Press Releases
Press Releases from the Policy Exchange team across a range of topics and policy departments.

Environment & Energy Press Releases

Time to plant – and harvest – more trees
Amy Gray All political parties agree that the UK needs more trees, but stimulating markets to support forestry and supporting sustainable wood use also needs to be part of land policy after Brexit, argues a new paper from Policy Exchange’s award-winning Energy and Environment...
Small Modular Reactors: The next big thing?
Policy Exchange Small modular nuclear reactors could be a crucial technology in the drive to decarbonise our energy system, according to Small Modular Reactors: The next big thing in energy? published on Thursday by Policy Exchange. The increased take-up of electric vehicles, the...
Link business rates to energy efficiency to make big changes
Policy ExchangeThe Government should establish a new Energy Efficiency Delivery Unit and Energy Performance Certificates should be linked to business rates to incentivise landlords to invest more in energy efficiency, according to Clean Growth, the new report from Policy Exchange’s influential and expert Energy and Environment team.

Farming Tomorrow: Free trade puts consumers first
Policy ExchangeFarming Tomorrow, a major new report from Policy Exchange, sets out the once in a generation chance we have to reform Britain’s environmental policy and approach to farming after Brexit.

Going Round in Circles: Developing a new approach to waste policy following Brexit
Policy ExchangeIn a major new report, Going Round in Circles, Policy Exchange says that Brexit presents a huge opportunity for the UK Government to develop a new approach to waste and resources policy. The report highlights significant shortcomings in the EU’s approach to waste and recycling: the objectives are increasingly unclear, the targets are badly designed, and the policies are not in the UK’s interest.

Developing a smarter power grid could save households up to £90 a year by 2030
Richard Howard and Zoe Bengherbi New Policy Exchange report sets out the economic and environmental case for creating a smarter power system, using clean technologies such as battery storage and demand response. The new report by leading think tank Policy Exchange, estimates that the savings...
Raise road tax on new diesel cars to improve air quality, says Policy Exchange
Richard HowardToday Richard Howard, Head of Energy and Environment at Policy Exchange, suggests raising road tax to generate £500 million a year to fund a new diesel car scrappage scheme.

New report: Nearly a quarter of all school children in London are exposed to illegal and harmful levels of air pollution
Richard HowardNearly 25% of all school children in London and 44% of the Capital’s workforce are exposed to levels of air pollution that exceed legal and healthy limits. A new report, Up in the Air, by leading think tank Policy Exchange and King’s College London, analyses data from over 100 air quality monitoring sites across London. It shows the most polluted parts of the Capital currently have levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) nearly four times the legal limit. The research finds that 12.5% of the total area of the Capital currently exceeds the legal limit for NO2, and that deprived parts of London are more likely to be affected.

Policy Exchange responds to the government’s “energy policy reset”
Richard HowardResponding to Amber Rudd’s “energy policy reset”, Policy Exchange Head of Environment & Energy Richard Howard backs the government’s broad approach, but calls for DECC to consider extra, complementary ways of meeting our future energy needs than simply building new gas power stations.

Onshore wind costs set to reduce dramatically making it ‘subsidy free’ by 2020
Richard HowardPolicy Exchange says new low cost onshore wind projects should be allowed to proceed as part of the government’s drive to decarbonise at least cost .