This year BusinessGreen remained at the cutting edge of environmental journalism - here's a recap of the highlights
From exclusive interviews to breaking news, BusinessGreen has been at the forefront of the sustainability agenda this year. Here, we run down some of our best stories from the past 12 months.
February: Hounslow Council brands solar panels a threat to future generations
While many local authorities are keen to see residents install solar panels to help them cut their energy bills and carbon emissions, the London Borough of Hounslow this year told 80-year-old James and Joy Skinner they must tear down their £20,000 system.
The couple, who live on a thoroughfare to a brewery, had been told they would likely be able to secure planning permission retrospectively, but once the panels had been installed officials changed their mind, arguing the street needed to be preserved so that it can be "enjoyed for its contribution to the quality of life of this and future generations".
March: Asia Pulp & Paper says 'Thank you' to Greenpeace
Asia Pulp and Paper, once an environmentalist bete noire, turned a corner last year by announcing it would end all clearing of natural rainforest. In our exclusive interview with Aida Greenbury, APP's head of sustainability, she revealed the debt of gratitude the company owes to Greenpeace - the campaign group that spent much of the past decade orchestrating boycotts against the firm.
April: Concerns escalate over fresh solar subsidy reforms
BusinessGreen revealed the government was poised to make further cuts to solar power subsidies. Weeks later, Ministers confirmed they wanted to close the Renewables Obligation scheme to 5MW+ schemes from March next year, causing much concern among developers who said they had been promised stability by the government.
July: How the Caribbean plans to become a green energy powerhouse
BusinessGreen investigated how the Caribbean Development Bank is stepping up its efforts to drive investment in new clean energy and climate adaptation markets in an effort to protect its islands from the worsening impacts of climate change.
"Some [developing] countries try to make the case that climate change is the responsibility of the developed countries - they developed their economies without any consideration of what damage it was doing to the environment," said the bank's president, Dr Warren Smith. "That's probably a historical fact, but at the end of the day we're all in this game together - we share the same world so we need to work together to get it done."
August: Nespresso chief executive declares sustainability is a business imperative
BusinesssGreen talked to the head of one of the world's biggest coffee companies about why it is investing millions of pounds in tackling climate risks across South America and Africa, as it aims to become "carbon neutral" by 2020. "You cannot have a business strategy and then on the other side have a sustainability strategy," said Jean-Marc Duvoisin, highlighting how many top brands now see sustainability as integral to their success.
September: Amber Rudd: 'I'm a Thatcherite when it comes to climate change'
A major reshuffle at the Department of Energy and Climate Change this year saw long-serving climate change minister Greg Barker replaced by his Conservative colleague Amber Rudd (although she somewhat controversially appeared to start on a lower paygrade).
BusinessGreen bagged an exclusive interview with Rudd during the New York Climate Summit, in which she declared her commitment to slashing carbon emissions and delivering a global deal on climate change in Paris next year.
September: Green Deal Finance Company warns investors it could be wound up
Things appeared to hit rock bottom for the Green Deal in September, when BusinessGreen revealed the Green Deal Finance Company, set up to provide loans to consumers wishing to take part in the scheme could be forced to close unless it was able to secure fresh financial backing. Ultimately, the company secured a £50m rescue package from the Department of Energy and Climate Change fuelling optimism that demand for the energy efficiency financing scheme will pick up in 2015.
October: Lord Deben: 'The climate change consensus will not be overturned'
BusinessGreen spoke exclusively to Tory grandee John Gummer, chairman of the influential Committee on Climate Change, on the need to depoliticise the debates on climate change and the case for a rational debate on fracking.
December: Jonathan Reynolds: New generation of Labour MPs will lead climate agenda
With the election looming next year, BusinessGreen this month to Labour's Shadow Energy and Climate Change Minister on the party's plans to revamp the Green Deal and tap into public support for climate action.
