Half of U.K. universities have committed to divest from fossil fuel
Seventy-eight of the U.K.’s 154 public universities have joined the divestment campaign, either divesting or pledging to divest hundreds of millions from the fossil fuel industry.
United Kingdom
Same-sex marriage now legal in Northern Ireland
From Monday, same-sex couples will be able to register to marry, meaning the first ceremonies will take place in February.
U.K. renewables outperform natural gas for first quarter ever
In the third quarter of 2019 renewable energy sources provided a record 38.9% of the country’s electricity — exceeding natural gas for the first time ever, which provided 38.8%.
Oxford City Council sets £19 million budget for climate crisis
Oxford City Council will set a Climate Emergency Budget that commits over £1 million additional operational funding and £18 million of capital investment to address the climate emergency.
Glasgow commits to being free of ‘unnecessary’ plastics by 2030
Glasgow has announced a new goal of completely eliminating all unnecessary plastics by the year 2030 and eliminate all single use plastics by 2022.
EasyJet becomes world’s first carbon-neutral airline by offsetting all emissions
EasyJet will begin to offset emissions from its 331 planes immediately. It will become the world’s first major airline to operate net zero carbon flights across their entire network.
New drugs improve late-stage melanoma survival rate in the U.K. from 5% to 52%
Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK and kills nearly 2,300 people each year. Doctors said this new intervention marked an extraordinary and rapid transformation in care.
Burger King removes plastic toys from kids’ meals in the U.K.
Burger King claims the initiative will save 320 tonnes of single use plastic every year. This move will help them reach their 2025 goal to make all packaging 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable.
Sainsbury’s to cut plastic packaging in half by 2025
The U.K. supermarket giant currently uses almost 120,000 tonnes of plastic packaging per year.
Iceland Supermarket’s ‘reverse vending machines’ reach one million plastic bottles recycled
Iceland supermarkets have recycled over one million plastic bottles in just over a year, thanks to a trial of ‘reverse vending machines’ in five of its U.K. stores.