13 Sustainability Stories You Need to Know This Week — The Iran War Changes Everything
Stay to the end — because this week I've got three facts that will genuinely stop you in your tracks. Number one especially. Trust me, you won't have heard this one before.
Every week I go through the sustainability and climate stories that actually matter to business leaders, and this week one story connects almost everything on the list. The Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz crisis is driving oil above $100 a barrel, cutting off humanitarian aid routes, accelerating food insecurity, and handing fossil fuel sceptics a political moment they will not waste. For anyone building a net zero strategy or managing ESG risk right now, this is not background noise. This is the story.
But it is not the only one. We cover ten stories in total this week, from the UK's Climate Change Committee confirming that reaching net zero costs less than managing a single fossil fuel price crisis, to the EU Emissions Trading System coming under real pressure, to AI-driven chip shortages hitting supply chains in ways that are starting to touch sustainability budgets.
And then we get to the three facts. Tehran's water canals catching fire. More than a billion people experiencing climate-influenced temperatures every single day this winter. And extreme dry years in Iran now ten times more likely than before industrialisation. A nuclear-capable nation is running out of water. That is not on the front page. But it should be.
If you work in sustainability, advise organisations on net zero strategy, or lead a business that is trying to understand what any of this means in practice, this channel is for you. Subscribe if you want to stay ahead of the stories that actually matter.
And if you want to be part of a network of sustainability professionals and consultants, drop a comment below or visit https://www.51tocarbonzero.com to find out more about what we do. We also have a referral programme for consultants and advisors who want to work with us: https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/referral/
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I'm Will Richardson, Head of Ecosystems at 51toCarbonZero and a sustainability advisor with 25 years in the field. I founded Green Element in 2004 and spent two decades building it into one of Europe's most respected sustainability consultancies before it merged with 51toCarbonZero in November 2025. Climate action is both an obligation and an opportunity, and that's the thread running through everything I write here. I co-created Compare Your Footprint, carbon accounting software recognised as a key player in the Global Carbon Accounting Software Market, and I'm a Fellow of IEMA and a Chartered Environmentalist. Each week, I break down what's actually happening in sustainability: the data, the regulation, the greenwash worth calling out, and the practical steps businesses can take right now. No jargon, no doom-mongering, just clear thinking for people who need to make real decisions. I also host the Sustainability Solved podcast with Charlie Luxton, 200+ episodes and counting, where we talk to the people building the solutions. Based in Scotland. Writing for business leaders who want sustainability to make commercial sense, not just moral sense.
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