Line of wind turbines stretching into the distance.

UK advisers say reaching 2050 climate targets is within reach, but urgent policy shifts needed

The UK remains on track to meet its legally binding climate goals, but only if the government reforms its energy pricing and accelerates policy implementation, according to a new report from the Climate Change Committee.

Fiona Harvey and Jillian Ambrose report for The Guardian.

In short:

The Climate Change Committee said the UK can meet its net zero targets if it reforms energy taxes to make electricity cheaper than gas and follows through on planned policies.
Labour’s recent actions — such as lifting the ban on onshore wind and boosting offshore wind — have helped shift the policy landscape in the right direction.
The CCC warns that the current system, which imposes heavier levies on electricity than gas, discourages necessary shifts to low-carbon energy and unfairly burdens electricity users.

Key quote:

“This is an optimistic report. It is possible to meet our carbon budgets for 2030 and 2050, provided we take steps forward [on policy].”

— Piers Forster, chair of the Climate Change Committee

Why this matters:

The way a country taxes its energy can shape everything from how homes are heated to how goods are made. In the UK, electricity costs are inflated by policy choices that penalize low-carbon energy while making gas comparatively cheap. This makes it harder to cut emissions from heating, industry, and transportation, sectors that must switch to electricity to meet climate goals. Unequal energy costs also hit poorer households harder and stall the adoption of clean technologies like heat pumps and EVs. As climate deadlines draw closer, the structure of energy bills affects everything from air quality to economic fairness.

www.theguardian.com

A residential garbage can overflows with plastic bottles and other waste.

Credit: the blowup/Unsplash

New pricing system helps small town slash its garbage output

When Plympton, Massachusetts started charging by the bag for trash, it nearly halved the town’s garbage — and saved thousands of dollars in the process.

Tik Root reports for Grist.

In short:

Plympton cut its annual trash output from 640 to 335 tons after shifting from a flat-fee dump sticker to a “pay-as-you-throw” model charging per bag.
The new pricing system incentivized recycling and composting, saving the town about $65,000 a year and reducing landfill-related emissions.
Nearly half of Massachusetts municipalities now use PAYT, and experts say volume-based pricing drives waste reduction without unfairly burdening small or low-income households.

Key quote:

“We found that demand for waste disposal was really responsive to price. If you raise the price of trash, people are going to find ways to not put as much out at the curb.”

— John Halstead, retired professor of environmental economics at the University of New Hampshire and an author of a study on New Hampshire's pay-as-you-throw model

Why this matters:

Less landfill use means fewer toxics in the air and water, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and more recycled materials in circulation. Plympton’s story shows that smart policy doesn’t have to be punitive or complicated — it just has to make people see the cost of their choices, and let common sense do the rest.

How a government feud threatens decades of scientific progress

The Trump administration’s move to cut off $2.6 billion in federal research funding to Harvard has upended a vital engine of American science, with ripple effects that reach far beyond a single university.

Emily Badger, Aatish Bhatia, and Ethan Singer report for The New York Times.

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