How Sustainability Leaders Should Read SBTi 2.0, the CDP Split and El Niño

How Sustainability Leaders Should Read SBTi 2.0, the CDP Split and El Niño

he net zero rulebook just got rewritten. The Science Based Targets initiative has released Corporate Net-Zero Standard 2.0, and in the same week a super El Niño officially emerged in the Pacific. In this week's sustainability news countdown I cover the ten stories that matter most for business leaders and sustainability professionals: the new SBTi net zero standard and its five-year milestones, El Niño food price risk, the AI data centre energy crunch, extreme heat as an economic constraint, UK and EU reporting changes, and what investors are now demanding from the seafood sector. I also owe you an apology. For a few weeks in May, the tool I use to gather news was reading my own newsletter back in as a source, which made some stories look bigger than they really were. In this video I explain what happened, what was still genuinely news, and how it has been fixed. There is a fuller write-up on my Substack: https://willsussolved.substack.com If you work in sustainability, net zero strategy or carbon accounting, this is your weekly intelligence briefing. Subscribe so you never miss a week, and tell me in the comments which story matters most to your organisation. Explore the 51toCarbonZero platform and advisory: https://www.51tocarbonzero.com Join our referral programme: https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/referral/ #sustainability #netzero #SBTi #ElNino #carbonaccounting

The insurance companies have already decided — how boards should respond to climate risk now

The insurance companies have stopped covering certain risks. Supply chains are breaking. New legislation is rewriting business models. Yet most organisations are still treating climate and operational risk as a future problem. In this episode, Will Richardson explores why corporate risk management has lagged behind market reality — and what needs to shift in how boards measure, weight, and act on climate and operational risk. We break down: * Why risk assessment frameworks built 20 years ago don't work anymore * What the insurance market collapse tells us about exposure * How to integrate climate risk into capital allocation decisions * The three concrete moves organisations are already making (and gaining competitive advantage because of it) * What your CFO and board actually need to know Whether you're in financial services, supply chain, or the C-suite, this conversation is about business resilience, not environmental compliance. Listen and subscribe to Sustainability Solved for weekly intelligence on building strategy that works in a changing world. New episodes as often as possible, 2-3 times per week. .

The Week Climate Regulation Retreated — And Why the Risk Is Growing Anyway

This week in sustainability, four major climate regulation retreats happened in a single week. The SEC proposed scrapping US climate disclosure rules. Brazil went voluntary. New York pushed back its climate goals. And California handed oil refiners $4 billion in free carbon allowances. But here is the bigger story: oil crossed $114 a barrel, Russia suspended jet fuel exports, and Bloomberg Green is now reporting a 67% chance of a Super El Niño arriving in 2027. The last major one caused $5.7 trillion in global GDP losses. For Food and Beverage businesses with supply chains in the tropics, that risk is not abstract — it is near-term and material. In this week's top 10 we cover all of this plus: - Why Burberry pushing net zero back 10 years is actually a measurement story - The UK net zero economy supporting 1.1 million jobs - How AI data centres are already hitting energy and water limits in Europe - What $479 billion in global clean energy trade tells you about investment direction - And why PepsiCo, ADM and McCain stepping up regenerative farming matters for your supply chain Find out how 51toCarbonZero can help your business build a climate strategy that holds up under scrutiny: https://www.51tocarbonzero.com Interested in becoming a referral partner? https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/referral/ #NetZero #Sustainability #ClimateRisk #ElNino #CarbonStrategy STORY 10 — Circular economy / Vinted Math Source: edie.net, 1 and 2 June 2026 URLs: https://www.edie.net/why-vinted-math-shows-the-circular-economy-is-shaping-everyday-shopping/ https://www.edie.net/can-policy-make-circularity-cost-competitive-with-fast-fashion/ STORY 9 — Regenerative agriculture: PepsiCo, ADM, McCain Source: edie.net, 2 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/pepsico-adm-and-mccain-how-industry-giants-are-ramping-up-regenerative-farming/ STORY 8 — AI climate value $600bn / data centre limits Source: OneStop ESG, 1 June 2026 URLs: https://onestopesg.com/esg-news/ai-climate-sustainability-opportunity https://onestopesg.com/esg-news/europe-ai-data-centre-water-energy-constraints STORY 7 — Bezos Earth Fund off track Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/bezos-earth-fund-off-track-to-meet-10bn-giving-target/ STORY 6 — Food price shocks baked into UK system Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/treasury-launches-tariff-review-as-food-price-shocks-get-baked-in-to-uk-system/ STORY 5 — Burberry delays net zero by a decade Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/burberry-delays-net-zero-target-by-a-decade-amid-revised-emissions-data/ STORY 4 — UK net zero supports 1.1 million jobs Source: edie.net, 2 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/report-net-zero-supports-over-a-million-uk-workers/ STORY 3 — Global clean energy trade $479bn; global energy investment $3.4trn Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URLs: https://www.edie.net/report-global-clean-energy-trade-rose-to-479bn-in-2025/ https://www.edie.net/global-energy-investment-set-to-hit-3-4trn-as-clean-power-leads-fossil-fuels/ STORY 2 — Regulatory retreats: SEC, Brazil, New York, California Sources: ESG Today, 1 June 2026 — https://www.esgtoday.com/sec-launches-formal-process-to-rescind-corporate-climate-reporting-rules/ ESG Today, 1 June 2026 — https://www.esgtoday.com/brazil-shifts-from-mandatory-to-voluntary-sustainability-reporting/ ESG Today, 1 June 2026 — https://www.esgtoday.com/new-york-governor-hochul-signs-budget-pushing-back-state-climate-goals/ OneStop ESG, 1 June 2026 — https://onestopesg.com/esg-news/california-carbon-market-free-allowances-revision Bloomberg Green, 1 June 2026 STORY 1 — Iran war / $114 oil / Russia jet fuel / Super El Nino Sources: Semafor Flagship, 1 and 2 June 2026 Semafor Energy, 2 June 2026 Bloomberg Green, 1 June 2026 MIND-BLOWING FACT 1 — Super El Nino 67% / $5.7tn GDP loss Source: Bloomberg Green, 1 June 2026 MIND-BLOWING FACT 2 — Reform UK voters prefer solar over fracking Source: edie.net, 1 June 2026 URL: https://www.edie.net/reform-voters-prefer-solar-to-fossil-fuels-according-to-poll/ MIND-BLOWING FACT 3 — 2027 forecast as hottest year / 2024 at 1.5C Source: Bloomberg Green, 1 June 2026

5. Oil at $114, SBTi Cuts 2030 Goals & 98% of AI Energy is Unaccounted For | Top 10 Sustainability Stories

SBTi has quietly halved the minimum emissions reductions companies need to hit by 2030 — no announcement, no press release, just an appendix edit. That's story #2 this week. Story #1? Oil hit $114 a barrel and the IEA has declared the fossil fuel industry "broken forever." This week's top 10 sustainability stories ranked by what the world is talking about — including the EU's 70% CSRD simplification, a $67 billion clean energy merger, Big Tech locking in 2GW+ of renewables, and why 98% of AI data centre energy is unaccounted for. If you run a business, advise organisations on sustainability, or work in Food & Beverage or Media and Marketing, these are the stories shaping strategy right now. TIMESTAMPS: * 00:00 — Hook: SBTi cuts 2030 targets * 00:30 — Intro * 01:00 — #10: Germany drops fossil heating phase-out * 01:30 — #9: CDP $900bn extreme weather losses * 02:00 — #8: GHG Protocol appoints first CEO * 02:30 — #7: Carbon removal goes mainstream * 03:00 — #6: Big Tech clean energy deals * 03:30 — #5: NextEra acquires Dominion $67bn * 04:00 — #4: EU CSRD simplified 70% * 04:30 — #3: AI data centre energy — 98% unaccounted for * 05:00 — #2: SBTi halves 2030 targets * 05:45 — #1: Iran war, $114 oil, IEA "broken forever" * 07:00 — Top 3 mind-blowing environmental facts DM us or comment below to join the 51toCarbonZero network. Subscribe for weekly sustainability intelligence that moves the needle. #Sustainability #SBTi #ClimateAction #NetZero #ESG #CarbonAccounting #EnergyTransition #CSRD #FoodAndBeverage #MediaAndMarketing #51toCarbonZero #WillRichardson #ThisWeekInSustainability

Where does climate risk actually sit in your company?

That's the question I'm asking following our National Emergency Briefing screening. Because here's what's coming: tomorrows temperatures could hit 28°C in the south in May! Within 35 years, 40°C summer heat will likely be typical. The Climate Change Committee is already saying we'll need air conditioning rolled out at scale. Schools may reschedule exam timetables. Hospitals may need complete redesigns. This isn't abstract. In July 2022, the London Fire Brigade ran out of fire engines because there were too many fires from the heat. Too many, full stop. Meanwhile, coastal erosion in Yorkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk is retreating by 2 to 4 metres per year. Residents in flood-prone areas will eventually have to abandon their homes. Managed relocations aren't a distant hypothetical; they're in our adapting-to-climate planning right now. Here's the hard part: the cost of adapting to this is way cheaper than doing nothing. But most businesses haven't worked out where their own exposure lies. Supply chains are vulnerable. Operations are exposed. Insurance costs are going up. Financing is getting tougher. So ask yourself: where does risk lie within your company? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it? If you're thinking about this, come and talk to us. We help organisations across FTSE, Nasdaq, XETRA and IBEX figure out their true climate exposure and build real adaptation into strategy. That's what we do.