Action on climate emergency
Solar panels for new homes, that is most new homes, is the objective of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as he announces that builders will be required to fit solar panels to most newly built homes in England under changes to be published this autumn. There will, however, be a transitional period for developers to adjust …
No more licence to spill as action against water companies has stepped up with Yorkshire Water being fined £350,000 after a watercourse was polluted with sewage. The spillage happened at Foss Dike, near York, in March 2018 close to a faulty pumping station the company knew was broken, the Environment Agency has said. It was …
Record temperatures continue according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Globalclimate predictions show temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels over the next five years, increasing climate risks and impacts on communities, economies and sustainable development. The data also indicated a small likelihood that before 2030, the world …
High energy bills in new builds seems counterintuitive, but people living in newly built homes are having to pay energy bills that are nearly £1,000 a year higher than needs be because of the poor standards the dwellings have been constructed to, according to a recent think tank report. The Guardian reports that residents of …
Labour must improve climate actions in an interesting week in the debate about climate change. On Wednesday 30 April UK’s climate watchdog, the Climate Change Committee, reported that the government was putting people, the economy and the environment in increasing peril by failing to act on the effects of the climate crisis. Later that day …
Fossil fuel lobbying at COP 30 in Brazil is gearing up, as more than 250 civil society organisations and experts from across the worldhave signed an open letter calling for urgent action to protect the climate negotiations from undue influence. Organised by Transparency International, a global movement campaigning to end the injustice of corruption, it called on …
Water pollution at record levels as a new report from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) accuses the water industry of falling short of the Environment Agency’s target to reduce pollution incidents. In 2024, water companies in England recorded 2,487 pollution incidents—more than double the target set by the Environment Agency. This marks the highest number in …
HS2 bat tunnel is more to the fore of environmental protections then you might think. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) now before parliament which has been framed as the solution to an inefficient planning system supposedly held back by excessive environmental regulations, the HS2 bat tunnel included. But is the real story different? Exactly …
No coal in Cumbria, as the Whitehaven coalmine’s planning application has been abandoned, ending a process that could have created the UK’s first deep coalmine in 30 years. As previously reported on this web site, the Cumbrian mine was ruled unlawful last September, with the judge agreeing with Friends of the Earth, which brought the …
Public inquiry into night-time flying rules at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) was held earlier this month. Chaired by an independent planning inspector, the inquiry considered the legal meaning of the night-time flying rules following an appeal by airport chiefs. The outcome is not likely to be announced for several weeks. Currently the airport is permitted …