February 2019
The EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee met on Weds 6 Feb 2019 to discuss the enforcement of environmental legislation in the UK post-Brexit. The fundamental question being considered was "Will the Office of Environmental Protection as envisaged in the draft Environment Bill provide an effective and independent domestic enforcement mechanism to fill the vacuum left by the European Commission post-Brexit?". Read more
January 2019
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR LSA MEMBERS As highlighted in our Christmas eNewsletter (available here) the LSA has decided in 2019 to discontinue the use of the LSA Carbon Reporting Tool and, instead, invite LSA member firms to provide us with their total carbon footprint - however calculated - which we can share for comparison. This will allow us to apply more of our resources to the wider question of how LSA members can use their collective clout to help meet the priority Global Goals (of which Goal 13 - Climate Action - is a key one). Read more
December 2018
Be ready for SECR in April 2019 - essential guide to the obligations in the Member Area. See box on this page for further details. Read more
November 2018
Our Pre-Christmas 2018 Update is available to view here. Please the link at the bottom of this page to subscribe to ensure you don't miss out. Read more
October 2018
The latest IPCC Report on global warming of 1.5°C is one of the most important climate reports ever published. Limiting temperature increase requires unprecedented changes in society, but will have huge benefits. Every half a degree of warming matters. The work of the Legal Sustainability Alliance in encouraging and supporting all law firms to play their part is even more important as we get closer and closer to seeing the irreversible effects of man made global warming. Read more
October 2018
24 Sept saw the launch of the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) to help businesses measure progress against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (aka the Global Goals). In their press release, Aviva, Index Initiative and the United Nations Foundation announce the launch of the WBA with an aim of developing free, publicly available benchmarks which will rank companies on their contributions to achieving the Global Goals. Read more
September 2018
GreenBiz has recently released its 2018 report into the state of the sustainability profession. According to GreenBiz, it’s "chock full of good data on budgets, team sizes and salaries, as well as major themes around reporting, renewables and leveraging sustainability to create new business opportunities". The report highlights how the sustainability profession has evolved over the past 10 years with more companies reporting progress in this area. Read more
August 2018
A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that there is a risk of Earth entering “Hothouse Earth” conditions where the climate in the long term will stabilize at a global average of 4-5°C higher than pre-industrial temperatures and sea level 10-60 m higher than today. The report highlights that, even if the carbon emission reductions called for in the Paris Agreement are met, there is a risk of Earth entering what the scientists call “Hothouse Earth” conditions. Read more
July 2018
The National Grid has published its latest Future Energy Scenario (FES) documents, including a "FES in Five Minutes" summary which stimulates debate and helps inform the decisions that will shape our energy future. These issues have never been more important – especially when you consider the extent to which the energy landscape is being transformed. Read more
June 2018
Out now! The LSA Annual Report 2018 is now available to download (see menu item). As well as LSA highlights for the past year, this year's report contains a summary of the carbon footprint results of a record 59 reporting firms. The Annex to the report contains the individual footprints of each reporting firm. An exclusive detailed benchmark report, showing a comparison of each firm's performance in each aspect of the carbon footprint, will be available to LSA members from 18 June. Read more
June 2018
June 5th will herald a World first, awakening billions to the plastic crisis in our seas and our soil - One Plastic Free Day. This coincides with World Environment Day. International days of action have been proven to drive massive shifts in behaviour. For example, each year World No Tobacco Day leads to a 40 percent spike in people searching for online resources on how to quit smoking. On the international launch of the world’s first One Plastic Free Day, A Plastic Planet will hope to ignite and inspire the world to #passonplastic and turn off the plastic tap. Read more
May 2018
During a recent visit of LSA Task Force members and other LSA member guests to the Granary Square development at Kings Cross, hosted by Argent, the LSA's Amanda Carpenter talked with Paul Crilly, MD of cleaning and business support service company NJC about being a sustainable business. In this "first" outside broadcast for the LSA, Paul talks passionately about what it means to be sustainable and how his own company is approaching this and supporting clients. Read more
May 2018
Artist and environmentalist Michael Pinsky talks to the LSA about his amazing and educational Pollution Pods installation - part of a larger project called CLIMART which investigates whether art can change peoples perception of climate change and air pollution. Find out what it takes to change how people respond to this issue. Read more
May 2018
Listen to the latest podcast from Planet Pod talking about the importance of trees and seas to the natural environment Read more
April 2018
The window for reporting LSA member firms' carbon footprints has now closed. A huge "shout out" and thanks to the 59 firms who submitted their data this year - a record number! This helps to show the continued commitment of LSA members to reducing their carbon footprint. The data is now being collated and will be included in the LSA Annual Report 2018, due to be published in early June. Read more
