This Week's Top 5 Stories in Sustainability
1. WEF: The Sustainability Developments at Davos 2025
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting hosted world leaders and executives from across industries to tackle global challenges including sustainability.
The World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2025 Annual Meeting in Davos took place from 20 to 24 January under the theme of 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age' .
This inevitably brought about conversations on AI, digitalisation and the energy transition.
Its programme focuses on five thematic priorities:
- Rebuilding trust
- Reimagining growth
- Investing in people
- Safeguarding the planet
- Industries in the intelligent age
Sustainability played a role in conversations across these topics.
“I am more positive now than I was a week ago,” says Angela Hultberg, Global Sustainability Director at Kearney.
“I fully expected sustainability topics to be set aside, but this was not the case,” she continues.
Hein Schumacher, CEO at Unilever, shared on social media: “I leave Davos feeling positive about the opportunities we have for collaboration, technology and systemic change to unlock new opportunities and growth - and help scale the solutions we need to overcome our biggest sustainability challenges.
“I am a strong believer that AI will have a positive impact in helping to get that done.”
2. What Does Third Heathrow Runway Mean for UK Sustainability?
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has announced the expansion of London Heathrow, a boost to growth but a blow for the UK's sustainable ambition.
During a landmark speech, delivered at Siemens Healthineers' Oxfordshire manufacturing and development hub, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves revealed plans to build a third runway at London Heathrow , the UK's largest airport.
A third runway at Heathrow has been under consideration for many years now, with several successful governments debating its construction. Never before, though, the government has officially formalised plans to go ahead with construction, simply because of the levels of controversy the project brings in tow.
On the one hand, it is a relatively simple financial lever to withdraw: the more flights that come to the capital, the more money is spent on British soil.
On the other, a third runway will see an immediate 50% increase in Heathrow's aviation-based emissions.
Right now, this is a compromise this government is willing to make, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer driving a growth-centric approach from the top.
“Growth is the defining mission of this government,” he says.
The European Commission has launched its EU Competitiveness Compass with decarbonisation at its core to support a growth in productivity in the union.
The European Commission says that Europe has not kept pace with other major economies over the last two decades due to a “persistent gap in productivity growth”.
It has launched its Competitiveness Compass, aiming to provide a strategic and clear framework for its work in reversing this trend.
The framework has three core areas for action:
- Innovation
- Decarbonisation
- Security
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says: “Europe has everything it needs to succeed in the race to the top. But, at the same time, we must fix our weaknesses to regain competitiveness.
“The Competitiveness Compass transforms the excellent recommendations of the Draghi report into a roadmap. So now we have a plan. We have the political will.
“What matters is speed and unity. The world is not waiting for us. All member states agree on this. So, let's turn this consensus into action.”
4. Never Mind the Politics…Green Bonds to Hit US$1tn in 2025
Despite a global political momentum shift and growing scrutiny of green finance, Moody's Ratings says sustainable bonds will again hit US$1tn this year.
Global green finance has appeared to be on shakier ground in recent months.
First, Donald Trump was re-elected as US President , with the promise to “drill, baby, drill”.
At the same time, banks including CitiGroup, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley quit the UN-founded Net Zero Banking Alliance .
There are fears that momentum is shifting away from green finance.
But, according to Moody's Ratings , reports of its death are premature, with global issuance of sustainable bonds forecast to remain steady at around US$1tn in 2025, the fifth consecutive year at this level.
5. Why is Ex-NYC Mayor Bloomberg Giving US$22m to the UN?
Following US President Donald Trump's Paris accord withdrawal, Mike Bloomberg says he will pay the nation's US$22m share of the UN climate delivery budget.
The fallout is continuing from US President Donald Trump 's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, with ex-NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg pledging to fill a potential US$22m climate finance hole.
Billionaire Bloomberg announced that his foundation will fund the UN climate change agency by covering the 22% of its US$96.5m budget previously provided by the US for 2024-25.
Bloomberg intends to ensure the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) remains fully funded despite losing contributions from the US.
He said: “From 2017 to 2020, during a period of federal interaction, cities, states, businesses and the public rose to the challenge to uphold our nation’s commitments – and now, we are ready to do it again.”
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