General

The UK said it will cut its overseas aid budget in a new blow to vulnerable nations. The move will make it more difficult for the government to deliver on a promise to increase climate finance to developing countries, analysts have warned. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to slash the UK aid … Read more

Neshwin Rodrigues and Duttatreya Das are energy analysts at Ember High cost of capital is a major barrier to the rollout of renewable energy across the Global South. The Alliance of Small Island States has highlighted this repeatedly, and last year the International Energy Agency (IEA) concluded that across a range of developing and emerging … Read more

At the first board meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) since President Donald Trump cancelled $4 billion in US pledges to it, countries sparred this week over who should plug the gap. Board members representing Germany and Sweden encouraged governments outside the GCF’s existing contributor base – such as high-income developing nations – to … Read more

Steve Edwards is head of biodiversity at South Pole.  The 16th United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Colombia late last year underscored an urgent truth: global efforts to halt biodiversity loss remain inadequate.   While many hoped the event would catalyse clear and enforceable pathways for nature protection, the outcomes fell short, marked … Read more

[ high temperatures forecast over the North Pole, click on images to enlarge ] The above image shows a temperature forecast for February 2, 2025 18z, run January 30, 2025 12Z.  The green color indicates temperatures above freezing point. The image below shows the temperature anomaly compared to 1979-2000, with the light pink color over … Read more

The 2024 global average surface temperature was 1.55°C above the 1850-1900 average, according to WMO’s consolidated analysis of six datasets.  [ click on images to enlarge ] Differences between datasets are mainly due to the ways temperatures are measured, e.g. ERA5 measures the temperature of the air above oceans, whereas NASA and NOAA measure the surface … Read more

Antarctic sea ice [ Antarctic sea ice, click on images to enlarge ] The above images, adapted from University of Bremen and ClimateReanalyzer.org, illustrate the decline in thickness (in cm) and of Antarctic sea ice between August 27, 2024, and January 9, 2025, and the sea ice concentration on January 9, 2025. The compilation image below shows … Read more

The title intrigued me – Did curiosity kill the cat or is it a vital skill to have in our ever-changing world?  The first speaker, Dawn Austwick (Chief Executive, National Lottery Community Fund) delved into where the phrase came from, that plagued many of us as children when asking too many questions of parents and teachers. Dawn … Read more

Making do, sustainability and living a simpler life July 12th is National Simplicity Day – a day to put technology away and get back to basics; reflect on the simpler things in life.  Claire reflects on how we can be more positive about sustainability and more aware of the benefits of living a more frugal life: I … Read more

At Solutions for the Planet we support the right to repair Why? · One study showed that between 2004 and 2012, the proportion of major household appliances that died within five years rose from 3.5% to 8.3%. · An analysis of junked washing machines at a recycling centre showed that more than 10% were less … Read more