. An Ipsos Mori survey of 1,000 self-employed women and those who owned businesses found that confidence is still high with 84% expecting growth or stability for the next three years.
The Independent p13 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/uk-in-recession-but-some-people-are-weathering-the-economic-storm-7679173.html?origin=internalSearch
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