Written by EIC Director Matthew Farrow Nearly 20 years ago, in the 1989 European elections, the Green Party won 14% of the vote. At the time many felt that this heralded the start of the environment becoming a permanent fixture in British politics, but in fact it was something of a high watermark for the
One of the many government strategies promised to us over the past year has been a Waste & Resources Strategy. Only a year ago many EIC members in this field were bemoaning the lack of government leadership in this field, yet now we have an assortment of resources-related targets in the 25 Year Environmental Plan
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone will expand out to the North and South Circular roads from 25 October 2021, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed today (8 June). The ULEZ is to be introduced into central London from early 2019, before expanding out to the North and South Circulars in 2021 – and
Environmental leaders, innovators and experts across various sectors including water, air pollution and energy management gathered at an inaugural event aimed at understanding how places around the world can do ‘more for less’ and meet environmental obligations in a cost effective way. The Smartly Sustainable: Using Smart Technology to do 'more for less event which
Government strategies, white papers and even reshuffles come and go, but one constant is a desire to encourage innovation in UK business, says Matthew Farrow. Ever since Harold Wilson talked of “the white heat of technology”, politicians of all persuasions, in good economic times and bad, have eulogised innovation and pledged to increase it. Here at
The creation of a new body to hold the government to account on environmental issues is significant and could have implications for decades to come, says Matthew Farrow. I’ve been lucky enough (or unlucky enough, depending on your view!) to work with many ministers over the years in my career at different trade associations. While
One of the driving ideas at the heart of Theresa May’s vision for Britain is the rebirth of a term that since the 1970s has been rarely uttered by those in government – industrial strategy. Backed by the creation of a new department, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and championed by its
We are all familiar with the antiseptic conformity of future cityscapes as presented in thousands of magazine illustrations and slide presentations on smart city topics. The sky is always blue so the air looks pure, the water sparkles, the grass is green and there is nothing as vulgar as residual waste anywhere to be seen.