Water scarcity is emerging as a hidden threat to the UK’s net zero pathway, with new research warning that planned industrial decarbonisation could outstrip available water supplies in several regions. Without urgent changes in how water is managed and allocated, some of the very projects designed to cut emissions may be delayed, scaled back, or made more expensive.

Cutting the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) will give many UK households a small short-term bill reduction, but at the cost of fewer free or subsidised upgrades like insulation and low-carbon heating, higher long-term bills, and slower progress on net-zero. For UK homeowners who want to future-proof their properties and control energy costs, schemes like ECO have been a major route to funded efficiency and, in some cases, solar PV and heating improvements.

The UK government has confirmed a ban on new fossil fuel exploration projects in the North Sea, while allowing limited additional extraction tied to existing fields through so-called “tie-backs.” The move is being presented as a major climate milestone that aligns the UK with a 1.5°C pathway, but also raises important questions about energy security, jobs and how quickly the country can scale up renewables and technologies like offshore wind and solar PV.

Manchester City Council has unveiled a new five year Climate Change Action Plan for 2025 to 2030 which aims to cut the Council’s own emissions by 44% and keep the city on track for its Zero Carbon 2038 target. The plan combines deep carbon cuts from Council operations with a citywide programme on homes, transport, energy and green spaces designed to deliver warmer homes, cheaper bills, cleaner air and thousands of green jobs.

Scientists warn that climate change is now a direct threat to the UK’s economic stability, food security and national defence, with advisors stressing that the country is still underprepared for intensifying climate impacts and systemic shocks. At recent high-level briefings in Westminster, experts described climate change as a “threat multiplier” that will strain public finances, disrupt key sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure, and expose geopolitical vulnerabilities if the UK does not accelerate both emissions cuts and climate adaptation.

COP30 in Belém ended with a historic “global mutirão” deal that boosts climate finance and adaptation but skirts a firm commitment to phase out fossil fuels, leaving implementation and ambition as the critical next tests. Countries agreed new finance targets, implementation tools and a just transition mechanism, yet many observers warn that the outcomes still fall short of a Paris‑aligned pathway unless rapidly translated into national policies and investments.

Labour’s first full Budget reshapes how UK households pay for energy and how drivers pay to charge and run electric vehicles, with lower energy unit costs but new EV taxes and charges that will change the payback maths for going green. For solar PV, battery storage and home EV charging, the big picture is that using less grid electricity and charging at home becomes more valuable, while high-mileage EV drivers need to plan carefully around new road pricing.

In a historic development for the European energy landscape, installed energy storage capacity across the European Union, United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland is set to exceed 100 GW this month, according to precise modelling and analytics from LCP Delta and Energy Storage Europe. This milestone confirms the region’s rapid acceleration in storage deployment, triggered by the urgent need to accommodate a growing share of renewables, support grid flexibility, and bolster energy security following years of geopolitical turbulence and market volatility.solarpowereurope+2.

Renewable energy is set to become the world's dominant source of electricity by 2026, overtaking coal for the first time ever. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewables will comprise 36% of global power supplies by 2026, compared to coal’s declining 32%. This milestone is largely driven by the record-breaking growth of solar and wind, with China alone contributing nearly 56% of new global solar capacity and 60% of new wind installations in 2025, reflecting both scale and international ambition. As governments and markets pursue decarbonisation targets, falling costs, expanding grid infrastructure, and supportive policy frameworks are propelling a dramatic shift away from fossil fuel.