World’s 3rd-largest grocery chain eliminates 20 million single-use plastic wrappings
The U.K.’s Tesco has switched to recycled cardboard for packaging of holiday lights, crackers, pudding, cards, and more.
United Kingdom
This archive gathers solutions-journalism stories and milestones from the United Kingdom — covering health, climate, policy, and social progress. Each entry highlights real, reported advances from across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
United Kingdom moves up ban on petrol and diesel cars to 2030
The U.K. government initially announced the ban in 2017 with a deadline of 2040. The deadline was met with criticism. Experts warned that the 2040 deadline was too late, and the UK would not achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
New HIV diagnoses in British gay and bisexual men hits 20-year-low
A new report shows that there were 1,700 new HIV diagnoses in gay and bisexual men in 2000. In 2019, new HIV diagnoses stood at 1,500. HIV transmission has fallen by 80% between 2011 when there was an estimated peak of 2,700 cases and 2019 when there was an estimated 540.
After 45 years the gray wolf has successfully been lifted off the U.S. endangered species list
Numbers of gray wolves have soared over the last four decades—from under a hundred refugees hiding out in northeastern Minnesota and Michigan’s upper peninsula to around 6,000 individuals.
Prince William launches £50 million prize to find innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems
The Earthshot Prize is centered around five “Earthshots,” simple but ambitious goals for our planet: 1) Protect and restore nature, 2) Clean our air, 3) Revive our oceans, 4) Build a waste-free world, and 5) Fix our climate.
U.K. pledges to get 100% of residential power power from wind turbines by 2030
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the U.K. would invest about £160 million ($207 million) that will go toward factories that would develop new turbines as well as floating offshore turbines themselves.
University of Cambridge drops its $4.5 billion endowments from fossil fuels
The university will divest from conventional energy by the end of the year, build “significant investments” in renewable energy by 2025, divest from remaining fossil fuels by 2035, and become net-zero across its portfolio by 2038.
Scientists create a ‘super enzyme’ that breaks down plastic six times faster
The super enzyme could have major benefits for recycling PET, which is the most common thermoplastic used in single-use drinks bottles and clothing. PET takes hundreds of years to degrade in the environment.
Up to 48 species saved from extinction by conservation efforts, study finds
The Iberian lynx, California condor and pygmy hog are among animals that would have disappeared without reintroduction programmes, zoo-based conservation and formal legal protections since 1993, research led by scientists at Newcastle University and BirdLife International found.
Uber to go 50% electric in 7 European capitals by 2025
The world’s largest mobility platform pledged to clean up its act in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris in response to the #TrueCostOfUber campaign, which urged it to ditch dirty vehicles and replace them with electric cars.