A recent Freedom of Information request by Responding to Climate Change revealed that the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has significantly cut its climate and diplomacy budget over the past three years. Figures show that between 2011-12 and 2013-14, spending on activity related to climate change, the low carbon economy, and energy security fell by 28%, while the budget for FCO’s climate change and energy department, special representative for climate change, and overseas missions was cut by 39%.

The United Kingdom's government announced last week that it would cap subsidies for renewable energy projects at £200 million ($340 million) a year, a move that frustrated green energy advocates and small businesses in the industry. The decision will affect the funding of large-scale, low-carbon installations from wind and solar farms to biomass-burning power plants.

New figures released last Wednesday by the British government show that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions in the Greater London urban area, West Midlands urban area, and West Yorkshire urban area will likely continue to exceed EU limits until at least 2030. The UK has violated the EU pollution limits since 2010, but before Wednesday the government had maintained that all parts of the UK would be in compliance by 2025.

In a report released May 8, the House of Lords’ Economic Affairs Committee (EAC) urged the UK government to instate legislation that would expedite shale gas industry development.

Starting in June, UK households will be eligible to receive up to £7,600 (US $12,800) from the government for implementing measures that improve energy efficiency in buildings. Through the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF), consumers will be refunded up to £1,000 for installing two measures from an approved list, including cavity wall insulation and replacement storage heaters, and £6,000 for solid wall insulation. According to Energy Secretary Ed Davey, the GDHIF seeks to improve energy efficiency while lowering consumers’ gas and electricity bills.

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne froze a tax on carbon emissions from electricity generation in an effort to cut consumer energy bills. Gas bills in U.K. households rose by 41% from 2007 to 2013, putting pressure on the government to reduce energy costs. According to Osborne, the freeze could save U.K. businesses as much as four billion pounds (US $6.6 billion) by April 2019, while families could save an average of 15 pounds (US $24) per year.

A report commissioned by groups including the National Trust and the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust called for the UK to designate “frack-free zones” in an effort to protect the country’s wildlife and avoid water pollution. According to the study, over 500 sites notable for their importance to wildlife are located in areas under license to fracking companies, and 2,500 more could be at risk.

The U.K. Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs is discussing rules that would prevent farmers from contributing to floods. Experts hold farmers partially responsible for the severe flooding in Somerset and other areas, citing certain farming practices. Scientists are particularly concerned about the production of maize, as farm vehicles compact the soil of maize fields, causing significant runoff. To combat this problem, Exeter University’s Professor Richard Brazier recommends banning the cultivation of maize on steep fields.

The European Commission announced last Thursday that it intends to take the United Kingdom to court for failing to reduce high levels of nitrogen dioxide air pollution. Although other EU countries have also exceeded EU NO2 limits, the United Kingdom, according to EU environment commissioner Janez Potočnik, stands out for its persistent breach of the air quality directive; despite 15 years of warnings and several extensions, it has failed to comply with EU standards.

U.K. oil and gas exploration company Cuadrilla has scrapped plans to use fracking technology near the village of Balcombe in Sussex. Last summer, Balcombe was the site of weeks of protests, as thousands of people voiced opposition to Cuadrilla’s presence and to an exploratory well the company drilled to see whether oil could be produced in the area. Last Thursday, Cuadrilla released a statement saying fracking would not be necessary as the rocks at the site are naturally fractured, but the announcement brought only limited relief. Green campaigner Brenda Pollock argued that the U.K.