Michelle You

Today our CEO, Neil Spann signed an open letter to Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak calling for policies to accelerate UK ClimateTech to be prioritised under the next government. The letter was written by Startup Coalition and ClimateImpact and signed by over 180 ClimateTech leaders. Whoever wins on 4th July must prioritise ClimateTech innovation - it is an environmental and economic imperative. #climatechange #netzero #lowcarbon #greenenergy #solarenergy

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After attending the #innovationzero for the past couple of days I'm full of ideas and actions to take. Some of my key take-aways include: 🌍 oceans can store 28 times more carbon than land and atmosphere combined providing enormous opportunities to be explored 🌏 we need to take circularity to a next level and ensure we minimise and eventually completely stop using virgin materials and Rubbish Ideas and Excess Materials Exchange are already doing some great work in that area. One of the key arguments that really stuck with me made by Connor Bryant was that, even though recycled materials are currently more expensive than virgin materials, making such comparison is completely unfair, because we need to account for the fact that over the past decades massive investments went into extraction infrastructure rather than recycling infrastructure 🌍 Great perspectives form National Grid on how grid will have to accommodate the changing demands, enable more flexibility by tapping into domestic flexibility, maximise its capacity and be more functional to enable the energy transition 🌎 it was encouraging to learn that the finance industry, even though it may still not be where it should, it is recognising its key role in making finances available not only for innovations but also nature restoration projects. Pensions and insurances were highlighted by multiple people as a key areas where individuals and organisations can take to put pressure on the financial organisations to transfer their funds into more sustainable projects. 🌎 As we all know really well, collaboration will be key to enable all of this! 🌏 Last but not least, super exciting announcement from Planet Mark - we've launched a Net Zero Business Census to set a baseline of where all UK businesses are at the moment and to measure the progress on annual basis.

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How much do households spend per retrofit? Average retrofit spend per household is not proportionate across tenure, according to a report by the National Retrofit Hub (link in comments). This suggests energy performance uplift varies by tenure. Here’s the data: Private rental: £𝟮,𝟲𝟬𝟬/𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 Delivery data difficult to access, but annual spend illustrates less effective intervention install compared to other tenures. -> Improved measurement & more comprehensive retrofit required. Social housing: £𝟯𝟭,𝟮𝟬𝟬/𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 Higher spend likely related to transparency of data and grant funding terms for energy performance uplift. -> Delivery acceleration, efficiency & cost reduction required. Owner occupied: £𝟴,𝟰𝟬𝟬/𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 Delivery data difficult to access, but annual spend indicates less effective intervention install compared to social housing. -> Improved measurement & more comprehensive retrofit required. What are your thoughts on why retrofit spend varies across tenure? How does spend reflect the state of retrofit in each tenure? Are there any challenges or opportunities not captured by the spend data? #retrofit #renovation #refurbishment #epc #energyperformance #energyefficiency #fuelpoverty #homeimprovement #housing #energybills #costofliving #retrofitdata Image Credit: National Retrofit Hub

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Answering a very valid FAQ about whether there is enough data to fulfill the urgent need for immediate, widespread carbon accounting. Got to start here in order to get the specificity we need in the near future (aka yesterday).

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Join us on Thursday to discuss all things ITMOs and carbon ratings. I'm excited to be discussing this topic with Axel Michaelowa and Alexandra Soezer ahead of what's shaping up to be an exciting #cop29 in Baku! #carbonmarkets #carbonratings #parisagreement #article6

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🍑 At Zevero we've helped JUBEL measure their emissions for the last three years, their impact report is a signal of how seriously they take climate action. The best companies tell a great story about their brand, why they exist, why their product is great and what they care about. JUBEL is a perfect example of a company that puts climate directly into the things they care about. In a busy year with rampant inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, emission targets haven't quite been met, but that's only driven the team's ambition even more. The power of data and continuous tracking is that JUBEL can make changes and see the impact in weeks/months and not at the end of every year. Great work as ever, Andy, for driving everything forward, and Jesse Wilson, for building a business that promotes transparency and action (and makes bloody good beer). 🌱 Check out the impact report below.

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Why yesterday's #SBTi announcement is an absolute pity 😵‍💫 for the Sustainable Fuel and Carbon Removal market and there is an immediate need for clearer guidance... My thoughts and market understanding in the following: The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has taken on the monumental task of guiding corporate climate action, but SBTi's recent announcements have left much to be desired. While the complexity of their mission is undeniable, the direction they've chosen lacks the clarity and boldness required to drive meaningful change. The heart of climate action lies in substantial emissions reductions, with insetting via sustainable fuels (#SAF, #HVO, #SMF, #hydrogen, #biogas) and carbon removal playing a vital supporting role. Companies, particularly those grappling with #Scope3 emissions, e.g. from #business #travel or #logistics, over which they have little control, need responsible avenues to invest in the planet's future including #CO2 reduction through insetting through environmentally efficient #BookAndClaim systems and high-quality carbon removal. Today, on #EarthOvershootDay, more daring than ever! The SBTi's lengthy timelines and vague guidance, however, *visibly* hinder corporate investments though actually willing. The recent documents largely summarize ongoing debates with a substantial delay due to the long process of academia which is at odds with the speed in which the #VCM is developing, offering little new insight and posing challenges for companies seeking clarity. Many of the risks identified by the SBTi are now manageable with existing tools and data, such as carbon credit ratings and continuous precise monitoring, reporting, and verification technologies as well as market ready frameworks for insetting that help distinguish quality. The #IPCC's projection that we may need up to 10 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide removal (#CDR) annually to address residual emissions highlights the critical need for robust guidelines on how to use these credits so that corporates and the public sector have a clear pathway on what they can do with carbon removal and insetting. However, without full endorsement from SBTi, these concepts still largely remain theoretical rather than actionable, which is a missed opportunity in our urgent fight against climate change. Ultimately, while the SBTi has played a pivotal role in target setting and identifying gaps, its cautious approach may limit its effectiveness in driving broader climate action. As such, the path forward will therefore require continuous collective innovation and decisive action beyond SBTi's guidance to achieve a high-integrity and effective climate strategy. What now: As SBTi lacks clear guidance, but the climate situation requires immediate action, market actors and the broader climate community must step up, fostering a culture of clear, bold, and actionable leadership to meet the ambitious goals - necessary for a sustainable future.

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There's been a lot of talk about what carbon farming and what decarbonisation means for the #agriculture sector 🚁 🐮 There’s no denying there’s a lot of ambition in the industry, whether that’s through #carbon neutral 2030 targets, or via emerging tools or techniques in carbon storage - but clarity is still needed for many on what this means for #farmers and how they can best capitalise on the opportunities available and understanding what’s coming down the pipeline. For those of us working in the industry, it’s clear we need to continue to breakdown #knowledge barriers to improve market access. Uncertainty around the new methods is definitely contributing to cause hesitation to participate, but from conversations I’ve beenhaving it seems that whether you’re all in on the carbon market or a bit more tentative about getting started, we all agree that we need a system that supports producers to continue (or boost) primary production and #diversify their income. At Carbon Stock, we work with landholders on doing projects on under-utilised back paddocks, shelterbelts and high biodiversity priority areas. Often these are restoring critical vegetation communities with a view to reintroduce grazing once planting is established, and it speaks to the importance of understanding the unique carbon and diversification potential of each individual property. We are excited about working on a new project with a lovely farming couple in Beechworth Victoria restore an endangered vegetation community with the vision of integrating grazing into the areas once the planting is well established. These types of projects are based on informed decision making and utilising land efficiently, that really showcase where carbon farming can make a real impact for farmers and landholders on-ground. So what do we need to do? First, we need to help farmers cut through all the noise. Second, we need to make sure that we’re not taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach: the conversation can’t exclusively be about achieving carbon neutrality or selling the most carbon credits. It’s about balance and achieving long-term sustainability, because that’s where we’ll make the most impact.

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