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, environment, social policy, science, and more. Browse 388 articles documenting progress made by communities, researchers, and organizations across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Efforts to rewild London’s rivers are yielding results, finds report
Sightings of kingfishers in the capital have increased by 450 per cent since 2000, thanks to significant river restoration projects.
London tree rental service solves a Christmas quandary
London Christmas Tree Rental delivers a real, pot-grown tree, lets customers enjoy it for a few weeks, then picks it up in January and takes it back to a farm, where the tree can continue to grow.
Homes in Scotland will be the world’s first to use 100% green hydrogen
Scotland’s gas SGN company will outfit some 300 homes in Fife with free hydrogen boilers, heaters, and cooking appliances. The effort is the largest attempt so far to test whether carbon-free hydrogen can help the U.K. meet its carbon goals.
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.
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.
Chatham House launches online tool to track circular economy trade flows
The tool is hosted by circulareconomy.earth – an online portal developed by Chatham House to enable users to “explore the policy and trade dynamics associated with transitioning from linear to circular economic models.”
Sunderland’s riverfront to house U.K.’s first carbon-neutral community
Designed to “reinvent the heart of Sunderland,” the masterplan design will include 1,000 new energy-efficient homes in four mixed-use residential neighborhoods for a population of 2,500.
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.
3 major U.K. retailers are banning glitter this Christmas over environmental concerns
Morrisons, Waitrose and John Lewis have all announced that their store brand holiday products will be glitter free for 2020, BBC News reported. The festive coating and arts-and-crafts staple is actually another type of microplastic.