Policy area: Environment

Reports

The meat of the matter

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance examines what the trend in lower meat consumption may mean for UK livestock farmers. Diet change, particularly eating a little less meat, is widely recommended for health and sustainability reasons. Yet, government support for such shifts is often framed as a threat to UK livestock farmers. Our...

Read more

The water footprints of global food and agriculture trade

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines why the ‘virtual water’ use hidden in supply chains is critical to sustainability. When food and agricultural products are traded internationally, the direct and indirect water use associated with that trade results in a ‘water footprint’ – reflecting not only the freshwater needed to grow a...

Read more

How the Middle East and North Africa can benefit from adaptive climate governance

This report from UK think tank Chatham House examines striking the balance between rights-based and technocratic approaches. Climate governance in the Middle East and North Africa will play a significant role in shaping the region’s political stability and economic resilience as climate impacts intensify and the global energy transition accelerates. MENA governments are under growing...

Read more

Hydrogen’s role in a clean power economy

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance outlines the current state of the UK’s hydrogen economy and the factors that will shape its future. Hydrogen has been dubbed critical for a low carbon economy, but it’s no panacea for achieving net zero. While it can be used as a fuel or ingredient for many...

Read more

Between a rock and a hard place

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at the position of Europe's clean tech industry between Trump's policies and Chinese pressure. Europe’s large and growing clean tech industry – from wind turbines to electric vehicles – is being hit from several directions. The US’ Trumpian U-turn on green industrial policy...

Read more

Five reasons people love the circular economy

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance highlights five reasons people love the circular economy. 83 per cent of Brits say throwaway culture is a problem, but those involved in the circular economy know, and love, the viable alternative options it offers. Green Alliance spoke to people across the country who use and work...

Read more

An illusion of legality: Wildlife laundering in Colombia and Mexico

This report from UK think tank RUSI uncovers how regulatory gaps and limited international cooperation enable wildlife laundering. The critical issue of wildlife laundering – whereby illicit actors use legitimate corporate entities to fraudulently pass illegally harvested or obtained wildlife into legal supply chains – is a significant threat to biodiversity, national security and local...

Read more

A good food strategy for the UK

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance explores how to transform the food system through legislation and mandatory reporting. The UK food system sits at the heart of major challenges facing the country: NHS pressures, climate change, food security and the cost of living crisis. It’s responsible for 12% of UK greenhouse gas emissions...

Read more

Locally implemented or locally led? Tracking finance for community climate action

This report from UK think tank the International Institute for Environment and Development looks at tracking finance for community climate action. Local communities are directly affected by the impacts of climate change and are essential to developing and implementing effective responses. As a result, it has never been more important to understand, track and measure...

Read more

Strengthening financial investigation of wildlife crime in Central Africa

This report from UK think tank RUSI highlights the links between the illegal wildlife trade and illicit financial flows and the critical need to combat corruption.  Financial investigations are an essential investigative tool to pursue and deter important wildlife criminals. However, the challenges to strengthening financial investigations of wildlife crime in Central Africa are notable.

Read more

Energy and Russian aggression: Challenges for the UK 

This report from UK think tank RUSI explores energy security challenges for the UK as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This paper examines the far-reaching consequences of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on global energy markets and its implications for UK energy security. ​ It highlights the vulnerabilities exposed by shifting energy flows,...

Read more

How to bolster food security through global early-warning systems

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at countering cascading risks with enhanced monitoring and response preparedness. Extreme weather events and turbulent geopolitics are severely impacting global food security. While there are monitoring mechanisms in use for certain single hazards (e.g. flooding) that can impact food production, these systems often have a narrow...

Read more

ICJ climate opinion: implications for investment treaties

This report from UK think tank IIED unpacks what the advisory opinion means for international investment law. In July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its advisory opinion on the ‘Obligations of states in respect of climate change’. The opinion confirms that states have legally binding obligations to protect the climate system and...

Read more

Affording warm homes

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance explores the case for a social tariff to address fuel poverty. The energy crisis, driven by fossil fuel price shocks, has pushed nine million households in England into fuel poverty – spending over ten per cent of their income on energy bills. Current government support schemes aren’t...

Read more

The case for better resource use

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance explores British public and Labour voter opinion on the circular economy. Recent research has emphasised Labour’s need to both retain voters and win them over from multiple sources, including from Reform UK, the Lib Dems and the Greens. Both More in Commons’ Wheelbarrow politics and Persuasion UK’s...

Read more