In this episode, you'll hear highlights from our recent "in conversation" event with Guy Shrubsole where he and our head of natural environment, Lydia Collas, discussed his latest book “The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside?”. The book examines some of the most dramatic failures of land stewardship in Britain’s recent history. B…

In this week's episode of the Green Alliance podcast, we dive into the UK’s evolving transport policy discussion with Green Alliance's head of climate, Nick Davies. The conversation covers recent developments on the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and the launch of the Integrated National Transport Strategy. Nick chats with experts including Mi…

In this episode, Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resources policy, sits down with Emily Carr, policy adviser, alongside members of Green Alliance’s Circular Economy Task Force, including our chair, Dr Colin Church, CEO of IOM3, Iain Gulland, CEO of Zero Waste Scotland, Harriet Lamb, CEO of WRAP, and Dr Adam Read, Director of External Affairs…

In this episode, Ruth Chambers, senior fellow, sits down with crossbench Peer Lord Krebs and Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife & Countryside Link, to discuss the third anniversary of the Environment Act. In this conversation, our guests reflect on the colossal team effort required to get the Act onto the statute book, the standout moment…

In this episode, Rosie Allen, policy adviser at Green Alliance, sits down with Liam Hardy, our senior policy analyst, and Jenniffer Pedraza, a research associate at Stockholm Environment Institute Research, to discuss the need to raise ambition on methane ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan (COP29). The convers…

The Green Alliance podcast is back with its fortnightly episodes for a six-episode series. In this episode, Green Alliance's head of politics, Holly Brazier Tope, reflects on the first 100 days of the new Labour government, marking a pivotal shift after over a decade of Conservative leadership. Holly first sits down with Chris Venables, director of…

In this episode, you’ll hear highlights from our recent “in conversation” event with Tom Heap where he and our executive director Shaun Spiers discussed his latest book “Land Smart: how to give people and nature the space to thrive”. This book examines why we need land and how to give both humanity and nature the space to thrive, and includes conve…

The actions taken over the next five years by the incoming Government will be make or break for the UK’s climate and nature targets – the stakes could not be higher. This podcast episode features highlights from the final event in our Election countdown series 'Election debrief – what now for the environment?' where we we analysed the results of th…

Nature underpins our economy, but this is not currently reflected in economic decision making. The Dasgupta Review, commissioned by the UK Treasury and published in 2021, sets out the strong case for changing our economic system to reflect that it does not exist outside of nature, but within it. It shows that, to prevent ongoing environmental destr…

In this episode, Steve Coulter, Green Alliance’s head of economy, speaks to experts about why the UK is crying out for a green industrial strategy.Industrial strategies are driving change around the world, in the US, EU and China, but the UK has yet to follow suit. Green industrial strategy is more than just switching from carbon to electric power,…

The benefits and challenges of participatory policy making are discussed with Stephen Frost, Co-Head of Participative Research and Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research. Many climate experts have expressed the need to bring people along in the transition to net zero, ensuring it is one of social justice. The use of p…

How can inclusive policy making change policy outcomes? When individuals’ power and privilege often correlate with emission outputs, it is important to consider those involved in environmental policy making. Involving the public in policy making that impacts them often leads to ‘better’ policy and less backlash, yet it isn’t something think tanks c…

Including those impacted by policy in the policy making process is not always a given. Green Alliance has been exploring how and why policy makers should be inclusive of the public, marginalised communities and communities that typically have not been sought out for engagement and implementation processes of environmental policy. The importance of …

Provisional figures from 2022 show a rise in transport emissions compared to the year previous. And while the transport system is already the largest emitting sector across the UK economy, this is a major obstacle for policymakers in their bid to reach net zero by 2050. In the last year, transport entered the political arena in a way not seen befor…

Inflation hit a 41 year high in 2022. This was largely driven by high gas prices due to the war in Ukraine. Although that gas price spike is dropping out of inflation now, inflation is nowhere near pre-war levels and neither are energy bills. What is the policy response? Interest rates are currently at a 15 year high, the highest they've been since…

The tax system is a major tool in the government’s arsenal when it comes to shaping the world we live in. It can be used to enforce policy aims, stimulate solutions to societal challenges and discourage adverse behaviours. However, the potential of the tax system to drive a green economy has barely been tapped into. As it stands, the UK tax system …

Reducing raw material consumption in the UK is essential to meeting climate targets. Circular businesses can offer a host of environmental benefits as well as saving money for consumers and bringing in just as much, if not more, profit than linear companies. Our report 'Ready steady grow: how the Treasury can mainstream circular business' looks at …

One of the biggest challenges for getting the UK to net zero is building enough grid infrastructure. This is also essential to improve energy security and bring down bills for households. Grid is repeatedly cited as one of the biggest blockers to fast decarbonisation. So what are the obstacles? Regen's new report 'Building a GB electricity network …

Air pollution is one of the most pressing issues faced by London today. Affecting both public health and the environment, improving air quality is essential to making the city a safer and more sustainable place to live. So how can this be achieved? Shirley Rodrigues, London's Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, is working to deliver an environ…

The UK has shown strong climate leadership by setting a 2030 phase out date for ICE vehicles. But how can the automotive manufacturing sector secure a thriving electric vehicle supply chain in the UK? In this episode, Emma McKelvie speaks with Ian Constance, chief executive of the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The APC provides funding and suppo…

The anticipated UK government's Energy Security Day on 30 March 2023 left much to be desired. While progress was made for heat pumps and the zero emission vehicles mandate, and the government seems to have abided by the High Court’s ruling, the UK's overall ambition to reduce emissions largely remained unchanged. In this special edition of the Gree…

Amidst a quickly evolving global political landscape, the scope of the green transition is constantly changing. Dr Nathalie Tocci is director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali and author of 'A Green and Global Europe', a book which affirms the inevitability of the green transition in Europe but sets out its complex social, economic and geopolit…

The new Labour Climate and Environment Forum (LCEF) launched in December 2022 with the aim of strengthening climate and environmental ambition across the labour movement. But how does the organisation plan to achieve its goals? LCEF’s debut report uses polling to show that Labour MPs are viewed more favourably by voters when talking about their sup…

In 2021, 95 per cent of global trade was moved by sea. If you look around you, it's likely that the nearby furniture, technology, or at least the parts that made them were at some point in a shipping container heading overseas. In comparison to other modes of transport, however, shipping is often overlooked when it comes to decarbonisation. The shi…

What's on parliament's transport agenda this year? As a cross party body, the transport select committee plays an important role in scrutinising the government's transport policy. Following the publication of Chris Skidmore MP's Net zero review, transport decarbonisation will be a key priority for the committee. But how does the committee work to h…