© Photography by Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh Words by Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE (CAST Director) & Ruth Townend (PhD Researcher) As COP30 kicks off in Belém, Brazil, we take stock of the UK Government’s new carbon plan, signals from the UK’s…
What does the 2025 CCC Progress Report say about CAST’s ‘sticky issues’?
Words by Bella Zanin (Knowledge Exchange Associate) The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) Progress in reducing emissions – 2025 report to Parliament reveals that the UK is making progress on climate action, but the scale and pace of change are still…
A letter to those working on climate: Keep going, stay united
Words by Bella Zanin (Knowledge Exchange Associate) Environmental action is at risk of becoming the next battleground in the UK’s culture wars. But despite political noise and attempts to sow division, public support for tackling the climate and nature crisis…
Building a Net Zero future: CAST’s response to the CCC’s Seventh Carbon Budget Report
Words by Bella Zanin (Knowledge Exchange Associate) The CCC’s latest advice to the Government on how to achieve Net Zero in its Seventh Carbon Budget report shows that a future where the UK meets its climate targets, boosts economic resilience…
Starmer at COP29: Can the UK really cut emissions without behaviour change?
Words by Bella Zanin (Knowledge Exchange Associate) As the Government consults the Climate Change Committee on delivering the UK’s new emissions reduction target, CAST offers its perspective. While the goal is bold and necessary, Keir Starmer’s assertion that we can…
The 2024 UK election and the uncertain mandate for rapid climate action
Words by Dr Chantal Sullivan-Thomsett, Senior Research Associate After Labour’s landslide victory, there was an audible sigh of relief from many environmental advocates. E3G, for example, deemed it a ‘super strong mandate for ambitious climate action and green investment’, with…
4 ways social science can help us reach Net Zero, according to the CCC’s 2024 Progress Report
Words by Bella Zanin (Knowledge Exchange Associate) The UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) has just published its 2024 Progress Report to Parliament, which takes stock of the Government’s efforts to tackle climate change. In summary: we need to significantly increase…
CAST responds to the Prime Minister’s new approach to Net Zero: How will this impact the UK meeting its climate targets?
Words by Dr Dan Thorman, Professor Wouter Poortinga and Dr Katharine Steentjes CAST researchers respond to the Prime Minister’s ‘new approach’ to Net Zero and discuss how this announcement will impact the UK meeting its climate targets. The Government’s U-turn…
CAST supports the Climate Change Committee’s call for increased pace of change
Words by Dr Steve Westlake, CAST affiliate (prev. Knowledge Exchange Associate) The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has delivered another blunt assessment of the UK government’s climate track record, and it’s a very mixed picture. The CCC’s latest Progress Report states…
IPCC report delivers a stark warning but also a message of hope
Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). The AR6 Synthesis Report underscores the escalating severity of the climate crisis but also highlights the broad range of available policy measures that…