Small World Consulting

Picture of Mike Berners-Lee, text reads: I'm speaking at the UK's longest-running and most impactful sustainable business event. edie 26 25-26 March 2026, Business Design Centre, London

The Small World team are heading to edie later this month.

Mike's giving the opening keynote 9.15am Weds morning, showing business leaders the vital role they have in keeping climate action moving in uncertain times.

The team will be at the SWC stand Wed + Thurs, do come and say hi!

We're keen to see the GHG Protocol's response to last year's consultations, as well as developments in merging its standards with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), both of which have the potential to improve reporting standards across #carbonaccounting.

We'd also recommend that companies report their location-based Scope 2 emissions alongside their market-based emissions, as this reflects that there is only a finite amount of renewable electricity available and gives the average emissions over the course of the year.

More realistic and transparent reporting will also help investors to assess companies' resilliance to the green energy transition.

The investors argue that reporting which matches hourly electricity consumption with local renewable production will incentivise companies to source clean energy 24/7 from providers that can actually deliver the clean electricity they claim, and result in increased demand for energy storage.

The current guidelines allow companies to report zero Scope 2 emissions using only questionable green energy certificates, regardless of whether the electricity in reality came from burning fossil fuels.

'No longer fit for purpose': Investor group urges GHG Protocol to revamp Scope 2 guidance Investors with more than $1.2tr in assets urge influential standard setter to ensure emissions reporting guidance better reflects changing nature of clean energy supplies

Heartening to see investors calling for improvements to Scope 2 guidance of carbon footprinting.

In simple terms, Scope 2 covers the emissions associated with any electricity you buy, but the current guidelines are open to misuse.
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www.businessgreen.com/news/4526290...

National Emergency Briefing Take Action on the Climate and Nature Emergency | How to engage after the National Emergency Briefing and support science-led solutions

We think that everyone deserves to know the risks we're all facing, so that we can all be part of planning how to tackle them.

That's why we want to help the @nebriefing.bsky.social screen a briefing film in every constituency, with every MP attending: www.nebriefing.org/get-involved

12% GDP loss causing an economic crisis that would dwarf the 2008 financial crash

Our fragile food system being used as a target - The UK imports 40% of our food

NATO being pulled into arable land conflicts

Greater immigration driving increased instability and polarisation

We uncovered the redacted climate report the government didn’t want you to see YouTube video by ITV News

The gov published a redacted version of the Joint Security Services report 'Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse and National Security' - now @itvnews.bsky.social have seen excerpts of the full report, and the harsh risks the gov tried to keep from us:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=59DZ...

"We are asking for a WW2 level of leadership".

Professor @mikebernerslee.bsky.social at the National Emergency Briefing in Westminster.

Has your MP joined the Parliamentary Call for Gov to make a televised emergency briefing to the nation?

Check here: www.nebriefing.org/parliamentar...
#NEB2025

Using comedy to fight back against climate change A new wave of standup comics believe comedy is a better way to win people over about the climate, than old-fashioned data.

Climate Change communication hasn't worked with endless graphs trying to 'raise the alarm'.

Maybe laughter is the best way to reach people and make them see the seriousness without the doom?

www.channel4.com/news/using-c...

When people believe that reaching 'net zero' is a good idea, but too expensive, we need to ask, 'Compared to what?'

Yet more hidden costs of fossil fuels that we all pay the price for.

Great to see this milestone in bringing the NEB to the people!

First day of filming…. Thanks to all those who made this happen.
More info: www.nebriefing.org/the-film

#nationalemergencybriefing #film #NEB2025 #TimeToStepUp

Building communities, sharing stories and supporting individuals working in energy industries, is the foundation of the system-change we need.

How you enable others often has a far greater impact than your own actions.

That's the Big Picture Thinking we help you with.

We're happy that Nick Smith and his team at Eleven Associates were open to our big ideas about how they could create the biggest impact.

"This is more valuable use for our ESG budget than trying to reduce our carbon footprint by issuing the staff with sustainable cardboard biros or the like"

Home - Life After Oil LIFE AFTER OIL A community of people, a collection of stories: professionals leaving the oil and gas industry and what we’re building next. Real People Real Stories Life After Oil is a community of pe...

Great to see Life After Oil launch last week during# #IEWeek

The energy transition will bring a huge change to our energy sources, transmission and use... but it also means a huge change to people's jobs and careers.

lifeafteroil.net

Survey: UK businesses 'leading the way' with climate transition plans HSBC survey shows climate transition plans are proving a competitive advantage for UK corporates

Business is acting on climate because it's good for business.

[The climate transition is now] "firmly viewed across business leaders as a commercial and reputational imperative" - Rob King, head of sustainable finance and transition at HSBC UK.

www.businessgreen.com/news/4525631...

Scientists thought they understood global warming. Then the past three years happened. The fastest warming period since 1880 occurred in the past 30 years, according to a Washington Post analysis of NASA data.

Scientists thought they understood global warming. Then the past three years happened. Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Analysis: UK newspaper editorial opposition to climate action overtakes support for first time - Carbon Brief Nearly 100 UK newspaper editorials opposed climate action in 2025, a record figure that reveals the backlash against net-zero in the right-leaning press

UK newspaper editorial opposition to climate action overtakes support for first time. Carbon Brief: www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-...

Declining urgency, enduring support
Public attitudes to net zero and climate policy
Ipsos and Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations
www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-insti...

The voices of the business community can be hugely influential here - showing what 'net zero' really looks like, and the benefits it can bring. Cheaper energy, less pollution, resilient supply chains and effective risk management.

How could your business speak up for climate and nature?

Scientists thought they understood global warming. Then the past three years happened. Graph showing average temperature increase, with all years around a line, apart from 2023, 2024 and 2025 which are much higher than the increase line.

Stacked bar charts showing a decrease from 54% to 29% between 2021 and 2025 of people who agree with the statement: The UK needs to reduce our carbon emissions to 'net zero' sooner than 2050.

Line graph shows: A blue line, rising and then falling from 2021 onwards, showing articles in favour of more climate action. A red line, increasing from 2021 onwards, showing articles in favour of less climate action.

Attitudes amongst the UK public to 'net zero' are declining.

At the same time, media editorials about climate action are becoming increasingly hostile.

Whilst the physics of climate change keeps on heating the planet, with the last three years exceeding scientists' predictions of temperature gain.

Welcome Michael! Look forward to working with you as part of our data support for the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership.

National Emergency Briefing Climate Tipping Points Explained | Prof Tim Lenton briefs Parliament on Earth system risks, 1.5°C and irreversible climate change

For more on climate and social tipping points, listen to Prof Tim Lenton's talk at the @nebriefing.bsky.social

www.nebriefing.org/briefings/ti...

Tipping points and extreme weather become more likely with every degree of warming, and the best way to reduce that risk is to decarbonise.

However, we can also flip positive social tipping points to take place.

It also notes something that those in sustainability, but not always economics, understand - that GDP isn't the best way to measure impacts on people. Bad health, deaths and trashed ecosystems don't necessairly show as bad for the economy.

This is mostly because economic modelling traditionally links climate damages to gradual changes in average temperatures.

But societies (that's people, our homes, shops, schools, hospitals etc) and markets suffer most from extremes, such as heatwaves, floods and droughts.

Flawed economic models mean climate crisis could crash global economy, experts warn States and financial bodies using modelling that ignores shocks from extreme weather and climate tipping points

Our economy isn't fit for the extreme weather and tipping points that climate change will bring.

Actuaries (the first to sound the economic alarm bells) predicted in 2025 the global economy could face 50% GDP loss between 2070 and 2090 from climate shocks - higher than previously thought.