Turning Japanese

21st August 2008

Japan has shown its environmental credentials today by launching the world's most ambitious carbon footprint labelling scheme for a range of products. Labelling has been tried elsewhere, including a British pilot with Tesco and a few other retailers, but the Japanese scheme goes much further. The scheme will include food and drink and electrical appliances.

They will provide detailed breakdowns of each product's carbon footprint under a government-approved calculation and labeling system now being discussed by the trade ministry and around 30 firms.

The labels will show how much carbon dioxide is emitted during the manufacture, distribution and disposal of each product, the ministry said.

The trade ministry's Takuma Inamura commented:

"We believe our labeling will be even more detailed, to allow consumers to make the best possible choice...... Unless all of the companies use the same method, there's little point to the exercise."

Japanese officials decided to draw up a uniform method of labeling carbon emissions to allay fears among some firms that their competitors may use in-house calculations to produce the lowest possible emissions data.

To promote the scheme, the ministry has released details of the carbon footprint left by a sample product, a packet of crisps. A single bag emits 75 grams of carbon dioxide, 44% of which comes from growing potatoes, with another 30% emitted during the production stage. The packaging accounts for a further 15%, while the delivery and disposal of the bag account for 9% and 2%, respectively.

The rapid progress of the Japanese scheme brings into question the slow progress of the British scheme, which in comparison covers a much smaller range of products and only involves a few companies.

Lib Dems' Energy Vision

21st August 2008

Nick Clegg today unveiled plans to make Britain an exporter of green energy by 2050, as he called for a programme "on the scale of the Apollo moon landings" to transform Britain's dependence on foreign oil, gas and coal supplies.

The Liberal Democrat leader demanded the scrapping of new nuclear and coal-fired power stations, instead proposing the establishment of a renewables delivery authority to oversee a massive expansion of wind, solar and wave energy, funded by guaranteed premium prices for green energy.

He said: "Renewable energy is no longer a pipe dream. It is realistic and achievable. All it requires is the leadership and vision that has been lacking under years of tired Labour thinking. That's why I will set out Liberal Democrat proposals to become energy independent by 2050. This will require the kind of ambition and political will that succeeded in putting man on the Moon."

During a visit to a wind farm in the North Sea, Mr Clegg will lay out theoretical plans for all new homes to be built to world- leading standards of insulation, and for energy companies to be forced to spend 500m a year insulating the existing housing stock and installing energy-saving smart meters that measure how much power individual appliances use.

He will also outline the proposals for new green and wealth taxes to fund a 4p cut in the basic rate of income tax. It is the start of an autumn offensive to lay out the Liberal Democrats' tax-cutting credentials. Mr Clegg said he would outline in the coming weeks the first of a series of savings aimed at cutting 20bn from government spending, aimed at fulfilling his ambition of reducing the tax burden still further.

"I hardly drive a car any more," added Mr Clegg. "I bought an electric moped which I think is the technology of the future. I got rid of the leader's car shortly after I got in."

He repeated his pledge to double the party's current 63 seats in two general elections, dismissing Labour under Gordon Brown as having "run out of road" and attacking the "arrogance" of David Cameron.

Mr Clegg insisted his party was the true home for progressive voters and said that Labour's decline made him hopeful of major urban gains at the next election. He insisted that the party's average poll rating of 18 per cent was a better springboard than in the previous two electoral cycles. "Something very big is going on, particularly in urban Britain," he said. "Out of the 30 British cities, we now lead 12. That has been going on for years. That is where the battlegrounds will be between ourselves and Labour at the general election. A lot of seats are up for grabs in those areas." Mr Clegg dismissed suggestions that the Conservative resurgence could cut his number of MPs down to 35. He said he would target a "handful" of Conservative seats and said he was "working extremely hard" to hold seats where the Tories are challengers.

"[The Conservatives] think they deserve the keys to No 10 without having the decency to tell the voters what they would do if they got there," he said. "They have started to talk down to [Britain], telling voters the vote's in the bag. "Millions of voters will start asking questions about substance, where's the beef, where's the consistency behind all the photo opportunities." He added: "On every single major issue facing us we have called it right and called it earlier than the other two parties."

58 Baths a Day

20 August 2008

Businesses, governments and people across the UK are inadvertently contributing to the slow death of some of the world's most iconic rivers, according to a new report.

The report, "UK Water Footprint: the impact of the UK's food and fibre consumption on global water resources", highlights the fact that while each person in the UK drinks, hoses, flushes and washes their way through around 150 litres of mains water a day, we consume about 30 times as much in 'virtual' water used to produce the food we eat and the clothes we wear. This is equivalent to about 58 bathtubs full of water for each of us, every single day.
Launching the report at World Water Week in Stockholm today, Stuart Orr, WWF-UK's water footprint expert, told Eco that the UK was the sixth largest importer of water in the world:
"Only 38% of the UK's total water use comes from its own rivers, lakes and groundwater reserves. The rest is taken from water bodies in many countries across the world to irrigate and process food and fibre crops that people in Britain subsequently consume. What is particularly worrying is that huge amounts of these products are grown in drier areas of the world where water resources are either already stressed or very likely to become so in the near future," Orr added.
Just one tomato from Morocco takes 13 litres of water to grow while the various ingredients in a cup of coffee collectively use 140 litres. A shirt made from cotton grown in Pakistan or Uzbekistan cotton – and possibly irrigated by water from the Indus River or the rivers that feed the Aral Sea in central Asia – soaks up 2,700 litres of water.
Cotton producing Pakistan has recently experienced its lowest water availability on record and the Indus River often runs dry before it reaches the sea. This affects the communities and critical habitats in the Indus delta as well as endangered species such as the Indus River dolphin. Over abstraction from the rivers that flow into the Aral Sea for the irrigation of cotton fields has led to the loss of 60% of its area and 80% of its volume in the last 40 years.
Closer to home, Spanish oranges and grapes come from a country where, earlier this year, drinking water has been shipped in from France due to acute shortages.
"Most people aren't even aware that it takes massive amounts of water to grow the food and fibres we consume on top of what is used for drinking and washing and watering the lawn," Orr said
"Therefore, it is essential that business and government identify the areas that could potentially suffer water crises and develop solutions so the environment is not overexploited to the point that people and wildlife lose out," he added.
WWF is encouraging some of the UK's largest companies, such as Marks and Spencer, to evaluate their water footprints. A water footprint assesses the amount of water a business uses both directly from the tap and virtually through its supply chain. It includes water taken from both UK rivers and aquifers (such as in underground, natural wells) and those in other countries where crops are grown and processed.

Marks & Spencer is working with WWF to calculate the water footprint of its entire food and clothing ranges. M&S's technical director, David Gregory, said the availability of water over the next decade was already a key part of the company's strategic decisions about where to source food for its stores.

"We are already in discussion with WWF about our decisions about where to grow crops in the future," he said.

The retailer is auditing the water footprint of five key crops - strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes and roses - to establish where and how they should be grown in the next few years to make best use of water resources. The WWF report identifies Spain, northern African countries including Egypt and Morocco, South Africa, Israel, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as countries which face acute water stress and yet supply the UK with substantial exports of their water.

Sainsbury's agronomist, Debbie Winstanley, confirmed that water would be "on every agenda in sourcing food".

"From our point of view we've got to look at where our growers are going to get their water from," she said. Most British supermarkets currently depend on southern Spain for salad crops, such as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers, as well as broccoli out of season through the winter months.

WWF also asks companies to promote sustainable water use in areas where water is scarce.
"The private sector has a very important role to play. It can engage with governments and communities along its supply chain to support better water management," Orr said.
"In order to reduce risk, businesses need to do their utmost to encourage more efficient and effective water use in water stressed areas where they operate," he urged.
In India and Pakistan, WWF is working with farmers who grow thirsty crops such as cotton, rice and sugar cane to explore ways in which farmers can use less water to grow more crops. In one sugar cane trial, agricultural water use has dropped by 40%, while yields have risen by a third.
"This is not just an issue for food and clothing companies, producers and retailers. Insurers and investors have a vested interest in encouraging efficiency of water use and security of water supply in an ever thirstier world. Water is irreplaceable and climate change and population growth are only going to exacerbate the problem," Orr added.
"There's an important role for the public here. As a consumer you can ask businesses, including your local supermarkets, to tell you what they are doing to ensure good water management along their supply chains. As a citizen you can urge your government to make good water management a priority both in this country and overseas. But if we do nothing to alleviate the acute pressures on water resources at home and abroad, then our inaction could have far reaching consequences for people and habitats," he concluded.

Eco Towns Delayed

20th August 2008

Final approval will not be given to up to 10 "eco-towns" planned across England until early 2009 - three months later than originally forecast.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has announced that this is because a second consultation stage will run from September until December.

Fifteen sites were proposed but two have since dropped out of the running. The sites and the concept have come in for widespread and unexpected criticism. Some of the opposition is the typical NIMBY response from local people who do not want a new town on their doorstep swallowing up the countryside. Some say think the plans may not be scrutinised properly, while others fear local infrastructures will not cope. Others say that the whole concept is flawed and that the towns should be built on existing brownfield sites.

There are strict criteria for the towns to ensure they meet certain environmental standards. At least one person per household should be able to have a car-free journey to work, while the average home should be within a 10-minute walk of "frequent" buses or trains plus shops and other services.

'ECO-TOWNS' SHORTLIST Bordon, Hampshire Coltishall, Norfolk Elsenham, Essex Ford, West Sussex Hanley Grange, Cambridgeshire Imerys, nr St Austell, Cornwall Leeds city region, West Yorkshire Marston Vale, Bedfordshire Middle Quinton, Warwickshire Pennbury, Leicestershire Rossington, South Yorkshire Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire Weston Otmoor, Oxfordshire

Each town will have between 5,000 and 20,000 properties and must be "zero-carbon" overall.

The Local Government Association has said it disapproved of the government's role in drawing up and approving such schemes.

It argued these powers should remain with councils as a way to ensure all proposals received "proper scrutiny".

The government has insisted applications will still go before local authorities and stressed eco-towns would have to comply with existing planning rules.

After the final decision on potential locations was made in early 2009, "each scheme will have to submit planning applications", said a spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government

The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that ministers were considering reducing the number of eco-towns but the DCLG spokesman told Eco:

"We have consistently said we are looking to build up to 10 eco-towns."

For the Conservatives, shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said: "The one certainty is that confusion reigns at the heart of Labour's controversial eco-town project.

"Local residents have been left in limbo as Caroline Flint (Housing Minister) performs U-turn on U-turn. She must set out a clear timetable for the eco-town project and end the uncertainty hanging over local communities."

Kermitted to Conservation

19th August 2008

Legal protection for a rare frog with a distinctive accent was announced today by Minister for Wildlife, Joan Ruddock.

From 1st October 2008, the pool frog together with the lesser whirlpool ram’s-horn snail and the Fisher’s estuarine moth will be legally protected through the Habitats Regulations from being killed, taken, injured, disturbed, owned or sold, or having their resting or breeding places destroyed.

The pool frog has a long British history, with archaeological investigations revealing evidence from around 1000AD, with pool frog remains found around old Saxon sites in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.  However the last pool frog died in the 1990s after its populations declined to just one site in Norfolk. 

A partnership led by Natural England and The Herpetological Conservation Trust helped reintroduce the pool frog to a secret site in Norfolk three years ago, where targeted habitat restoration has produced ideal conditions. Frogs were imported from Sweden under special permission.

Joan Ruddock told Eco:

“Working in harmony with nature is becoming more and more important as increasing demands are made on our environment.  The UK’s native species need our support, and I hope today’s announcement will help give the pool frog a secure future.”

Natural England’s amphibian specialist, Jim Foster, added:  “It is vitally important to have this kind of protection in place for the pool frog before we could consider reintroducing them to new ponds in other parts of East Anglia. 

Toyota in Climate Pledge

Toyota among six companies to join UN scheme to cut greenhouse gas emissions

Toyota Motor Europe is the first car manufacturer to join CN Net, a web-based network pooling the resources of governments, local authorities, private companies and individuals to make large cuts to their carbon footprints or even neutralize them.

“The participation of a major company like Toyota is a sign that private companies are increasingly playing their part on the road to a low-carbon society,” said Angela Cropper, the Deputy Executive Director of UNEP. Toyota has sold more than 1.5 million hybrid cars worldwide.

Along with the five other companies which joined the CN Net today – the Carbon Association of Australasia (Australia), CO2focus (Norway), EcoSecurities (UK), Green Cabs (New Zealand), and Wairau River Wines (New Zealand) – Toyota Motor Europe will share ideas and best practice with the rest of the growing CN Net community for lowering their impact on the environment.

In a related development, UNEP today welcomed the launch in the Netherlands of an innovative mobile laboratory to support the international response to environmental disasters.

The Environment Assessment Module (EAM) can be rapidly deployed to disasters that involve hazardous substances, along with two fully-equipped off-road vehicles and the relevant technical expertise.

“This rapidly deployable mobile laboratory will help us to fulfil the urgent need to address environmental emergencies from their onset,” Ms. Cropper said. “This is an excellent example of integrating environmental and humanitarian concerns.”

Climate change

sending birds cuckoo

19th August 2008

Climate change is causing a number of widespread British birds to lay their eggs much earlier than 40 years ago, that’s just one of the trends revealed in the latest State of the UK’s Birds report – an annual publication produced by a coalition of conservation organisations looking at the fortunes of the UK’s bird populations.

Information from the British Trust for Ornithology’s Nest Record Scheme (incorporated in the State of the UK’s Birds report for the first time) shows that birds like the chaffinch are, on average, laying their eggs about a week earlier than they did in the mid 1960s. Information obtained for other species, such as blue and great tits, robins and swallows, shows a similar pattern.

The changes in laying dates recorded since the mid 1960s are believed to be in response to increasing temperatures triggered by climate change. In 1966, the average date for chaffinches laying their first egg was May 11, but by 2006 this date had moved forward to May 2. For robin, the average dates have moved from April 28 to April 22, in 2006.

Dr David Leech, organiser of the BTO’s Nest Record Scheme, told Eco:

“Every year a network of 500 BTO volunteers monitor 30,000 nests, providing an enormous wealth of information about the changes in nesting activities of many of our birds. Over time, this body of information reveals a fascinating insight into how wildlife is affected by environmental changes.”

Further information

For Peat's Sake

New deal agreed to help protect one of the largest 'carbon stores' on Earth

Monday 18th August 2008

One of the largest single stores of carbon on the planet is a step closer to lasting protection. The Indonesian province of Riau has pledged to halt the destruction of its carbon rich peatlands and forests in a move which could prevent billions of tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere.

The province is thought to store 14.6 billion tonnes of carbon (see http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/reports/cooking-the-climate) in its dense peatland areas, equivalent to one year’s entire global greenhouse gas emissions. At a ceremony in the province’s capital Pekanbaru, the Governor of Riau, Wan Abu Bakar, pledged to prevent any further destruction of the area’s peatlands and forests for the production of commodities like palm oil, a major commodity used in food, cosmetics and biofuels.

Greenpeace representatives in Indonesia are now urging the Riau government to maintain the moratorium until a permanent law can be passed. A separate proposal to halt the conversion of South East Asian forests for palm oil production is to be considered in November at the annual meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). This follows a Greenpeace campaign earlier this year against Unilever, the largest user of palm oil on the planet and President of the RSPO.

Greenpeace previously highlighted the dangers of Indonesian forest and peatland destruction in a report last year entitled “cooking the climate”. The report showed how rapid expansion of the palm oil industry was driving massive destruction of peatland swamps forests already responsible for 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Responding to the news, Mariana Paoli, UK Greenpeace forest campaigner told Eco:
"If we want to beat climate change, then we have to stop the destruction of forests and peatlands in Indonesia. This deal sends a powerful signal to companies around the world that forest protection is becoming a priority in this part of the world. We now need to see the same kind of determination from big business when it considers a wider moratorium in November."

Indonesia is currently the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet, beaten only by China and the USA. The tiny province of Riau, on the island of Sumatra, contains 25 percent of the country’s palm oil plantations and plans exist to expand this area by 200 percent.
"The Indonesian government cannot waste any more time. It must declare a national moratorium on forest conversion to stop the vicious cycle of peatland drainage, forest fires and resulting biodiversity loss due to forest destruction." said Zulfahmi, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest campaigner based in Sumatra.

The Race is On

13th August 2008

The race to find the first leader of the UK Green Party is on, as ballot papers reach members this week. It is a two-horse race featuring Caroline Lucas, perhaps the Party's most high profile personality, who is an MEP and prospective parliamentary candidate for the Brighton Pavillion constituency where she is in with a real chance of election, and the less well known Ashley Gunstock, an actor who has starred as PC Frank in TV drama "The Bill". .

Norwich Councillor Adrian Ramsay is sole candidate for Deputy Leader, and is also in the running to become the first Green MP based on a high Green vote in the Norwich area..

The election will run until Friday 5th September, when hustings will be held at the Green Party's autumn conference in London. The final ballot papers will be collected and counted that evening.

The announcement of the result will take place on Saturday 6th September, and will be followed by the new Leader's first speech to the party.

The election is the first for Leader and Deputy in the Green Party's history. Up to now, the party has elected two Principal Speakers instead (one man and one woman) and their role has been limited to representing the party in public.

However, in a referendum of party members last November, the party voted for the change by a majority of 73%.

In the lead-up to the contest, the party's operational wing, the Standing Orders Committee, took the unusual decision to publish the contact details of 7,000 members to help candidates lobby for votes.

The move has caused uproar in the party, which prides itself on its defence of civil liberties. More than 100 party members have signed an angry letter of protest, questioning the legality of the decision under the Data Protection Act.

Says one senior member: "This is a serious privacy and civil liberties issue. Once a few candidates have got the details, they could end up anywhere. Anyone could get their hands on them."

The two candidates for Leader are:

Caroline Lucas MEP

www.carolinelucas.org.uk

Caroline Lucas is currently the Party's Female Principal Speaker and the Green MEP for South-East England. She is the parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion, the Party's key target seat for the General Election.

After reaching 22% at the 2005 General Election, the Green vote in Brighton is growing rapidly, with the party's number of City Councillors doubling from six to twelve in the 2007 local elections.

Elected to the European Parliament as one of the Green Party's first MEPs in June 1999, Caroline has been a leading voice on a range of campaign issues, from challenging the privatisation of public services and the expansion of air travel, to promoting nuclear disarmament and animal protection.

Caroline joined the Green Party in 1986 and has held many positions including National Press Officer (1987-89) and Co-Chair (1989-90). She won the party's second County Council seat in 1993 and served on Oxfordshire County Council until 1997. She was elected Principal Speaker each year from 2003 to 2005 and again in 2007.

Ashley Gunstock

ashleygunstock.blogspot.com

Ashley has stood as the Green Party candidate for Parliament in Leyton and Wanstead, for the GLA in Havering & Redbridge and for Redbridge Council in the ward of Wanstead, seeing his vote rise by 50% in the area.

Ashley is married with a son of 9 years. He is a theatrical producer, artistic director and an actor of 30 years experience. An original cast member of The Bill he has appeared in many television, film & theatrical productions. He has his own theatre company and toured the UK three times. Ashley is also an English teacher and qualified Football Association Coach.

Now in his twentieth year as a Green Party activist Ashley is the party's leading spokesperson in Redbridge and well known for his community presence and help for local residents.

Time for a Green New Deal

26th July 2008

75 years after President Roosevelt launched a New Deal to rescue the US from financial crisis, a new group of experts in finance, energy and the environment have come together to propose a 'Green New Deal' for the UK.

The Green New Deal is a response to the credit crunch and wider energy and food crises, and to the lack of comprehensive, joined-up action from politicians.

It calls for:

As in past times of crises, disparate groups have come together to propose a new solution to an epochal challenge.

The Green New Deal Group, drawing inspiration from the tone of President Roosevelt's comprehensive response to the Great Depression, propose a modernised version, a 'Green New Deal' designed to power a renewables revolution, create thousands of green-collar jobs and rein in the distorting power of the finance sector while making more low-cost capital available for pressing priorities.

Seventy-five years ago, Roosevelt's courageous programme was implemented in an unprecedented '100-days of lawmaking'. And, as the Green New Deal Group launch their proposals, new analysis suggests that from the end of July 2008 there is only 100 months, or less, to stabilise concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere before we hit a potential point of no return. This is the moment when the likelihood of irreversible changes in the climate becomes unacceptably high.

The most serious global crisis since the Great Depression calls for serious reform the like of which has not, yet, been considered by politicians.

This entails re-regulating finance and taxation plus a huge transformational programme aimed at substantially reducing the use of fossil fuels and, in the process, tackling the unemployment and decline in demand caused by the credit crunch. It involves policies and new funding mechanisms that will reduce emissions and allow us to cope better with the coming energy shortages caused by peak oil.

International in outlook, the Green New Deal requires action at local, national, regional and global levels. Focusing first on the specific needs of the UK, the Green New Deal outlines an interlocking programme of action that will require an ambitious legislative programme backed by a bold new alliance of industry, agriculture, labour and environmentalists.

The Green New Deal report:

This report is the first publication of the Green New Deal Group. Meeting since early 2007, its membership is drawn to reflect a wide range of expertise relating to the current financial, energy and environmental crises. The views and recommendations of the report are those of the group writing in their individual capacities. The report is published on behalf of the Green New Deal Group by nef (the new economics foundation).

Proposal's set out in the Group's report include:

The Green New Deal will rekindle a vital sense of purpose, restoring public trust and refocusing the use of capital on public priorities and sustainability. In this way it can also help deliver a wide range of social benefits that can greatly improve quality of life in the future. There is also an immediate imperative to restore some faith that society can survive the dreadful threats it now faces as a result of the triple crunch.

Beyond that, the Group's members believe we can deliver a crucial national plan for a low-energy future and its provision on the ground. The absence of any such plan at present leaves the country very vulnerable.

The Green New Deal Group is:

Larry Elliott, Economics Editor of the Guardian,

Colin Hines,Co-Director of Finance for the Future, former head of Greenpeace International's Economics Unit,

Tony Juniper, former Director of Friends of the Earth,

Jeremy Leggett, founder and Chairman of Solarcentury and SolarAid,

Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP,

Richard Murphy, Co-Director of Finance for the Future and Director, Tax Research LLP,

Ann Pettifor, former head of the Jubilee 2000 debt relief campaign, Campaign Director of Operation Noah,

Charles Secrett, Advisor on Sustainable Development, former Director of Friends of the Earth,

Andrew Simms, Policy Director, nef (the new economics foundation).

Read the Green New Deal report

Driven by Ignorance

25th July 2008

UK car manufacturers and dealers must do more to publicise the CO2 emissions of the vehicles they sell, a leading environmental body has demanded.
A wide-ranging review of the passenger car market over the past four decades by independent environmental organisation the Energy Saving Trust has found that car buyers are making "poor choices, both economically and environmentally" when it comes to buying new cars - despite good incentives to choose low CO2 vehicles and a wider range of vehicle models available.

And it points to a "market failure", citing "the current market structure, where more desirable cars within vehicle model ranges tend to have higher CO2 emissions and lack of awareness and advice which makes carbon dioxide-saving information clearer".

The findings of the report - Driven - are backed up by consumer research, commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust and launched today, which shows that nearly three-quarters of UK drivers (74 per cent) do not know how much carbon dioxide their car emits. Yet when buying a car nine in ten people (89 per cent) want environmental features brought to their attention.

The survey of 1511 UK drivers found that nearly half (48 per cent) are considering replacing their car in the next year. And if everyone who buys a new car chooses the greenest car in its class - e.g. supermini/MPV - a typical motorist could save £375 a year in fuel costs, or nearly £1bn for all UK motorists. This does not include savings in terms of lower vehicle purchase costs and reduced vehicle excise duty and insurance.

According to Energy Saving Trust Chief Executive Philip Sellwood car manufacturers, dealers and drivers all have a vital role to play.

He said: "The bottom line is that, at the moment, the car market is failing: there is no good reason why at a time of rising fuel prices and higher vehicle excise duties for higher CO2  vehicles, people are continuing to buy inefficient cars. It's not good for the environment or the pockets of customers.

"While car manufacturers are starting to place CO2 information more prominently in their advertising, this is only helpful up to a certain point. For many years, manufacturers have marketed the higher-carbon vehicles within a vehicle range as better quality, more expensive, faster and even more desirable, influencing consumers to make irrational choices with regard to fuel and running costs. Dealers are making inroads by displaying information on the cost implications of choosing greener cars more prominently.  However, more still needs to be done to help educate drivers earlier on in the decision making process."

He added: "It is difficult for consumers to understand the meaning of CO2 information without comparison to other vehicles in their class. Consumer transport advice being provided through our network of advice centres can help consumers make those informed choices."

According to Energy Saving Trust figures, new vehicles registered in the UK in 2007 produce annual emissions of 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide but the organisation predicts this could be reduced by 25 per cent over the next five years through encouraging the purchase of cars with lower emissions.

Sellwood added: "Our research shows that while consumers want to know about environmental features, at present the vast majority do not know the basics like how much CO2 their car emits.

"The Energy Saving Trust wants to help the public make better choices. We are not telling everybody to go out and buy a hybrid or electric car but we are urging motorists to buy the greenest car in its class."

The Energy Saving Trust's consumer research also found that:

· Fifty per cent say they would drive more efficiently if they had more information as to how it would save money and carbon dioxide emissions.
· More than half (51 per cent) of those shown a list of popular cars had no idea which was greenest.
· When looking at car advertisements and asked what grabs their attention, fuel efficiency came third (18 per cent), behind style and look (23 per cent), and price (24 per cent).
· More than half (51 per cent) say they take the car to travel distances of less than one mile, with this figure rising to seven in ten (71 per cent) for a journey of fewer than one-and-a-half miles. And almost two thirds (63 per cent) say bad weather was a reason for taking the car rather than walking a short distance.

Sellwood comments: "It is also true that consumers need to play their part. People need to think twice about taking the car to the end of the road for a pint of milk if it's raining. It's expensive in every respect."

In the UK, the road transport sector produces around a quarter of CO2 emissions, with nearly 60 per cent coming from passenger cars.

While emissions from most sectors have been decreasing, transport emissions have increased significantly since the 1970s. Since 1970, sales of vehicles in the UK have risen from one million to more than 2.4 million per year, with people keeping their cars for between three and five years before replacing them.

The report finds that while in most consumer markets, products become more efficient and smaller as they evolve over time, this has not happened with cars. In fact, the opposite is true: cars are now larger, more powerful and heavier than they have ever been. Studies show that vehicle weight has increased by between 30 and 40 per cent since the 1970s.

The report also considers "smarter driving" and finds that drivers can save 15 per cent on running costs if they follow efficient driving techniques. And the Energy Saving Trust calculates that if every driver in the UK drove their cars smarter, motorists could save nearly £6bn per year in fuel costs.

Funded by the Department for Transport, the Energy Saving Trust has recently started to provide consumer transport advice through its network of advice centres on helping consumers to purchase lower-carbon vehicles and to drive their cars more efficiently.

Drivers who want advice on which cars to buy and how to drive them in an eco-friendly manner should call 0800 512 012.

For tips on "smart driving" log on to: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/efficientdriving

To find out more about how to identify the greenest car in a vehicle range, log on to www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/buyinganewcar

Driven can be downloaded from www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/driven

Rising Tide

Thames faces floods and droughts

4x4s Attacked

21st July 2008

Villagers in an Oxfordshire village have woken to find their 4x4 cars vandalised by environmentalists. Tyres were let down and warning letters stuck on the windscreens of at least six vehicles in Marston. The letters read: "Your destructive vehicle and scores of others across Oxford has been disabled as part of a wider struggle to a vertaglobal emergency."

Last night Thames Valley Police said they were investigating the attacks. Daniel Lea, whose Honda CRV was targeted, said: "It won't stop me driving."

The village is not known as a hot-bed of radicalism, but the Greens have a strong prescence in nearby Oxford.

Previously campaigners opposed to 4x4, like the Alliance Against Urban 4x4s have stuck to legal, gentle persuasion, like putting mock parking tickets on vehicles asking the owner to consider a more environmentally responsible choice of vehicle.

The letting down of tyres is a marked escalation of the campaign by unknown activists not associated with the Alliance. In America more extreme action has taken place in which some Hummer showrooms have been torched and cars attacked.

Make the Polluter Pay

Scrap Road Tax and charge the polluters instead

19th July 2008

Caroline Lucas MEP, Green Party Principal Speaker, has condemned Alastair Darling's decision to delay the planned increase in fuel duty for a second time.

Dr Lucas argues that cutting fuel prices, increasing fuel consumption, can only deepen the looming crisis. Instead, Greens want the Road Tax scrapped, moving the responsibility onto fuel duty, a windfall tax on excess oil company profits, and an increase in public transport investment. Dr Lucas told Eco:

"Once again, we're being held hostage by the big energy companies, and are paying for it at the pump. Alastair Darling thinks subsidising higher fuel use will help, but that is exactly the thinking that caused the problem in the first place.

"The government needs to give motorists a fair deal: scrap Road Tax and charge the biggest polluters most, and spend the money on real public transport alternatives so people have the choice not to drive.

"The real cost of motoring has fallen by 4 per cent since 2005, yet the oil lobby has consistently argued for more road building, more traffic, more pollution. They have attempted to block every effort to reduce our dependency on petrol.

"The inevitable result is that oil prices - and oil profits - rise. And the lobbyists demand that the rest of us pay for it through our taxes, or in cuts to services.

"If Darling cared about motorists or our future, he would reinstate the fuel duty rise but abolish the unfair Road Tax. He would levy a windfall tax on the massive profits the oil corporations are making out of our misery. And he would spend the money giving us te affordable, reliable public transport we desperately need."

Black Mark for Schools

17th July 2008

Carbon emissions from state schools are to be included in a pioneering carbon trading scheme for local authorities from April 2010, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn announced today.

Energy use in schools will count towards the total emissions of local authorities under the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), the mandatory trading scheme that will encourage local authorities to reduce emissions.

Local authorities will be encouraged within the scheme to provide help and advice to schools on energy efficiency – cutting both their energy bills and their carbon footprints.

Hilary Benn made the announcement as he published new research which shows that 90 per cent of children think their school can take action to help tackle climate change.

Full story

Carbon Smokescreen

Government’s carbon capture push “exposes incoherence of its energy policy”

The government was today criticised by environmentalists over its latest plans for more coal power stations.

Last night, the Government announced the publication of a consultation on carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Robin Oakley, the head of Greenpeace's climate and energy campaign, said:

"Coal burning is the single greatest threat to our climate, and this announcement does nothing to change that. It's nothing more than a smokescreen.

"This short-sighted push to approve a new fleet of coal plants is totally at odds with the encouraging renewable energy package released last week, and it exposes the incoherence of the Government's approach to energy policy.

"If the Government was serious about tackling climate change caused by coal, it should set tough limits on emissions from power stations similar to those already in place in California and supported by both the Tories and the Lib Dems."

Read more about CCS

Get On Board Petition

WWF Get on Board petition delivered to Downing Street

2nd July 2008

After a 10 day voyage in the Arctic, students Emma Biermann and Casper ter Kuile from Warwick University have been to Downing Street to deliver a petition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. WWF-UK's Get on Board petition asks the Government to commit to reduce the UK's CO2 emissions by at least 80% by 2050 in the Climate Change Bill currently going through parliament. It also calls for this to include emissions from international aviation and shipping.
The pair have just been on an arctic voyage which set off from Svalbard, Norway, where they visited some of the area's fjords to witness the shrinking glaciers and reduction in sea ice. They also sailed to Ny Ålesund, the most northern settlement in the world at 78 degrees N and an international centre for Arctic research. During the trip the students were able to see the wealth of Arctic wildlife including seals, walrus, reindeer and the critically-threatened polar bear, whose habitat is disappearing.
"It is essential that the petition is taken on board by the government because the situation is far more urgent than many people had feared", said Emma. "Visiting the Arctic and hearing the scientific background has confirmed how serious this issue is. We need to work for a global social movement that will put pressure on governments worldwide to make long-term decisions about people and planet."
Casper said: "Seeing the beautiful Arctic landscape with its vastness, the snow-capped peaks and glaciers feeding into the ocean really formed a clear picture of the changes that are taking place. The message we've taken to Downing Street is that we must strengthen the Climate Change Bill to set a target for the UK to reduce carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2050, including emissions from boats and planes."
As well as witnessing the natural environment, the students also received lectures from WWF staff and experts in the field on the effects of climate change, the tipping points and feedback mechanisms (when melting sea ice reduces the area of white surface able to reflect the sun's heat and the exposed ocean then absorbs yet more heat). They also learnt about the growing economic interests in the Arctic from oil and gas, fishing and shipping industries and the dangers these pose.
Having experienced first-hand the harsh realities of the impacts of global warming in the Arctic and gaining a wealth of new knowledge of climate change, they will continue to work as young ambassadors with WWF to deliver the message for urgent action on this issue.
Read the blogs and see the pictures from their journey.

Sutton goes for biodiesel

20th June 2008

A quarter of Sutton Council vehicles are filling up with environmentally friendly biodiesel.

Since the end of May, about 40 vehicles ranging from refuse trucks to small vans have been using 30 per cent biodiesel after a successful trial of vehicles using five per cent biofuel.

Councillor Colin Hall, Executive Member for Environment, said: “Biodiesel is far more environmentally friendly than using finite fuels. If all diesel vehicles in London local authority fleets used 30 per cent biodiesel, we could prevent 31,500 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide ending up in the atmosphere each year.

“What we are doing is an important step towards that. We will be closely monitoring both the efficiency of this fuel in our vehicles and world events to make sure it is of benefit both to us and the planet.

“However, we are a forward-thinking and green minded council and will be looking at ways to reduce our vehicle emissions even further. One option we are investigating is to collect used cooking oil from local restaurants and convert it into biodiesel.” 

The council is expecting a proposal from SWELTRAC to develop the Therapia Lane depot into a specialised centre for collecting old oils such as cooking oil and mixing it into different concentrations of biofuel. SWELTRAC’s BISTRO project aims to collect used cooking oil from businesses in South London to produce biofuel locally.

Cllr Hall said: “This is another exciting possibility for us where we could be at the heart of new green technology and really make a difference. If we can create our own fuel in London we can reduce our carbon footprint even further because we won’t need to import or transport fuel anything like as far.”

The council’s fleet comprises of 170 vehicles including refuse trucks, road sweepers, caged vehicles, mobile libraries, meals on wheels vans and minibuses. Most are leased or contract hired.

In May 2006 100 of these vehicles started using five per cent biodiesel of which 40 will now upgrade to take 30 per cent biodiesel.

The upgrade is in keeping with findings from a report into possible alternative fuel use by SEA/Renue, which suggests Sutton should begin moving vehicles on to this higher concentration of biofuel.

The report, commissioned by the council, also said Sutton should consider building a plant to make biodiesel from cooking oil to provide green fuel for the future.

Sutton Council will use one of two suppliers for the new fuel; Linton Fuel Oils and Bioroute. Both companies abide by sustainable purchasing policies to ensure their fuel is from an ethical and sustainable source and does not contribute to rising food prices. Biodiesel from Linton Fuel Oils is derived from recovered cooking oils and from rapeseed grown and crushed in the UK. The majority of Bioroute’s product is produced and blended in Europe from virgin rape seed or other environmentally friendly and sustainable vegetable oils.

Beavers are Back

26th May 2008

For the first time in 400 years, the European beaver will return to Britain, when four families of beavers are released in Scotland in Spring 2009. The release has been approved by the Scottish Parliament after years of debate, and will be the first time that a mammal has been formally introduced in the UK. Environment Minister Michael Russell has given the go-ahead for up to four beaver families to be released in Knapdale, Argyll, on a trial basis.

The beavers will be caught in Norway and kept in quarantine ahead of the release. Mr Russell commented:

"The beaver was hunted to extinction in this country in the 16th Century and I am delighted that this wonderful species will be making a comeback. They are charismatic, resourceful little mammals and I fully expect their reappearance in Knapdale to draw tourists from around the British Isles and even further afield. Other parts of Europe, with a similar landscape to Scotland, have reintroduced beavers and evidence has shown that they can also have positive ecological benefits, such as creating and maintaining a habitat hospitable to other species."

David Windmill, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: "It is a strong and visible sign of the Scottish Government's commitment to carrying out conservation in Scotland and re-building our depleted biodiversity."

Professor Colin Galbraith, director of policy for Scottish Natural Heritage, said:

"The decision is excellent news. For the first time we will have the opportunity to see how beavers fit into the Scottish countryside in a planned and managed trial. No other beaver reintroduction project in Europe has gone through such a long, and thorough, process of preparation, assessment and examination."

Allan Bantick, chairman of the Scottish Beaver Trial Steering Group, said it was a "historic moment" for wildlife conservation. By bringing these useful creatures back to their native environment we will have the chance to restore a missing part of our wetland ecosystems and re-establish much needed natural processes".

Fuel Riots in Indonesia

25th May 2008

In a sign of the growing tensions over the rising price of oil, there have been riots in Indonesia, triggered by the Government raising the price of fuel by 30%. Several hundred students were involved in the riots, and dozens of people were arrested. Students were arrested after throwing rocks and firebombs at officers and burning tyres during protests at the university campus. More arrests were reported at a separate demonstration outside the presidential palace. There were also reports of rallies in the second city Surabaya. Millions of Indonesians live on less than $2 a day, and have been hit by the inflated costs of rice and fuel.

Fuel has been heavily subsidised in much of Asia, but the global price rise has stretched resources to the limit. Malaysia is also considering overhauling its subsidy system, and Taiwan has decided to end a freeze on petrol prices in June. China also heavily subsidises fuel but currently has the resources to ride out the storm.

In Europe there have been protests by French fishermen, who have blockaded the port of Cherbourg with a steel cable, trapping large numbers of vessels, including several British ones.

Melting Methane

Pools like this one in Siberia have started bubbling methane

25th May 2008

For some time, scientists have viewed the melting of methane hydrates found in the Arctic permafrost and on the ocean floor, as the nightmare scenario, a possible consequence of global warming that is the worst outcome imaginable. After several decades of stability, there are signs that the level of methane in the atmosphere is rising.

Indications that methane levels might be rising came last month, when the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) released a preliminary analysis of readings taken at monitoring stations worldwide. Noaa suggested that 2007 had seen a global rise of about 0.5% in the atmospheric concentration. Some stations around the Arctic showed rises of more than double that amount. One is the station at Mount Zeppelin in Svalbard, north of Scandinavia.

The problem with methane is that the gas is about 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, and there are enormous amounts stored in the tundra and on the seabed. While it is frozen, it is safely stored away, but as temperatures are rising, it is thawing, bubbling away in pools in Siberia. More methane in the atmosphere means more warming, creating a vicious feedback, which has the potential to trigger global warming so severe it could wipe out life on earth.

The public are not getting this message from politicians as it is not pleasant to think about, but the scientists' nightmare scenario becomes more likely, the more temperatures rise.

At a time when people are calling for a cut on fuel duty to allow them to carry on driving and taking foreign holidays, it will be a courageous politician who tells the electorate that in fact we need higher taxes to protect the atmosphere from runaway global warming.

Big Oil comes to Sussex

20th May 2008

Britain's Got Talent

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn

2nd May 2008

Environmental talent key to economic growth: Ministers

Britain must remain at the forefront of the green industrial revolution, creating jobs and economic growth, ministers said today as they published plans to work with business to build a low carbon economy in Britain.

The Government has committed to working with business to make the UK one of the best places in the world to develop and introduce low carbon, resource efficient products and services, and has today published Building a Low Carbon Economy: Unlocking Environmental Innovation and Skills in response to the Commission on Environmental Markets and Economic Performance (CEMEP), which reported late last year.

The Government has identified four main prerequisites for building a low carbon economy:

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said:

“The UK has a history of moving early on green issues. For example, the Climate Change Bill currently before Parliament is the first of its kind in the world, and it will create certainty for businesses and investors in green industry for decades to come.

“The Government is committed to building a low carbon economy, here and around the world.  That means a complete change in the way we live and an economic transformation that will put Britain at the forefront of a technological revolution in the way we use and source our energy. It is the talent of our people that will bring about that revolution.”

Business Secretary John Hutton said:

“By the end of the decade, global green industries will be worth as much as the global aerospace industry – in the order of £350 billion a year – and with the potential to create thousands of new green collar jobs in Britain. So there is a clear business case for maximising the opportunities presented by climate change and making sure that Britain unlocks these business opportunities. 
“That's why next month we will hold, with the Royal Bank of Scotland, a low carbon economy summit to help identify what further action both government and business need to take.  At the same time, we continue to work to ensure a secure, diverse and increasingly low-carbon energy mix for the UK."

The Government has already:

The City of London has become a global hub for carbon trading and the UK is also poised to become the world leader in installed capacity of offshore wind.  We have a strong history of innovation and remain world leaders in scientific research.

CEMEP was established in November 2006 to examine what Britain needed to do to ensure we are in the best possible position to seize the new opportunities presented by the environmental sector, and how Government can support this. Chaired by two Cabinet ministers, the Commission’s members were drawn from business, trade unions, NGOs and universities across a range of sectors. 

UN Acts on Food Crisis

John Holmes, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

1st May 2008

The United Nations is aiming to have a comprehensive plan to tackle the global food crisis in place by the beginning of June, “around which the institutions and leaders around the world can coalesce,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said today.

Mr. Holmes is one of two coordinators, along with UN System Influenza Coordinator David Nabarro, of a new high-powered task force that was announced yesterday by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to organize responses to the global rise in food prices.

Mr. Holmes told Eco in Geneva today that although the breadth and complexity of the issue needed to be recognized, there was no need to panic:

“I think it is clear we can fix these problems. The solutions can be found; the solutions are there. They are very difficult, some of them, in the short term, but they can be done.”

On the role of biofuel production in the current crisis, Mr. Holmes said: “It is something that needs a new look in present circumstances without wanting to fall in any sense into knee-jerk reactions of saying all biofuels are bad or good. We need to look at it in a careful, sophisticated and differentiated way, between different regions of the world and between different products.”

The Under-Secretary-General also said the crisis was not affecting every country in the same way. “For many countries and population groups it is inconvenient, a problem for their daily budget and their purses, but it is not a matter of life and death. In some places and for some groups, particularly those living on less than a dollar a day, that quickly could become a matter of life and death, or certainly of increased suffering and malnutrition.”

The UN’s action plan is to be in place in time for a meeting of UN agencies in Rome at the beginning of June. The task force is chaired by Mr. Ban and consists of the heads of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and other organizations which will be invited to join.

Labour MPs rebel on energy vote

1st May 2008

33 Labour MPs - half of the Government's majority - voted against the Government in favour of an amendment to the Energy Bill which would have encouraged homes, businesses and communities to install renewable energy systems such as solar panels. Although the amendment was not successful it had drawn widespread public and cross party support. Friends of the Earth's Economics campaigner, Dave Timms said: "This vote clearly shows that Labour MPs are unhappy with the Government's appalling record on renewable energy.

"Feed-in tariffs could provide a real financial incentive for homes, businesses and communities to install green energy systems and help tackle climate change.

"There is enormous and growing support for a UK feed-in tariff. The House of Lords must amend the Energy Bill to introduce this vital policy for supporting renewable energy."

The amendment - tabled by Labour MP Alan Simpson and backed by Friends of the Earth - would have required energy companies to give long-term contracts guaranteeing a premium price for all renewable energy generated by homes, businesses and communities.

The scheme, known as a feed-in tariff, would make renewable technologies significantly more cost-effective to install.

The Government has said that it will look at a feed-in tariff as part of a review of renewable energy later this year. However they have refused to include powers in the Energy Bill to set one up.

Welcome to Eco Island

Isle of Wight to host Big Green Picnic

29th April 2008

Thousands of Isle of Wight residents and tourists alike are being invited along to a green themed extravaganza taking place in Newport at the end of May. 

Isle of Wight Council is hosting its "Big Green Picnic" in Newport town centre over the weekend of 24th and 25th May, where businesses, arts organisations and public sector bodies such as Isle of Wight Council will be showing off fun-filled ways in which the Isle of Wight can go Green. 

The Big Green Picnic follows on from the hugely successful Eco Island conference which was staged on the Isle of Wight in March this year. 

This time, the emphasis of the weekend is exploring ways in which individuals and families can do their bit to help the Island with its long term aim of having the lowest carbon footprint in England by 2020. 

Exhibitors range from a solar powered toy exhibition staged by the Medina Valley Centre to a special "Bestival" bandstand organised by one of the Island's most popular music festivals which will feature local bands. 

Other exhibitors include Quay Arts and Smallfoot - a new local eco-friendly mobile coffee company which has just started on the Island and sells organic fairtrade tea, coffee and hot chocolate from the back of a 1940s Italian moped. 

There will be exhibitions from firms selling solar panels, wind turbines and rainwater harvesting equipment, a Women's Institute tea tent, and an exhibition of new eco-friendly buses by Southern Vectis. There will be an exhibition from the Isle of Wight Council's Parks and Countryside section showing a range of the Isle of Wight's stunning walks in its beautiful landscape as well as a planter of drought tolerant plants. 

Also at the council exhibition will be information about composting and Eco Island. 

Hosts of voluntary organisations, public bodies and traders will also be present at the event which takes place in Quay Street and the car park. 

Isle of Wight Council leader Councillor David Pugh said:"Our ambitious Eco Island strategy sets out how the Isle of Wight will become a dynamic and thriving community in balance with its local environment. We staged a successful Eco Island conference last month which set out our vision and encouraged local businesses to play their part in creating a place which residents and visitors alike can be proud of. 

"But it is also down to individuals to do their bit to protect our beautiful environment for future generations. The Big Green Picnic will give visitors, residents and their families a marvellous fun day out, whilst at the same time furthering our Eco Island vision."

Gardening leave:

Afghan style

A girl in a potato field in Bamyan

29th April 2008

A United Nations gardening and literacy project for Afghan women and ex-combatants seeks to pave the way to peace and prosperity in the war-torn nation.
Aimed at reversing environmental damage wrought by decades of conflict, uncontrolled grazing and illegal logging, the Green Afghanistan Initiative (GAIN) – run by six UN agencies, led by the World Food Programme (WFP) – will give participants the chance to make a fresh start through literacy classes and setting up their own nurseries to generate an income.

“These nurseries are making a huge difference to the lives of ordinary Afghan people and also to our environment,” Obaidulla Ghafouri, the programme’s coordinator told Eco, at the GAIN's Heart centre, noting that rural communities and farmers’ livelihoods have been impacted by deforestation.

He noted that the nurseries provide regular jobs for ex-combatants and also for women, who can support their families with income earned while attending literacy classes.

More than 500 GAIN nurseries have been set up throughout Afghanistan since 2005, and by the end of this year, more than 5 million plant saplings will have been grown and over 1 million trees planted.

The country is prone to desertification, and this has been exacerbated by limited rainfall, mismanagement, abuse of natural resources, droughts, floods and population growth.

GAIN-backed provincial re-forestation centres – seeking to boost public awareness on the issue – will be established, serving as both agricultural knowledge centres and high-yield nurseries.

    "Green Show" Postponed

The Green Show which was due to take place at London Olympia in May has been postponed due to a clash with other green events, and to allow time for a larger event to take place at the same venue on 25th-26th October.

Illegal fishers

plunder Arctic waters

17th April 2008

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) has warned in a new report that Alaska pollock, a species increasingly being promoted in the UK as an alternative to overfished cod, is at threat from illegal fishing. While progress is being made in tackling illegal fishing for Atlantic cod in the Arctic, huge number of illegal landings of both Atlantic cod and Alaska pollock are continuing to make their way to international markets.
"Pervasive and highly profitable illegal fishing for Alaska pollock and Atlantic cod in the Arctic is threatening the health of these globally important ecosystems," said Giles Bartlett, Fisheries Policy Officer at WWF-UK.
"WWF-UK is concerned about the ability of Arctic fish to cope with climate change, with illegal fishing being an added stress that can reduce the capacity of fish populations to adapt and survive. This comes at a time when the UK is importing significant quantities of cod and pollock from the Arctic, due to depleted cod stocks in European waters," he explained.
About 70% of the world's white fish supply comes from the Arctic, with the world's last large cod stock found in the Barents Sea. According to Norwegian government figures, more than 100,000 tonnes of illegal cod, valued at €225 million (£180 million), was caught in the Barents Sea in 2005.
Concerted efforts by industry, government and environmental groups to clamp down on this illegal activity has seen illegal landings cut by 50%, but illegal fishing for Alaska Pollock in the Russian Far-East remains a problem.
While investigation into illegal fishing in the Russian Far-East is less exhaustive than in the Barents Sea, the new report, Illegal Fishing in Arctic Waters, shows that in the Sea of Okhotsk alone, illegal landings of Alaska pollock can reach a value of more than €45 million (£36 million) annually. The economic loss to the legitimate fishing industry and public purse is estimated at €210 million (£168 million).
"Illegal fishing in the Arctic is a serious international crime crossing European, African, Asian and American borders," said Dr Neil Hamilton, Director of WWF International's Arctic Programme.
"Cheats are putting short-term profits ahead of the long-term survival of Arctic fisheries," he explained.
Barents Sea cod is taken mainly by Norwegian, Russian and EU fishers, while the bulk of the Alaska pollock catch, fished mainly in the Western Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk, is taken by Russian fleets with China the largest buyer. With markets spread across the globe, the distribution of black market cod and pollock is a global problem.
WWF-UK is alarmed that several EU member states are opposing the current European Commission (EC) proposal to address illegal fishing. The EC is calling for a ban on illegal fish or fisheries products entering the EU market and major fines for EU and non-EU vessels caught fishing illegally.

Rising Tide

16th April 2008

A new study has predicted that sea levels will rise by one and a half metres by the end of the century. That means that within the lifetimes of today's children, low-lying nations such as Bangladesh will become uninhabitable, displacing millions of people.

The new analysis comes from a UK/Finnish team which has built a computer model linking temperatures to sea levels for the last two millennia. This is substantially more than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast in last year's landmark assessment of climate science. The IPCC was unable to include the contribution from "accelerated" melting of polar ice sheets as water temperatures warm because the processes involved were not yet understood.

"For the past 2,000 years, the [global average] sea level was very stable, it only varied by about 20cm," said Svetlana Jevrejeva from the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL), near Liverpool.

"But by the end of the century, we predict it will rise by between 0.8m and 1.5m. The rapid rise in the coming years is associated with the rapid melting of ice sheets. We know what's happening today from satellite data, but trying to predict what that means in the future is very difficult science," noted Steve Nerem from the University of Colorado, whose own research concerns global sea levels.

"There's a lot of evidence out there that we're going to see at least a metre of sea level rise by 2100," he said.

"We're seeing big changes in Greenland, we're seeing big changes in West Antarctica, so we're expecting this to show up in the sea level data as an increase in the rate we've been observing."

Scientists fiercely debate how much sea levels will rise, with the IPCC predicting increases of between 18 cm and 59 cm.

"The IPCC numbers are underestimates," said Simon Holgate, of the Proudman Laboratory.

Developing nations in Africa and Asia who lack the infrastructural means to build up flood defences will suffer most. They include countries like Bangladesh, almost of all of whose land surface is a within a metre of the current sea level. However the developed will world will not be unaffected, and will have to help house climate refugees. If the sea level rises by one metre, 72 million Chinese people will be displaced, and 10 percent of the Vietnamese population.

Sea Shepherd Boat Boarded

12th April 2008

At 0700 Hours (PST) and 0800 Hours Atlantic time the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Farley Mowat was attacked by officers from two Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers the Des Groseilliers and the Sir Wifred Grenfell.

Captain Alex Cornelissen informed the boarders that the Farley Mowat is a Dutch registered ship in international waters and that Canada had no legal right to restrict the free passage of the vessel through international waters.

The ship was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence well beyond the Canadian twelve mile territorial limit.

Captain Paul Watson was speaking by phone with Farley Mowat communications officer Shannon Mann when he heard the voices of men screaming for the crew to fall to the floor. The men carried guns according to Mann and could be heard by Captain Watson threatening the Farley Mowat’s crew. As Captain Watson was speaking with Shannon Mann, the Satellite phone went dead and nothing more has been heard from the Sea Shepherd crew.

The Farley Mowat was documenting violations of the humane regulations and gathering proof that the seals were being killed in an inhumane manner. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is assuming that the video tapes will be seized by the Canadian authorities.

There are 17 crewmembers onboard the Dutch registered Farley Mowat from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, South Africa, Canada and the United States.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been cut off from communication with the crew and has no information on where the vessel will be taken. Sea Shepherd has no information on the condition of the crew and the Society is deeply concerned for their crew.

“This is an act of war,” said Captain Paul Watson. “The Canadian government has just sent an armed boarding party onto a Dutch registered yacht in international waters and has seized the ship. Considering that the mission of the Farley Mowat was to document evidence of cruelty by sealers to support a European initiative to ban seal products, I can predict that the Europeans will not be very pleased with this move and most likely this move by Loyola Hearn will guarantee that this bill is passed. In other words the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has just handed us the victory that we were looking for.”

Melting Planet

27th March 2008

Scientists have expressed alarm at news that another ice shelf, the size of the Isle of Man, is about to break away from Antarctica. Satellite images suggest that part of the ice shelf is disintegrating, and will soon crumble away.

The Wilkins Ice Shelf has been stable for most of the last century, but began retreating in the 1990s. A large part of the Shelf, measuring 5,000 square miles in western Antarctica, is now supported by just a thin strip of ice and is unlikely to survive another year.

Professor David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said: "Wilkins is the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula yet to be threatened. I didn't expect to see things happen this quickly. The ice shelf is hanging by a thread - we'll know in the next few days or weeks what its fate will be."

Since an ice shelf is a floating platform of ice, the break-up will have no impact on sea level. However scientists say it heightens concerns over the impact of climate change on this part of Antarctica. Temperatures in the Antarctic peninsula - the large "finger" of the continent which points towards South America - have gone up by 3C in the last 30 years. It is the biggest increase in temperatures observed anywhere on Earth over the past half-century.

Although the summer melting period in Antarctica is coming to an end, making it unlikely there will be further collapse before next year, Prof Vaughan said a major storm in the coming days could accelerate the disintegration.

Professor Vaughan, who in 1993 predicted the northern part of Wilkins Ice Shelf was likely to be lost within 30 years, said: "Wilkins is the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic peninsula yet to be threatened. I didn't expect to see things happen this quickly".

Defra in Flights Scandal

Francis Maude MP exposes Defra hypocrisy

27th March 2008

The Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA)  is at the centre of a scandal, accused  of hypocrisy after the Conservatives revealed that government departments flew the equivalent of 12,240 times around the world last year. Defra spent £1.8m in 20 months, including £316,750 on flights to the USA. 

A Conservative party spokesperson commented: "You can understand the travel by the Foreign Office, the MoD and the Department for International Development. But the amount of travel by some domestic government departments is extraordinary. The travel by Defra is ridiculous. It lectures everyone else and then lets its officials take to the air." Shadow Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said: "Ministers and Ken Livingstone are failing to practise what they preach on the environment, as they and their civil servants jet around the world on foreign jaunts."
Using government carbon offsetting statistics, the Tories calculated that public servants managed 306m air miles last year, of which 176m were by the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development. Cabinet Office staff traveled 38.4m miles and the Metropolitan Police staff flew nearly 17m miles. Even Greater London Authority staff flew 600,000 miles. 

A Government spokesman told Eco: "The government would never indulge in unnecessary air travel but no one should try to suggest Britain's interests can only be pursued over the phone. For example, Defra sent delegations to important international environmental talks helping to secure crucial environmental commitments."

Time for a

Green MP?

24th March 2008

Around the world Green Party members are getting elected to Parliament, from Australia and France, to Canada. Scotland and Ireland have Green Members of Parliament. But not yet England. That could be about to change. Awareness of environmental issues has never been greater, and there is a growing sense of frustration with the traditional parties, and their failure to practice what they preach, and their mixed messages, calling at the same time for protection of the environment while promoting economic growth as the mantra that will solve all ills. People are questioning how the Government can claim to be taking action on climate change while planning the expansion of Heathrow and other airports, the growth of the road network, and the opening of a new coal –fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent. The Green Party now has dozens of local Councillors, and the next step is an MP. So where might this happen?                            

Adrian Ramsay

The Green Party has strong representation in Norwich, where Adrian Ramsay is the candidate. Norwich is a City keen to keep its unique character, and its many independent local businesses rather than the monotonous chain stores which have taken over so much of Britain. In local elections Norwich has turned in an impressive array of Green councillors, and it will be one of the contenders to elect a Green Party MP at the next General Election.

Darren Johnson

Also in the running is Greater London Assembly Member Darren Johnson, who is also leader of the Greens on Lewisham Council, securing the highest vote of any councillor on the entire council last year. One ward in Lewisham saw a 46% vote for the Greens recently. Darren is a confident and entertaining speaker, and has a long record of election successes. With his high profile from working on the Greater London Assembly, he will be a strong contender in the Lewisham Deptford ward at the next General Election.  

Caroline Lucas

Perhaps the front-runner to be the first Green MP is Caroline Lucas, a Member of the European Parliament. A former Councillor in Oxford, she has moved to Brighton and is prospective candidate for the Brighton Pavilion Ward. Brighton has 12 Green councillors, and in a recent by-election in the Regency ward, the Greens polled 41%. At the last General Election the Greens polled an impressive 22%, and effective work by the local party has given a strong platform for further success.  Caroline has a high profile and may also be in the running to be the Green Party’s first leader, following the internal vote last year to drop the confusing “Principal Speakers” model it has had for many years.  

If the Green Party in England does finally get its first MP, it will have been a long time coming. The Party was years ahead of its time in highlighting the many environmental problems the world now faces, and representation at the national level might shake the traditional parties out of their complacency.

Mafia Mozzarella Mahem

24th March 2008

The topping on a billion pizzas is at the centre of a health scare involving the Mafia and illegal dumping of waste. Mozzarella cheese is made from buffalo milk to produce the purest form of the rubbery, cream-coloured delicacy – mozzarella di bufala. Now it has emerged that some of the cheese contains dangerously high levels of dioxin, one of the dealiest known toxins.

Italy's public health authorities believe that the contamination is the result of illegal dumping of toxic waste in Campania, an area of Italy where the waste industry is under the control of the "Camorra", a local branch of the Mafia, the same area which has been hit by the waste disposal crisis in Naples, where the streets have been clogged with rubbish for months.

Many people are naturally linking the contamination of buffalo milk with the local waste and pollution scandal. "Of course we don't know for sure scientifically, but the high rate of dioxin is most likely linked to what the buffaloes ate," an Italian environmental official has admitted, adding that the buffalo "grazed in areas where we know that toxic waste has been dumped in recent years".

Italian officials have investigated dozens of buffalo dairies and seized milk samples for testing, after higher-than-permitted levels of dioxins were discovered in products from 29 mozzarella producers. Chemists analysed milk samples taken from some 2,000 herds of buffalo, the herds attached to 66 dairies have been quarantined pending further investigations.

Naples  prosecutors have placed 109 people under investigation on suspicion of fraud and food poisoning. As as result, sales of mozzarella across Italy have fallen by up to 50 per cent, and are destined to fall further as news of waste scandal spreads.

A consortium of mozzarella producers has hit back by taking an advertisement saying:

"Considering these norms, buffalo milk – before being transformed – is placed under the most stringent health and chemical controls which guarantee the safety and quality of Campania's DOP buffalo mozzarella."

Fiddling While Home Burns

13th March 2008

The Chancellor Alistair Darling had promised a Budget with sustainability at its heart. What has been delivered is a business as usual Budget with measures that have minimal environmental benefit if any at all. Instead of urgent taxes to curb air travel there are measures to cut queues at airports. Instead of raising fuel duty, it has effectively been cut. The Chancellor found a few million for home insulation, while billions are being spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There were headline grabbing measures on plastic bags (still relying on voluntary co-operation), and to tax gas guzzling cars (if you are spending £30,000 on a car, a little more is unlike to put you off).

At a time when the world faces the worst environmental crisis in 10,000 years, due to climate change, and is staring the worst recession in generations in the face, due to peak oil, the Government has failed to show leadership or vision. Realistically the Budget delivered what the public expected, but if we are looking for leadership at a time of crisis, it clearly is not going to come from this Government.

For what they are worth, the environmental measures in the Budget are listed below, but sadly it is too little too late to have any significance:

Cars, Fuel and Road Pricing

• From 2009, major reform of the vehicle excise duty. For new cars from 2010, the lowest-polluting cars will pay no road tax in the first year, with the highest-polluting cars paying £950.

• Funding set aside for road-pricing proposals.

• 2p increase in fuel duty is postponed until October this year.

• For environmental reasons, fuel duty will rise by 0.5p per litre in real terms in 2010.

Air Travel

Increase in the amount airlines will have to pay to become "greener" - an extra 10% on plane duty in the second year of the new per-flight tax regime.

Environmental measures

Laws will be introduced by 2009 to tax plastic bags if shops do not do more to charge for their use.

• £26m to help make homes greener (although it emerges this is not new money).

• New non-domestic buildings to become zero-carbon from 2019.

• The government is asking the European Commission for tougher targets on car fuel emissions

• Consideration is being given to raising the UK target for emissions cuts to 80% by 2050.

Responding to today's budget, Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said:

"Darling's safe pair of hands have dropped the ball on climate change. Suspending the promised increase in fuel duty has fatally undermined his boast that this is a green budget, and tinkering with tax on planes and cars isn't going to reduce emissions when he's also promising new runways and roads. The Chancellor should have channelled cash into clean technologies, energy efficiency projects and support for the renewables industry. On all these counts, his measures have failed to match the scale of the challenge we face."

The cost of motoring fell by 10 per cent in real terms (after accounting for growth in household income) between 1997 and mid-2007. Despite recent fuel price rises, the cost of motoring is still cheaper in real terms than when Labour came to power in 1997. Over the same period, rail and bus fares rose in real terms by 6 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

Road transport emissions of carbon dioxide continue to rise and account for nearly 22 per cent of total UK emissions. The government's Climate Change Programme shows that fuel duty escalator was one of its most effective measures for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the late 1990s. The latest science shows that the UK must cut its emissions by 80 per cent to play its share in avoiding dangerous climate change. Policies which increase emissions are incompatible with this goal, and a ½ p rice in 2010 is too little, too late.

Responding to the Chancellor's proposals on aviation Greenpeace's senior transport campaigner Anita Goldsmith said:

"Increasing the revenue from flight taxes is hypocritical posturing from a Chancellor who wants to see Heathrow and Stansted almost double in size. The modest carbon savings that might be achieved by bumping up fares by a few pounds will be wiped out in no time by a third runway at Heathrow. A truly green Chancellor would have told the aviation industry their tax subsidies worth billions are being cancelled and the money is being channelled into the railways. Instead Labour is still committed to more runways, more emissions and more climate change."

The proposed expansion of Heathrow would increase flights from 480,000 a year to over 700,000 while plans to expand Stansted - published yesterday - would see the Essex airport become bigger than Heathrow is now. The government accepts that aviation currently accounts for 13 per cent of the UK's climate impact and is rising fast.

Responding to Darling's proposals on Vehicle Excise Duty Anita Goldsmith:

"This showroom tax is welcome but the new incentives to drive cleaner cars are too small to spark the kind of pollution reductions we need to see on our roads. The Chancellor is right to bash gas guzzlers but it means little while he's also ploughing billions into motorway widening schemes to make room for more cars."

Responding to the contradiction between Darling's comments on biofuels and the finding of Julia King's transport review, published today, Greenpeace Chief Policy Advisor Benet Northcote said:

"At the same time that Alistair Darling was telling the house he was pressing ahead with the government's biofuels plans, Julia King's report was published warning ministers that increasing the efficiency of our cars is a far better way of reducing transport emissions than encouraging biofuels. Government policy means that in a month's time motorists will be forced to pump biofuels into their tanks, with no way of ensuring they're sustainable. This is madness when the science says that most biofuels are even worse for the environment than fossil fuels."

Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper said:

"The Chancellor promised to put sustainability at the heart of today's announcement, but he has merely tinkered in the margins. Mr Darling should have used this Budget to tackle climate change - the biggest challenge the world faces - by making it cheaper and easier for people to go green, including tax breaks for greening the home, and grants for renewable energy. He did announce a number of welcome green initiatives, such as a car purchase tax and an increase in aviation duty, but the overall package falls a long way short of what is required. We urgently need real political leadership on this issue."

"Another freeze in fuel duty will further undermine the Government's already weak green credentials. The cost of motoring has fallen over the past 10 years, and carbon emissions from road transport have risen. Raising fuel duty would encourage people to choose greener transport options. And the money raised could have been used to cut taxes on people and jobs, and helped to fund a range of green initiatives, including better sustainable transport options."

Stormy Weather

Extreme weather is 'a sign of things to come' unless there is tougher action on climate change, warns South East politician

12th March 2008

Climate change is not just a matter of global weather patterns. This week's storms are a taste of what is to come.

The turbulent weather conditions hitting the South East this week are a worrying sign of things to come unless the Government takes a tougher line on climate change, Green MEP for the South East Caroline Lucas warned today.

Dr Lucas said: "Studies have suggested that the South East of England is likely to be one of the regions worst affected by climate change. In a report as long ago as 2004 entitled 'Global Warming, Local Warning', I drew on such studies to set the particular consequences of global warming for my South East constituency, where the dense population, long coastline and low-lying land are increasingly vulnerable.

"Climate change is not just a matter of global weather patterns - it is affecting and will continue to affect the people and the land of the South East - and this week's storms are a taste of what is to come.

"We are at a crucial stage in the battle to control rising temperatures in the Earth's atmosphere, but this Government looks likely to give the go ahead for new coal-fired power facilities and a massive expansion of aviation.

"To prevent the devastating consequences of climate change, we should be looking to dramatically reduce CO2 emissions by reducing demand, investing in carbon neutral sources of power and developing widescale energy efficiency measures.

She concluded: "According to the Government's own figures, 30% of the UK's energy demand could be saved by using energy efficiency technologies that would also save more money than they cost to implement."

Golden Standard best for carbon offsets

12th March 2008

The jointly NGO-created Gold Standard for carbon offsets has been singled out for praise in the first independently commissioned report to rate voluntary offset standards according to their environmental and social benefits. "Offsetting should only be an option when every effort has been made to avoid or reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Kirsty Clough, Climate Change Policy Officer at WWF-UK.
"Only when all other avenues have been exhausted should consumers think of offsetting, using Gold Standard credits," she added.
Making Sense of the Voluntary Carbon Market - a Comparison of Carbon Offset Standards is an independent report commissioned by WWF.
The report rates the seven main standards on the market and of these, the Gold Standard performed particularly highly.
Gold Standard is an independent, internationally recognized benchmark for carbon offset projects that was created by environmental and development NGOs, including WWF, and is currently supported by 51 NGOs from around the world.
"WWF believes that people should be able to trust that the carbon offsets they are purchasing come from high-quality projects, which are actually helping to combat climate change," said Clough.
The voluntary market for carbon offsets is a small but fast growing industry, but while WWF welcomes increased awareness of the need to cut carbon pollution, it also urges consumers and business leaders to use offsetting only as the final part of a three-pronged approach known as 'avoid, reduce, then offset'.
"If carbon offsets are to be credible, and if businesses want to avoid being accused of 'greenwashing,' the projects they finance must have clear social and environmental benefits. Otherwise, offsetting will be seen as the rich transferring responsibility for tackling climate change to the developing world," concluded Clough.

Stansted Slated

12th March 2008

Environmental groups have attacked plans to expand Stanstead Airport, which mirror similar proposals for Heathrow.

Responding to BAA's submission of a planning application for a second runway at Stansted airport, Anna Jones, Greenpeace Aviation campaigner said:

"Whatever their executives might say, BAA's dangerous expansion plans smack of growth at any cost. Doubling the number of flights from Stansted and Heathrow at a time when the scientists are telling us we need to urgently slash our emissions is madness. The company will find a passionate majority of people who are ready to fight this runway, for the sake of the local area and their children's future.

Only this week we’ve seen proof that BAA are a company who cannot be trusted, who are willing to play fast and loose with the science in order to push through their expansion plans.

The Government must stop cosying up to them and instead put the safety of the planet first. It must scrap this out-of-control aviation policy and give real support for a sustainable transport system instead."

Save and Prosper

11th March 2008

• Comprehensive programme of energy efficiency is only permanent solution to fuel poverty and would simultaneously tackle climate change
• Windfall tax on energy companies in Budget needed to kick-start programme to super-insulate the fuel poor

The Government must massively expand its efforts to increase levels of energy efficiency in the homes of the fuel poor, Friends of the Earth said today. The green group warned that Government efforts to boost the income or lower the bills of the fuel poor would neither provide a permanent solution to fuel poverty in the face of rising energy costs or tackle climate change. Friends of the Earth is calling for a £5 billion windfall tax on energy companies' excessive profits in the Budget this week. This money should be used to kick-start a programme of low carbon home zones across the UK to provide super insulation and low or zero carbon energy for all households in fuel poverty. The environmental campaign group is also urging the Chancellor to put climate change at the heart of Wednesday's Budget, and has published a blueprint for a green budget.

Friends of the Earth is still waiting for the Government's formal response to its earlier legal letter challenging the failure of its fuel poverty strategy.

Ed Matthew, Friends of the Earth's Low Carbon Homes Campaigner, said:

"The Government's strategy on fuel poverty has comprehensively failed. Not only have the most vulnerable in society not been protected, a key opportunity to reduce the UK's household carbon emissions has been lost. Capping the bills of the fuel poor isn't enough. The only permanent solution to fuel poverty is high levels of energy efficiency."

"The Government must use this week's budget to prioritise urgent action on climate change and help the poorest members of society to keep warm. It must fulfil its promise to end fuel poverty for vulnerable groups by 2010."

Fuel poverty occurs when a household has to spend more than 10 per cent of income on heat and electricity. There are now over 4 million households suffering from fuel poverty in the UK, doubling from 2 million in 2004.

The increase in the numbers suffering has occurred despite a legal duty on the Government under the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 (which Friends of the Earth campaigned to introduce) to take all necessary steps to implement its Fuel Poverty Strategy. This requires it to eliminate fuel poverty in England - in vulnerable groups by 2010 and in all households by 2016.

Friends of the Earth estimates that only half the money from the key Government programmes to tackle fuel poverty - Warm Front, the Energy Efficiency Commitment and Decent Homes - reaches the homes of the fuel poor. It also estimates that due to the failure to adopt high energy efficiency measures these programmes have only lifted a quarter of a million out of fuel poverty since 2000 when the Act was passed. This number has been far outstripped by the numbers entering fuel poverty as energy prices soar.

Friends of the Earth believes that the Government's plan for tackling fuel poverty is now fatally flawed.

• It has failed to accurately identify which households are in fuel poverty and as a result the Government's schemes to tackle the problem are often not reaching the right people.

• It has failed to set a minimum standard of energy efficiency for treating all affected households. As a result the energy efficiency measures that have been rolled out by Government and energy companies often fail to remove households from fuel poverty or to protect them from future fuel poverty as a result of rising energy prices.

• It has failed to take the steps necessary to deal with harder-to-treat households;

• Crucially, it has failed to allocate the sums that are necessary to deal with fuel poverty and meet its legally binding targets for eliminating fuel poverty.

The result is that the UK has one of the worst insulation records in Europe. The carbon emissions from UK homes represent over a quarter of the UK's total emissions and have risen since New Labour came to power in 1997.

The Government has been repeatedly criticised by the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, the independent fuel poverty expert group advising Government on its strategy, for consistently failing to spend enough money tackling fuel poverty. The Government has also failed to spend its money wisely. Of the £2 billion spent each year on Winter Fuel Payments it is estimated by Friends of the Earth that only 1 to 2 percent is spent on paying the fuel bills of the fuel poor.

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to:

• Set out clearly how it will meet its legal obligations to eliminate fuel poverty, what the costs will be and how its plans will be funded.

• Establish a clear mechanism for accurately identifying all those households suffering from fuel poverty.

• Set a minimum standard of energy efficiency to be achieved in all these households which will insulate them from further energy price rises.

• Set up low carbon home zones in every local authority in the UK in areas where fuel poverty is concentrated. The fuel poor households in these zones should be treated street by street, house by house to the requisite energy efficiency standard.

• Announce in the Budget on Wednesday a windfall tax of £5 billion on the excessive profits of the energy supply companies to help kick start this programme. Further long term finance for this programme must also be secured.

Black Mark

11th March 2008

The Government has signalled that it is preparing to approve the first new coal-fired power station since 1984, at Kingsnorth in Kent, with a speech by Energy Minister John Hutton, who referred to the ongoing "key role" for fossil fuels despite the planned expansion of nuclear power and renewable energy. He told a conference: "Our leadership role is best promoted by the actions we take on capping emissions, carbon pricing and supporting the development of new carbon capture and storage technology."

The power station is proposed by power company E.on, and although it would be "carbon capture ready," the technology for pumping the carbon dioxide it would create into disused oil or gas wells under the North Sea has yet to be either developed or installed.

It is believed that the Government is wary of placing any more reliance on gas from Russia or plants in the Middle East as part of Britain's energy mix.

Mr. Hutton continued: "Electricity demand fluctuates continually, but the fluctuations can be very pronounced during winter, requiring rapid short-term increases in production. Neither wind nor nuclear can fulfil this role.

"We therefore will continue to need this back-up from fossil fuels, with coal a key source of that flexibility, as we increase the proportion of renewable energy in our electricity mix." However a spokesman for Mr Hutton's department said: "He has not made the decision yet. There are details still to be sorted out."

Andrew Pendleton of Christian Aid said: "Gordon Brown says he is committed to helping the developing world. This flies in the face of such sentiments.

"Climate change caused by greenhouse gases is already having a devastating impact on the poor living in parts of the world subject to extreme weather conditions. Those with the least responsibility for causing the problem are bearing its brunt."

Jim Hansen's, Nasa's climate change scientist, said: "If the British Government indeed approves new coal-fired power plants before carbon-capture technology is ready, and if it believes that this egregious action is in any way compensated by restrictions on gas-guzzling vehicles, it is demonstrating a grievous lack of understanding of the gravity and urgency of dealing with climate change.

"It is not rocket science. The oil that Russia and Saudi Arabia have will be burned and the carbon dioxide will stay in the air for centuries. By delaying oil use a bit, with more efficient vehicles, we can buy a little time to develop a transportation system beyond fossil fuels, but that is all.

"Oil will take us to the brink of climate disasters, which can only be avoided with a moratorium and phase-out of coal that does not capture the carbon."

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "At a time when the Government should be working to reduce emissions, ministers seem determined to allow a huge new polluting power station. What planet is John Hutton living on? Without carbon capture and storage, clean coal is a total myth. This monstrosity will only emit 20 per cent less than previous coal-fired stations and a massive 75 per cent more than a gas-powered plant.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, comments: "When it comes to climate change, Gordon Brown's Government is behaving like Jekyll and Hyde.

"On the one hand, the Prime Minister accepts we can generate 40 per cent of our electricity from renewables by 2020, plugging the energy gap and slashing emissions, then weeks later his Business Secretary sings the praises of coal, the most climate-wrecking form of power generation known to man. The energy market doesn't need this kind of split personality politics from the Government. With our international reputation at stake, who is in charge here?"

Hope for Whales

The Great Recycling Swindle

3rd March 2008

An investigation by Eco has revealed that thousands of tons of material conscientiously put out by householders for recycling is being secretly dumped at landfill sites. This discovery has been confirmed by the Local Government Association, who said that 240,000 tons of paper, glass and plastic is being burned or dumped. Eco believes that the figure is in reality much higher, as only half of the 410 councils responded to the survey.

In Worcestershire, 110,459 tons of recycling was put out but 14,509 tons was dumped or burned. Similar amounts were dumped by Tynedale and Wansbeck councils in the north-east and Kings Lynn in Norfolk.

Eric Pickles, the Shadow Local Government Secretary, said it made a mockery of people's efforts to separate cans, bottles and paper at home:

"I think families across the country will be shocked to learn that the cans and bottles they dutifully put out for recycling are being secretly dumped. Most people want to do their bit but this sort of thing undermines confidence."

Michael Warhurst, a senior recycling campaigner for Friends of the Earth, commented:

"It is a vast amount and it shows that the way many councils are approaching recycling is just not working. The Government needs to be much clearer on how councils can recycle effectively and take charge of a worrying situation. Everything that householders put out to be recycled should actually be recycled."

Japan may back climate fund

Land of the rising sun

3rd March 2008

It has been announced that Japan may invest $1.93 billion in an international fund aimed at encouraging the use of renewable energy technology in developing countries, the Nikkei financial daily said on Sunday. The fund, to be set up jointly with the United States and Britain, is expected be the largest ever of its type, with total investment of about 500 billion yen ($4.82 billion), the Nikkei said. Britain has pledged £800 million, and the US £2 billion.

Japan is this year's host of the G8 summit of industrialized nations, and may be trying to take a lead on climate change and media reports say the government is planning a 16-nation leaders conference on the issue in parallel with G8.

End of the world? Let's party!

3rd March 2008

James Lovelock is the 88 year-old guru and visionary who gave us the Gaia hypothesis, the recent best-seller "The Revenge of Gaia", and invented the device that measured CFCs in the atmosphere and helped discover the hole in the ozone layer.

Like a growing number of environmentalists who have understood the science of global warming and climate change, he believes we are already too late to prevent catastophic change. He sees ethical living as a scam, carbon off-setting as a joke, and recycling and avoiding plastic bags a deluded fantasy:

"It's just too late for it," he says. "Perhaps if we'd gone along routes like that in 1967, it might have helped. But we don't have time. All these standard green things, like sustainable development, I think these are just words that mean nothing. I get an awful lot of people coming to me saying you can't say that, because it gives us nothing to do. I say on the contrary, it gives us an immense amount to do. Just not the kinds of things you want to do."

He describes the current campaign to cut the use of plastic bags as like re-arranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic, and does not speak highly of carbon-offsetting either:

It's just a joke. To pay money to plant trees, to think you're offsetting the carbon? You're probably making matters worse. You're far better off giving to the charity Cool Earth, which gives the money to the native peoples to not take down their forests."

He believes that global warming has now gone so far that it is irreversible, and that people are sleep-walking towards disaster:

"I see it with everybody. People just want to go on doing what they're doing. They want business as usual. They say, 'Oh yes, there's going to be a problem up ahead,' but they don't want to change anything."

Lovelock believes that 80% of humanity will be wiped out by climate disasters and crop failures by 2100, and remains the maverick, with his love of nuclear power. Faced with the apocalypse, what does he think we should do?

"Enjoy life while you can. Because if you're lucky it's going to be 20 years before it hits the fan."

As the revered elder stateman of the environmental movement, Lovelock remains a visionary and controversial figure.

Posh Protest

2nd March 2008

There has been considerable media interest in the fact that the protestors involved in this week's air travel protest do not fit the stereotype of workshy, scruffy, anarchists, but included a Baronet's grand-daughter, an Cambridge graduate, and an MP's grandson. The new wave of protestors are educated, employed, and determined to make a difference.

Spokesperson Richard George, 27, notable for his rebellious shock of orange hair, is the co-founder of Plane Stupid with Joss Garman and Graham Thompson, lives in Wimbedon, and works for a cycling charity who have been supportive of his involvement. Not previously much bothered by environmental issues, he was, he says radicalised by the war in Iraq:

"I could see we were being dragged into a war we didn't want.....Two million of us marched against it and still the Government didn't listen." He describes climate change as the defining issue of this generation.

Tasmin Omond, 23, recently graduated from Cambridge with a 1st at Trinity College, and is now studying for a Masters in Environmental and Social Policy at the Open University. She works at a North London Church where she has been promoting environmental awareness, cycling the ten miles from her flat in South London to the church rather than drive or get the train. She got involved with Plane Stupid at last year's Climate Camp. She is reported to have told a friend that her actions this week were inspired by the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. The 23-year-old is the granddaughter of Sir Thomas Lees, a fourth generation Dorset baronet and wealthy landowner of the Holton Lee estate.

Graham Thompson, 34, is the co-founder of Plane Stupid, and is an information officer from North London who graduated in philosophy from Durham University.

Leo Murray, 31, is an award-winning animator at the Royal College of Art, and grandson of Anthony Greenwood, who served in Harold Wilson's cabinet.

Olivia Chessell, 20, lives with her mother in South London.

Speaking about the protest, Graham Thompson said:

"We were incredibly nervous about doing it and we can't talk too much about the detail given we were arrested, but my feeling now is one of elation that it went so well....We need to get people to sit up and take notice."

As Richard George puts it: "I think what is happening now is turning ordinary people revolutionary, making radicals of the country's citizens as they feel they have no other way to make their voices heard."

Plane Stupid is an umbrella group, run along anarchist principles, of around 150 UK climate change campaigners. It remains to be seen whether this and future protests will make any difference to the wider public's insatiable demand for air travel, and how many of Plane Stupid's generation will be willing to give up their gap year travelling the world by plane, to join the famous five involved in this week's protest.

10 Reasons to Ground the Plane

Plane Stupid

28th February 2008

Protestors from campaign group "Plane Stupid" have climbed onto the roof of the Houses of Parliament to protest at the planned expansion of Heathrow Airport, on the last day of the consultation. The five activists unfurled two huge banners, one saying No Third Runway, and the other, in a reference to airport operator BAA, read BAA Headquarters.

One of the roof protesters, Richard George, 27, from London, said: "I am stood on the roof of Parliament because the democratic process had been corrupted.

"The aviation industry had taken full advantage of a weak Prime Minister to get the Heathrow consultation fixed. It does not even consider global warming despite everything Brown has said about the environment and despite the massive impact aviation has on the climate.

"The Prime Minister does not even have the courage to ask Londoners the simple question: 'Do you want a third runway?'. Instead, his Government published a consultation document full of gobbledegook and industry spin. We decided to let Gordon Brown get on with Prime Minister's Questions, but we just wanted him to know what it is like to have an inconvenience above your head that you did not ask for."

The protestors say that the consultation has been biased, and that part of the consultation document was actually written by BAA.

Mr George added: "Now the consultation is over, we can safely ignore the fixed result and get on with the job of stopping this new runway being built.

"A huge coalition of local residents, Londoners and environmentalists is coming together, supported by all the major mayoral candidates, to stand against Gordon Brown and say 'no more'."

England's Epitaph

27th February 2008

Climate change threat to England

Conservation organisations warn in a new booklet just released that the face of the South East of England could change forever within 50 years if opportunities to lessen the impacts of climate change are not taken now.

"An increase in average global temperature of more than two degrees centigrade will have catastrophic results for our planet. Closer to home, the way we travel to work, the sports we play, our health, and our environment could all be affected by shifting weather patterns," explained Colin Butfield, Head of Campaigns at WWF-UK.
Buckled rail lines, parched golf courses, disappearing wildlife and freak weather delivering alternating flood and drought could be part of a dramatically changed way of life illustrated in the booklet which delivers a stark but simple message: If you love England, act now to save what makes it special.
The booklet called Our Changing Climate, Our Changing Lives - South East is produced by Tomorrow's England, a coalition of 11 organisations including the National Trust, the National Federation of Women's Institutes, the Woodland Trust and WWF-UK.
The booklet raises awareness of what hotter drier summers, water shortages, flash floods and storms would mean to the region. It comes with a toolkit to help people communicate the reality of climate change and inspire everyone to take action.
"The changes which will alter the appearance of so many of our cherished landscapes in the South East are a wake-up call. Climate change presents us with huge challenges, but there are also opportunities for everyone to take action at a personal and a local level to reduce the impacts now and for generations to come," said Andrea Davies, Senior Campaigner at the Council for the Protection of Rural England.
Flash floods and storm surges are set to increase as the climate changes; this will particularly affect the low-lying South East, impacting on thousands of homes and businesses. Water demand in the region is due to rise by 11% by 2030, and water will become more scarce and expensive. Hosepipe bans are likely to become permanent in many places.
More than two thirds of land in the South East is farmed with traditional crops such as potatoes, apples and strawberries. Warmer weather could see this landscape altered with the introduction of figs, soya and even olives, suggests the report.
Other effects include effects to plants and gardeners: by 2050 favourites like delphiniums and lupins could be replaced by pomegranates, citrus fruits and apricots.
Hot spells could cause chaos on the roads as road surfaces suffer. On the trains, speed restrictions from buckled and fractured rails or trackside fires would become the norm but frozen points would be a thing of the past.
"We are already witnessing changes in our climate in the South East, along with every other part of the country. Such severe scenarios could be lessened as we still have the power to make changes for the better. The impact of homes on the environment can easily be decreased, for instance, with new developments built to high eco-standards and renewable energy playing an increasing role in providing our energy needs," Colin Butfield explained.

Airport Disaster

Heathrow expansion would be a "social and environmental disaster", says Green Principal Speaker in submission to consultation

27th Feb 2008

Any government which, on the one hand pledges to make a significant reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020, and in the next breath gives the green light to the greatest expansion of aviation in a generation is guilty of either the most shameless hypocrisy, or the most unforgivable ignorance and stupidity.

Green Party Principal Speaker Dr. Caroline Lucas has submitted damning evidence to the Government's consultation on the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport, and today labelled the plans for a third runway as 'irresponsible, deceptive and environmentally disastrous'.

In her consultation response, Dr Lucas condemns the proposals, citing the devastating effects on climate change, noise and air pollution, as well as risks to public safety that would be caused by expanding Heathrow capacity from 430,000 flights to between 700,000 and 800,000 flights per year.

She goes on to criticise the "flawed" and 'leading' methods of the public consultation, accusing the Government of continuously 'moving the goalposts' in their arguments.

In her submission to the Heathrow Consultation, Dr Lucas urged the Government to give full consideration to the views of her constituents in the South East, whose lives will be adversely affected by an expansion.

Dr. Lucas, who has campaigned against Heathrow expansion for several years, addressed a 'Stop Heathrow Expansion' rally at Westminster on Monday (25th February), a landmark event which attracted a huge attendance of over 3,000 people.

She said: "The Government's continuing support for an expansion of Heathrow airport demonstrates a complete contempt for the environment, the health of UK citizens and for our democratic processes.

"A third runway would have disastrous consequences for residents in my South East constituency - leading to serious environmental damage and social upheaval through increased pollution, and the destruction of local communities.

Dr Lucas warned that the Transport Secretary's proposals for Heathrow would condemn the UK to an unsustainable future of significantly higher noise and air pollution - and to accelerating climate change.

"Any government which, on the one hand pledges to make a significant reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020, and in the next breath gives the green light to the greatest expansion of aviation in a generation is guilty of either the most shameless hypocrisy, or the most unforgivable ignorance and stupidity.

"Despite the promises which were made to limit further expansion, this Government has persisted in a deceptive campaign for a third runway which its own figures estimate will almost double the number of flights using Heathrow each year.

"Whichever way you look at the Government's proposals on aviation, they are a social and environmental disaster. What we need is a sustainable transport policy which incentivises train travel, makes aviation pay its true costs and restricts airport capacity.

She concluded: "It is crucial for the environment and our democratic processes that the Government responds to the concerns expressed during the consultation, and accepts that there is no simply public appetite for a third runway."

Full of Hot Air

26th February 2008

Greenpeace protestors have described Government climate policy as full as holes just before the decision on whether to expand Heathrow, already the world's largest airport.

Climate campaigners climbed onto the top of a Manchester to London plane after it parked at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal One at 9.45am this morning. They covered the tailfin with a huge protest banner that reads "CLIMATE EMERGENCY – NO 3rd RUNWAY".
The Greenpeace volunteers – two women and two men – waited until all the passengers had disembarked from the one hour flight before walking through double doors at Terminal One, crossing an area of tarmac and climbing stairs onto the fuselage of the British Airways flight.

For the full story

UN Warns of Food Rationing

26th February 2008

The director of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of plans to ration food aid because of rising prices and a shortage of funds. Josette Sheeran said that the WFP needed increased contributions to meet the needs of the world's poor, including growing demands from countries like Afghanistan, where people were now unable to afford food. Food prices rose 40% last year because of rising demand and other factors.

Earlier this month, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said the rising price of cereals such as wheat and maize had become a "major global concern".

The FAO estimated poor countries would see their cereal import bill rise by more than a third this year. Africa as a whole is expected to see a 49% increase. The organisation has called for urgent action to provide farmers in poor countries with improved access to seeds and fertiliser to increase crop production.

Ms. Seeran said those who had been hardest hit so far were people in developing countries who were living on 50 US cents (£0.25) a day, 80-90% of which was already being spent on food.

"In some of these developing countries, prices have gone up 80% for staple food," she added. "When you see those kinds of increases, they are simply priced out of the food markets."

Even middle-class, urban people in countries such as Indonesia, Yemen and Mexico were increasingly being priced out of the food market or forced to sacrifice education and healthcare, she warned.

Ms Sheeran said Egypt had just widened its food rationing system after two decades and Pakistan had reintroduced ration cards after many years.

China and Russia were meanwhile imposing price controls, while Argentina and Vietnam were enforcing foreign sales taxes or export bans, she said.

Eco Pods for Lake District School

26th February 2008

Planning permission has been granted for sustainable classroom pods on stilts at Elleray Preparatory School in the Lake District National Park, Windermere.    
Designed by KITA, a design practice also based in the Lake District, and visualised by CGI specialists, TIGERX.STUDIO, this exciting new learning facility is to be constructed in a low impact, carbon responsible and sustainable way using sustainable and recycled timber construction, solar panels for low energy lighting, sheep’s wool insulation and passive ventilation.

Drive Greener and Save

23rd February, 2008

Green driving could not only help the environment but also save drivers up to £100 each year in wasted fuel. New RAC research shows that motorists who choose against ‘eco-driving' contribute to a £2.2 billion* wasted fuel bill each year.

Even in the era of sat navs and modern high tech engines, the research also shows that British drivers are still wasting the equivalent of 267 Olympic sized swimming pools** of fuel due to poor journey planning, and drive over five billion miles each year while lost.

Two thirds (60%) of drivers aren't aware that changing gear when revs are high can reduce fuel consumption and four in 10 (40%) think that driving under 45mph always saves fuel. A further one in 10 (9%) drivers admits to checking their tyre pressure less than once a year with three quarters (77%) not aware that under-inflated tyres increase fuel consumption.

The RAC findings also show that drivers are not sure which driving practices can save fuel:

A 10th (9%) wrongly believe that braking regularly will reduce fuel consumption

David Bizley, RAC's technical director, comments: "With fuel prices at a record high, adopting eco driving techniques is an easy way for consumers to reduce their fuel consumption to help purses, wallets and the environment.  We hope that by raising awareness of the simple changes motorists can make to their driving style, they will be able to absorb some of the increasing cost of fuel through their own driving habits."

RAC has come up with the following hints and tips to help improve fuel efficiency and reduce cars' impact on the environment:

1. Pump up to cut down: Under inflated tyres create more resistance when your car is moving, which means engines have to work harder, so more fuel is used and more CO2 emissions are produced (the owner handbook will advise the correct pressure)
2. Less clutter means less CO2: Clutter in boots add weight and engines must work harder to transport it, so removing it can the engine's workload and cut CO2 emissions (also remove roof boxes or rails when not in use the drag caused increases fuel consumption )
3. Driving at an appropriate speed reduces CO2: Not only does staying at or within the speed limit increase driver safety, it also reduces CO2 emissions and saves money on fuel costs
4. Less stopping and starting means less CO2: Anticipating traffic flow will reduce fuel consumption
5. Over-revving accelerates emissions: Modern car engines are designed to be efficient from the moment they are switched on, so revving up like a Formula 1 car in pole position while standing still only wastes fuel and increases engine wear
6. Idling is wasting fuel: If you're likely to be at a standstill for more than three minutes, simply switch off the engine.
7. Shop around: Use a fuel comparison website to find the best priced fuel in your region
8. Don't get lost: Don't waste fuel by going the wrong way - plan route before leaving  with RAC Route Planner: www.rac.co.uk/web/routeplanner

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A Welcome Change

Friends of the Earth welcomes announcement of climate change committee members

23rd February 2008

Friends of the Earth today welcomed the announcement of the Climate Change Committee members.

Friends of the Earth's parliamentary campaigner Martyn Williams said:

"We welcome these appointments. It is clear this is going to be a serious and heavyweight committee, which is much needed if we are to keep future Governments under pressure to bring down emissions from the UK. What is now needed is for the Climate Change Bill to be amended to ensure that this Committee can advise on a target that takes all emissions into account, including those from aviation and shipping. "

BP - Back to Petroleum

BP, the company that tried to rebrand itself as "Beyond Petroleum", is abandoning its green claims in a renewed push to discover more oil reserves. The company's alternative energy portfolio has been down-graded, plans for an innovative carbon-capture and storage experiment in Petershead, Scotland have been dropped, and BP has signed a deal with Husky energy to exploit oil sands in Canada. Rarely has a company's greenwash so rapidly been exposed.

The new chief executive, Tony Hayward, has embarked on a cost-cutting programme that will see the removal of 14,500 jobs and cut £500m off the company's overheads. The abandonment of BP's green efforts seems prompted by the fall in its profits, and a series of accidents, notably the Texas City refinery fire and Alaskan pipeline spills. Hayward took over from Lord Browne, who was forced to resign after lying about his personal life.

James Marriott, of campaigning group Platform, said: "Moving into the tar sands of Canada and dropping a carbon capture and storage plan for Peterhead are part of a recarbonisation of BP. It might help the share price in the short term but longer term Hayward is exposing the company to the dangers of a rising carbon price for CO2 emissions permits and falling oil price."

Gorillas Protected

The future of the rare mountain gorilla received a boost today, when three African nations announed a new 10-year conservation plan to save the remaining 720 gorillas. Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo will work together "to ensure the conservation of the mountain gorillas and their Afromontane forest habitat" in a move funded by the Dutch government.

Moses Mapesa, head of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, told Eco in Kampala: "For the first time, the three countries have decided to protect the great apes which are threatened with extinction and insecurity in the region."

The main threat to the gorillas comes from rebel fighters and illegal charcoal gatherers. About 340 of the mountain gorillas roam mostly in south-west Uganda, with a further 250 in Rwanda, and 130 in eastern Congo. Rebels still control large parts of the Virunga park, including the gorilla areas.

The Dutch government is providing £3.1m to start the project, which aims to protect habitat as well address the dangers facing the animals. Anecto Kayitare, of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, which is backing the plan, said the fund could rise to £50m if donors like the EU joined up.

The conservationist Richard Leakey, who runs a wildlife charity in Congo, said: "If this sort of money comes through, this could be the big breakthrough we've all been waiting for. The mountain gorilla is as endangered as any species could be."

Wildlife Smuggling

Ring Smashed

21st February 2008

The WWF and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, have been instrumental in helping customs officials in the Russian far east to uncover a smuggling ring trading the skins of endangered tigers and bear parts to China. Officials became suspicious of what appeared to be crates of potatoes but were in fact bear paws, being transported by sledge from Russia to China last year. The ringleaders of the group now face trial this March. These seizures are among the most significant in recent years.

Read Full Story

Prime Minister announces

Youth Climate Change Champions

21st February 2008

The nine young winners of the search for regional Climate Change Champions were announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Minister for Climate Change Joan Ruddock today. 

The winners, each representing a different region of England, successfully demonstrated how they would encourage behavioural change and tackle climate change in their local communities.

Gordon Brown congratulated the nine young people and wished them well in their roles as Climate Change Champions at a special event at Number 10, saying:

“Across the world in every continent and for years to come, we will all need to examine our own lives, make changes and reduce our carbon footprints.

“Our young people have a crucial role in bringing about this change. These young ambassadors are the decision-makers of the decades ahead, and  I  feel greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm and passion of these young people. I congratulate them on their bold, creative ideas and their efforts so far, and I look forward to seeing them take action.”

Joan Ruddock, Minister for Climate Change, said:

“Climate change needs to be tackled on every level and by everyone – governments, businesses and just as important by the commitment and action of all of us as individuals, right across the country.”

“This individual action is a powerful force to be reckoned with and looking at England’s new Climate Change Champions, I can certainly see why. These committed young people have a true desire to make a difference and I have no doubt they will each make a real and positive contribution to our fight against dangerous climate change.”

Each regional Champion will take part in a climate change fact finding trip to the Netherlands, run their own event to engage with their communities and encourage behavioural change to reduce carbon footprints across their regions.

Cuba- A Transition Nation

20th February 2008

Fidel Castro's decision to withdraw from the leadership of Cuba marks the end of an era. The combination of the collapse of the USSR and American sanctions have forced Cuba to adapt to life without oil. Remarkably, unlike North Korea, Cuba has flourished, and has among the best health care and education systems in the world. Read how Cuba became the first successful "Transition Nation" in an Eco exclusive.

Cuba - A Transition Nation

Speaker in Air Miles Scandal

19th February 2008

The Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin is under increasing pressure to resign after it was revealed that he has used Air Miles accumulated while on Government business to pay for his own family's travel. This is against official guidelines which state that air miles accrued on business trips should be used to reduce the cost to the taxpayer of future work-related flights. In a clear breach of these rules, Mr Martin used his Air Miles to knock £360 a head off the £3,090 total cost of business-class tickets for a return trip from Glasgow to London for his children and grandchildren over the New Year. An investigation by Eco has revealed that Mr Martin accrued £10,587 in parliamentary allowances to cover air travel on official business last year, and clocked up more than a million Air Miles. He earns £128,000 a year.

Ironically Mr. Martin chairs the House of Commons Members Estimate Committee, which oversees MPs' expenses, including the parliamentary inquiry into MPs' expenses following the row over the former Tory MP Derek Conway's employment of his sons.

The revelation about the flight from Glasgow to London will also embarrass the Government which has been keen to promote its green credentials, with flying being by far the most polluting form of travel, and quite unnecessary for domestic journeys within the UK.

The Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: "This will further damage public confidence in the system of parliamentary expenses. A benefit which is accrued because of spending by the taxpayer should be returned to the taxpayer."

Water Waste

19th February 2008

A government adviser has declared that drinking bottled water should be made as unfashionable as smoking:

"We have to make people think that it's unfashionable just as we have with smoking. We need a similar campaign to convince people that this is wrong," said Tim Lang, the Government's naural resources commissioner.

Phil Woolas, the environment minister, added that the amount of money spent on mineral water "borders on being morally unacceptable".

Their comments come as new research shows that drinking a bottle of water has the same impact on the environment as driving a car for a kilometre. Conservation groups and water providers have started a campaign against the £2 billion industry.

Research has shown that a litre bottle of Evian or Volvic generates up to 600 times more CO2 than a litre of tap water.

Going to the Wall

Only democracy can recession-proof economy, Green Party Principal Speaker, Derek Wall

18th February 2008

Green Party spring conference, Reading 2008

A Green economy would be more democratic and more reliable, as well as more sustainable, said Green Party co-principal speaker Derek Wall in his speech to the third day of the party's spring conference.

In a passionate critique of international financial policy, Wall outlined the causes and consequences of phenomena such as sub-prime mortgages and the securitisation of debt. He went on to call for an economic system which recognises more sophisticated metrics of success than GDP growth alone, and which prioritises human welfare over corporate interest.

This, he said, could be achieved by supporting the development of democratised economic models such as co-operatives and mutuals. He told the audience of Green activists at Reading Town Hall:

"The present economy drives ecological destruction and unless we find an alternative to it, it will sub-prime mortgage the near future. To keep the increasingly risky and unreal economy afloat we have to keep on consuming. If we spend less then unemployment rises, homeowners who lose their jobs can no longer keep up with mortgage payments, houses are reposessed, credit card debt cannot be paid, and the vicious spiral of negative economic growth leads to poverty and mass unemployment. The system eventually rebounds but with a huge cost in insecurity and human misery.

"We have an economy which is irrational and unecological, which increasingly no one understands and is, increasingly, no fun. We have to create an economy that gives access to things we all need, from warm homes to healthy food to secure pensions, and creative good work in secure posts without the ever increasing overuse of resources.

"We can have an economy that meets human need and not the greed of a few. It's about being on the side of ordinary people, and not about making the economy more market-based that ultimately only benefits the super rich."

The Green Party recently voted to elect a leader for the first time, a move opposed by Derek Wall. The election will take place in the Autumn, and it remains to be seen whether this change in approach will make a difference to the Party's fortunes. There are hopes that the Brighton constituency could be the first to elect a Green Party MP at the next General Election.

More Eco Town Protests

The Government's Eco town programme is running into increasing criticism.

A full meeting of Selby District Council has resolved to call on the Government not to go ahead with a scheme near the town, after 500 people protested at the proposed site. Developer GMI has submitted plans for Willow Green, a 15,000-home new town between Eggborough and Kellington, and a completely separate proposal has also been made for an eco-town near Darrington. Coun Mark Crane, the leader of the district council, said:

"This is not a rejection of the concept of eco-towns - indeed, two of the council's key corporate priorities centre around the environment and climate change. But we do not believe that the principles of sustainability, delivering local employment, developing on brown field land and adequate provision of affordable housing can be achieved with either of these developments. Neither site has the necessary transport or employment infrastructure."

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has warned that eco-towns planned for Gateshead and Northumberland must not be just “a smokescreen to pave over the countryside”.

As Government housing bosses consider a plan to build 6,500 environmentally friendly homes in Gateshead and a further 5,000 for Blyth, concerns have been raised that the new developments could do more harm then good.

The CPRE wants government planners to take a cautious approach when they consider where to place 10 new eco-towns.

UK Coal wants to build the Gateshead eco-town at the former Marley Hill colliery site, in the village of Byermoor. The company says the scheme would bring in some 2,500 jobs. CPRE has offered conditional support to the scheme, but warned that if they are not planned right they could end up being worse for the environment. It is concerned the sites could add to carbon emissions if they are built in remote parts of the countryside, leaving residents with little option but to use their car for more journeys.

Nic Best, regional policy officer for the CPRE, said:

“This is one of the more scenic places near the urban parts of Gateshead and it would be a great shame to lose that, so we are hoping that if the UK Coal bid goes ahead it is built in keeping with the local landscape. It is a relatively remote site and does need better links, and one of our biggest concerns is that this sustainable community would fail if it cannot be linked into towns. It makes a mockery of the whole thing to build these eco-towns only to force people into their cars because they cannot get to the cities and towns that people visit.”

There has also been criticism from protestors near Cambridge, in a village called Waterbeach, where a new 10,000 town is planned nearby. The site is one of 50 being considered, from which a short-list will be announced in March.

James Hockney, the councillor for Waterbeach, comments that he's worried about the impact a new town would have on local roads:

'We've already got the A10 which already has loads of traffic...quite how it would be able to cope with an extra 10 thousand houses, you can imagine how many cars that would be on the roads. It's simply ridiculous to even consider it.'

Supermarkets Curbed

18th February 2008

Environmental campaigners including Friends of the Earth have welcomed the Competition Commission's decision to drop controversial proposals to make it easier for supermarkets to build more edge of town and out of town stores.  The environmental charity has been campaigning against these proposals since they were first set out in October 2007. However, they are warning that proposals to introduce a competition test into the planning system will do nothing to promote real diversity in our towns and cities. 

The Competition Commission's suggested remedies include further measures that Friends of the Earth has been campaigning for: a much tighter Code of Practice to stop unfair costs and risks being passed on to farmers and other suppliers and the appointment of an ombudsman to oversee the Code.  However, it is essential that the proposed ombudsman has sufficient powers to enable it to ensure that the Code is adhered.

Friends of the Earth supermarket campaigner Sandra Bell, said:

"The Competition Commission's proposed remedies will help farmers provided that the ombudsman is given sufficient powers to deal with the supermarkets' bully behaviour. The competition test recommended by the Competition Commission will do nothing to help local shops or to promote real retail diversity.  Unless it is combined with strengthened planning rules to restrict supermarket expansion it could simply mean that we get more big supermarkets being built next to each other"

Prince Charles in

Coal Warning

17th February 2008

Prince Charles has raised serious doubts over proposals to build new, conventional coal fired power stations like one currently being considered by the government at Kingsnorth in Kent.

In a speech to the European parliament, the prince slammed the idea of "business as usual" coal fired generation asking, "Can we really understand the dynamics of a world in which energy and food security will become real issues for everyone? ... Can we possibly allow twenty years of business as usual before coal powered generation becomes clean? Are we truly investing enough in renewable energy?"

The UK government is currently considering whether to approve plans for Kingsnorth, which would be the first coal fired power station to be built in the UK for over thirty years. The prince's intervention comes just weeks before the decision is expected - documents obtained by Greenpeace under the Freedom of Information act show that E.ON, the power company behind the plans, expects "a positive determination" on this by the end of April. The plant will not be built with CCS (clean coal) technology in place at the outset. In fact, the same FoI documents show how far the Government are from demanding this. Until clean coal is developed, Kingsnorth will be a "business as usual" plant.

Jim Hansen, NASA's leading climate scientist, recently described Kingsnorth as "a terrible idea", while last year former vice president Al Gore asked "why there aren't rings of young people blocking bulldozers and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power stations."

Responding to the prince's speech, Greenpeace Climate campaigner Joss Garman said:

"For Prince Charles to intervene in this way while the government considers the first new coal fired power station in thirty years is hugely significant. He now joins the ranks of Al Gore, NASA's top climate scientist and the leader of the opposition in recognising that conventional coal plants like the one planned for Kingsnorth in Kent would be a disaster for the climate."

Green bulbs switched on

in the Philippines

17th February 2008

The Philippines has announced a ban on old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced plans for phasing out inefficient bulbs by January 2010, adding the Asian archipelago to the growing list of countries, including Ireland and Japan, which are slashing their emissions by shifting to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Pressure is building up on the UK government - and indeed the entire EU - to bring in their own mandatory efficiency standards for light bulbs.

According to edie.net:

"Experts estimate the switch to CFLs will result in household lighting costs in the Philippines falling by as much as 80%, and the country's annual greenhouse gas emissions falling by 2m metric tonnes from 2010. National electricity demand is expected to fall by 2,000 megawatts - equivalent to the electricity generated by six power plants."

New packaging waste recycling targets

will deliver greater carbon benefits

15th February 2008

Defra has today confirmed its intention that packaging waste recovery and recycling targets for Great Britain will increase from 2008 onwards.

In this year alone the new, higher targets will save over 8m tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the Earth’s atmosphere, helping in the fight against dangerous climate change. The targets will increase again over the following two years to realise a further saving of 258,097 tonnes of CO2 in 2009 and then an additional 285,436 tonnes in 2010.

The targets announced today have been designed to save more CO2 emissions than the targets originally published in Defra’s consultation paper last year. They are based on updated market data and the feedback received during the public consultation, which ended in November 2007.

The new overall recovery targets of 72% in 2008, 73% in 2009 and 74% in 2010 will ensure that we meet our 2008 EU Directive target of recycling at least 60% of our packaging waste. They will also contribute to meeting the ambitions outlined in the 2007 Waste Strategy for England.

To reflect current market factors and updated data on Great Britain’s recycling performance for aluminium and glass, the increases in targets for aluminium and glass for 2008 are slightly smaller than those on which Defra consulted. They still represent an increase over the 2007 targets, and will rise steadily year-on-year. Defra are balancing these adjustments with higher than proposed overall recovery targets, to achieve a bigger CO2 reduction in total.

Over the next year, Defra will be working with the industry, Local Authorities, WRAP and others to develop a package of measures to increase aluminium recycling. Significant improvements in the collection and sorting arrangements are needed, particularly for beverage cans in the household and on-street waste streams. Aluminium is one of the Waste Strategy’s priority materials, high-value and carbon-rich, so we have much to gain by enabling higher recycling rates.

Joan Ruddock, Minister for Waste, commented that:

“Reducing, recovering and recycling packaging is an important way in which business, Government and the consumer can work together to reduce greenhouse gases. These increased targets represent our commitment to drive up recycling in Great Britain and tackle dangerous climate change.”

The people's car is built on stolen land, says Green Party

1st February 2008

Speaking soon after the Indian automobile company Tata unveiled its $2,500 Nano car to the world, Green Principal Speaker Dr. Derek Wall highlights the terrible abuse of indigenous people's rights in the close relationship between the Tata corporation and the government of the West Bengal region of India, where the Tata Nano factory was built.

Dr Wall, who has long championed the rights of the world's indigenous populations, said

"During the unveiling of the Tata Nano in New Delhi earlier this month, a group of woman standing towards the back of the hall, kept away from the world's cameras, proudly displayed white t-shirts proclaiming 'The Rs 1 lakh car has Singur people's blood on it'.

"But this wasn't the Indian branch of Greenpeace! The protest was the latest part of an ongoing campaign that has largely been ignored by most of the world.

"When looking for a suitable area to build the factory for their Small Car Project, the Tata empire identified a large piece of fertile land in the Singur region of West Bengal. This land was also the lifeblood of a group of farmers and families. Without even consulting local government bodies, the region's Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government simply accepted Tata's demands and evicted the farmers from their rightful possession of the land and, consequently, deprived them of vital earnings from the fertile multi-crop land.

"The protestors at the Nano launch were demanding that work at the Singur plant be stopped until all the issues can be discussed with the evicted farmers.

"However, it is not just the farmers that will suffer - Singur's economy revolves around the seized land. A sizable population of wage-labourers and sharecroppers depend on the land for their livelihood.

"When faced with the loss of their sole means of support, the Singur farmers did what dispossessed and exploited people have done the world over and grouped together to launch a resistance movement. They protest under the banner of 'Krishijami Raksha Samiti' (Association for the Protection of Agricultural Land).

"Under public pressure from this and other groups, the government have offered farmers just over half of what the land is worth, but the farmers are still without a livelihood. The farmers took their fight to the national courts, but on January 18th the Calcutta High Court ruled in favour of the government, stating that the land acquisition in Singur was done with a social purpose and it will help generate employment in the area.

"In raising the plight of the Singur farmers, I urge people to write to the Indian Ambassador to protest at the unfair treatment of the Singur Farmers.

"The behaviour of the local government's drive to industrialisation raises questions about the development agenda in the majority world.

"The West Bengal government needs to defend the interests of people of West Bengal. Land grabs for corporations will not create prosperity for ordinary people - governments must embrace social justice with a return to policies of land reform and with an aim to build an ecologically sustainable economy.

"The Singur farmers and their supporters provide an inspiring example of resistance to land theft and exploitation, and must be supported internationally."

China to ban the bag

China is planning to ban the sale of some plastic bags, and force consumers to pay for others, in a move aimed at tackling one of the nation's many environmental problems. Plastic bags are a familiar site scattered around China's streets and floating in rivers, and the initiative is welcomed by campaigners for tougher regulations to curb the worst excesses of consumerism.

Pan Yue, the crusading deputy director of China's state environmental protection administration, has acknowledged that public awareness of the problem is limited: using three layers of plastic to package eggs not only demonstrates hygiene, but also appeals to a sense of luxury.

It is estimated that as many as one billion plastic bags are used every day in China. The new laws will come into effect from 1st June 2008.

Meanwhile there are numerous other problems to resolve. One of the most tragic aspects of China's environmental crisis is that the Yangtze freshwater river dolpin has recently been driven to extinction. The delicate dolphin, which dated back 20 million years, was found only in China's longest river, the Yangtze.

Do you have a passion for the planet? Join the Club!

A new club for those wanting to live a green and healthy lifestyle has been launched by Passion for the Planet. 

The UK’s only health and environment focussed radio station is about to launch an on- and off-line club to help listeners access information about ways to protect the environment and their health. 

With an online discussion forum, a regular monthly eco-challenge, advice and reviews on new eco and health related products, access to experts interviewed on the station to answer listener questions, and a range of events that will be fun, inspiring and a great way to meet and network with like-minded people. 

Events already planned include an evening of fair trade chocolate tasting, a private behind the scenes nature-watching tour at an RSPB nature reserve, an evening of organic wine tasting, a natural wellness day, tree planting, and a connoisseurs tea and coffee tasting (fair-trade, of course). 

“Passion for the Planet is about giving people solutions to help them decide how to live a green and healthy lifestyle and the Club is a natural extension of that. It gives our listeners direct access to the experts we interview on air, and enables them share ideas and get support from other people with the same interests.” Said Passion’s Managing Director Chantal Cooke.  

Philip Calvert from Calvert New Media Limited has been brought in to manage the Club.  He already manages a number of online forums - including clubs in the financial services industry, a leading sales recruitment business and for a Hollywood celebrity psychic.  

“Passion for the Planet has a loyal following and they want more information about the issues discussed on air. Many of the emails received at Passion were a clear indication that people are looking for ways to lead lives that are both more environmentally friendly and more healthy-friendly. Passion is seen a trusted source of unbiased, balanced information. The Club is a way to fulfil this need by giving added value to the listeners.” Said Phil. 

Richard White from Surrey is a regular listener looking forward to what the Passion for the Planet Club has to offer.  “I really enjoy the interviews on Passion and I often learn something new, but in turn this can raise new questions that I want answered.  The Club, with access to interviewees and other experts will be an ideal solution for my curiosity!”  

The Club has been beta testing and officially launches on 1st January 2008. It is free to join and is hosted through Ecademy. “There seemed little sense in re-inventing the wheel, and Ecademy had the functionality we wanted and it gave us and our listeners access to an additional 150,000 people through the Ecademy network.” Said Chantal Cooke.   

You can join the Passion for the Planet Club, for free, at http://www.passionfortheplanet.com/12000ecademy.htm

Horse-drawn vehicles

return to France

Horse drawn vehicles are making a come-back in France, amid concerns about greenhouse gas emissions.

More than 70 French towns have already gone back to the future by introducing horse-drawn carriages to replace petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles for local tasks such as collecting rubbish, street-cleaning and taking children to school. And at least 30 more are set to join the revolution next year.

The revival of horse-power is being pushed by the French National Stud, an organisation set up four centuries ago by "the Sun King", Louis XIV, to supply horses for his military campaigns.

Children in the flower-bedecked tourist town of St-Pierre-sur-Dives, in Normandy's Calvados country, are being ferried to school in picturesque carriages rather than school buses.

Some municipalities are seeing horses as a realistic alternative to gas-guzzling vehicles, being particularly good for journeys that involve a lot of stopping and starting.

Green plan for Westminster

Westminster is considering a plan to cut the carbon footprint of the Houses of Parliament by almost a third, in a project which would cost at least £20 million. The installation of wind turbines, tidal power and underground boreholes is being investigated. A detailed study into the greening of the parliamentary estate, commissioned by MPs and peers shows how parliament could be partly powered by a field of tidal power turbines in the Thames next to the members' terraces and a 35m high wind turbine on the neighbouring Victoria Gardens. There may be strong opposition from planning bodies who are concerned that the turbine could mar the Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin-designed masterpiece which is listed as a world heritage site.

A borehole, dug 120m into London's chalk aquifer, is planned to provide pure drinking water and another, drilled into Black Rod's garden, would cool the air in the debating chambers instead of electricity hungry airconditioning units. There are also plans to spend millions fitting double glazing to draughty windows and installing minature power stations in the cellars which will take the palace partly "off-grid". The designs have been drawn up on the orders of the Serjeant at Arms and Black Rod by BDP Sustainability, a firm of engineers and architects who have advised Tesco on improving the sustainability of its stores.

The Palace of Westminster uses enough electricity to power 6,500 households and generates so much carbon dioxide, it would take a forest of more than 2,500 trees to soak it up. Its environmental impact - which includes buying 18,720 bottles of water last year and creating 2,252 tonnes of rubbish.

Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes comments: "We can't afford to do nothing and that is exactly what parliament has done for too long," He has calculated that electricity consumption in the Commons has risen 86% since 1997. "Parliament at the moment is extremely unfriendly to the environment. Now, if we accept these measures there's a chance we could become an emblem of sustainability for the country. The measures outlined here are very welcome indeed."

Most prominent would be a 35m high, 1.65megawatt wind turbine on Victoria Gardens which would generate electricity and save 787 tonnes of CO2 a year. Average wind speeds of eight metres a second are at the lower limits of feasibililty, but the report's authors argue that the turbine would reduce parliament's current carbon dioxide emissions by 7.4%. The turbine would rise above the treetops to make "a bold statement to the nation on government commitment to renewable energy".

13/11/07

Gore and UN panel win

Nobel prize

The committee cited "their efforts to build up and disseminate knowledge about man-made climate change". The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it wanted to bring into sharper focus the "increased danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states" posed by climate change. It highlighted a series of scientific reports issued over the last two decades by the IPCC, which comprises more than 2,000 leading climate change scientists and experts.

Mr Gore, 59, and US vice-president under Bill Clinton, said he was "deeply honoured". He won an Oscar for his climate change film "An Inconvenient Truth" while the IPCC is the top authority on global warming. He was praised as "probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted", through his lectures, films and books.

IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri said he was "overwhelmed" by the award. He told a cheering crowd of colleagues and journalists outside his office in Delhi that he hoped the award would bring a "greater awareness and a sense of urgency" to the fight against global warming.

The reports had "created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming", the committee said.

There is growing concern that public desire to offset carbon emissions is being exploited by companies who are taking money but not actually living up to their pledges. In some cases rainforest has been sold by people who do not own it, and in other cases investment in wind farms or tree planting is being “double counted” with the same investment sold many times over. The carbon-offset market is worth £60 million worldwide, up from £20 million in 2005.

Full story - Eco exclusive

Water supplies at risk

as glaciers melt

A Slippery Problem

Hazardous chemicals used to make non-stick and water-repellent coatings on a range of products are contaminating UK eels, a species already under serious threat, according to a Greenpeace report on European eels released today.  

The report, "Slipping Away: the presence of perfluorinated chemicals in eels (Anguilla anguilla) from 11 European countries", including the UK, reveals that European eels, once common but now in rapid decline, are widely contaminated with perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), a source of rising concern due to their toxicity and widespread distribution in the environment. The eels tested in the UK were from the river Thames.  

PFCs are used to make stain-repellent coatings in carpets, textiles and paints, non- stick coatings on saucepans and the insides of fast food and microwave popcorn wrappings. Brand-name products made using PFCs include Gore-Tex outdoor wear, Stainmaster stain-proof carpet treatments and Teflon easy-to-clean cookware. PFCs are also widely used in industrial

processes and in certain fire fighting foams. They have been linked to liver damage and reproductive problems in fish and certain mammals.  

An independent UK laboratory tested eels from 21 locations in 11 European countries. The present study provides a first overview of the broad geographical extent of contamination of eels with four types of PFCs, including the highly bioaccumulative PFOS (most

abundant in samples from Germany, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, and Czech Republic).  

"Perfluorinated chemicals are just one of many groups of hazardous chemicals building up in our rivers and lakes, but an important one nonetheless" said Dr. David Santillo of the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, one of the report's authors. "Their widespread presence demonstrates the serious inadequacy of chemical regulation based on so-called 'adequate control' of risks, whereby companies claim that they can contain the spread into the environment of hazardous chemicals used in products and industrial processes."  

PFCs persist in the environment and can build up in soils and body tissues of animals. Some are known to be toxic to animals, harming reproductive success in freshwater invertebrates and damaging the liver in fish and mammals. They may also increase uptake and toxicity of other toxic chemicals present. A 2005 Greenpeace study found PFCs in umbilical cord blood from newborn babies, confirming ability to cross the placenta and expose the developing child in the womb.  

Eels are an important bioindicator species for pollution in their surroundings due to their long lifespan, often spent in the same local waters, and high proportion of body fat . The new report is the second phase of an investigation into toxic chemical contamination of European

eels, the first phase of which found high body burdens of PCBs and certain brominated flame retardants [Swimming in Chemicals: Eels, PCBs and Brominated Flame Retardants]. Numbers of young eels returning to some European waters are now thought to be as low as 1% of historic levels. 

Increasingly, chemical pollution is considered an important factor in the decline of this intriguing species believed to migrate thousands of miles from the North Atlantic to Europe.  

Greenpeace is calling for tougher rules on chemicals used in everyday products. This autumn, European governments and members of the EU Parliament will vote on a proposed new EU legislation (REACH - Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals). "Just as poor

chemical regulation adds further to the threats facing the European eel, so it subjects us all to hazardous chemical exposure," said, Martin Hojsik Greenpeace International Toxics Campaigner. "The European Union needs to act to protect our health and the environment by requiring companies to replace hazardous chemicals like PFCs with safer alternatives."

Gender Bender Banned

Global ban on toxic ship paint

18 September 2008

Campaigners celebrated today, after more than ten years of lobbying to protect the marine environment, as the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships (AFS Convention), comes into effect. This marks an end to the use of Tributyltin (TBT), one of the most toxic chemicals ever to be deliberately released into our seas.
Ships will no longer be allowed to apply or re-apply TBT based anti-fouling paints or even have traces of this chemical on their hulls, following the AFS Convention.
Widely used in anti-fouling paints to prevent marine organisms sticking to the hulls of boats and ships, the negative impacts of the chemical were first suspected in the late 1960's and has been shown to change the sex of dog whelks, through endocrine disruption.
TBT contamination has also caused oyster crop failures in France and closed shell fish farms. WWF has long campaigned against the use of TBT, citing the negative impacts of the chemical which contaminates wildlife in the open ocean as well as in coastal waters.
Dr Simon Walmsley, head of WWF UK's marine programme told Eco:

"This is a tremendous victory for the marine environment, but one that is long overdue. It has been over forty years since TBT's negative impacts were first identified and seven years since legislation to ban TBT was agreed, yet we have only now achieved a global ban. All this time, TBT has been polluting our seas, contaminating our wildlife and entering our food chain. It is ludicrous that it has taken this long to protect our seas from these gender-bending chemicals."

Biomass Trial Announced

Forestry as a renewable energy source: Scoping project launched

18th September 2008

Around £1.5 million of funding for a three year research project to examine the feasibility of short rotation forestry as a viable renewable energy source was announced today by Defra.

The project will establish a number of sites where intensive research will be carried out and operational-scale plots will be planted. The species will include both native and naturalised broadleaved trees along with other species with the potential to be used for biomass, such as eucalyptus.

The plots will be monitored to establish the environmental impacts and sustainability of short rotation forestry as a renewable energy source. Forestry Commission England will work closely with Defra to set up the project which will provide ongoing monitoring and scientific data on hydrology, carbon balance, economic viability, biodiversity, and possible environmental risks such as the impact of the project on landscape and biodiversity

Monitoring and evaluation will also be linked to the results of short rotation forestry trials in Scotland which are currently being established.

This research project is to consider the commercial feasibility of fast growing tree species that are suitable for harvesting at between 6-10 years old, rather than a 20 plus year growth period for conventional forestry or 3-4 years for short rotation coppice.

The Renewable Energy Strategy consultation document specifically identifies the potential of short rotation forestry for energy generation. This project takes forward the proposal contained within the consultation document to work with the industry to conduct the field-scale trials required in order to assess the environmental impacts of short rotation forestry species.

Defra currently supports the cultivation of perennial energy crops for heat and power use through the Energy Crops Scheme under the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013. Under the scheme, growers receive support of 40% of the establishment costs of miscanthus and short rotation coppice, primarily willow.

The Forestry Commission has stated that short rotation forestry‘s contribution to the availability of biomass should be set in the context of existing sustainability criteria, forestry standards and policy objectives. Any trial should undergo the same scrutiny at the inception stage to ensure appropriate design and be compliant with the UK Forestry Standards. In particular, Environmental Impact Assessment regulations would apply. It also needs to comply with the ‘principle’ given in the Government’s Strategy for England’s Trees, Woods and Forests of ‘the right tree in the right place’.

www.forestry.gov.uk/PDF/fcfc001.pdf/$FILE/fcfc001.pdf

www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/rddteam/forestry.htm

Just Good Friends

17th September 2008

Leading green electricity supplier Good Energy has teamed up with influential campaigning organisation Friends of the Earth in the fight against climate change.

Good Energy buys 100 per cent renewable energy and also gives financial support to households that produce their own renewable energy. Switching to electricity supplied by Good Energy gives people the opportunity to combat climate change by lowering their domestic carbon emissions. Good Energy was last month rated the best company in the sector in a Concerned Consumer survey funded by The Times.

Friends of the Earth harnesses people power to change politics, most recently demonstrated by its success with The Big Ask - the campaign for a strong climate change Bill, which will become law by the end of 2008. Now the green group is encouraging the public to write to their MP and demand that Gordon Brown delivers on his promise to generate 15 per cent of our energy from UK renewable sources - such as the sun, wind, wave and tides - by 2020.

Good Energy will be advocating the campaigns Friends of the Earth embark on in the coming months and will donate £30 to the charity for every customer who mentions FOE when they sign up.

Nick Rau, Friends of the Earth's renewable energy campaigner, said: "Friends of the Earth is working in partnership with Good Energy because it raises awareness of climate change and funds renewable energy projects - which supports Friends of the Earth's goal to wean the Government off its addiction to dirty coal, oil and gas and pave the way for a cleaner and greener future."

Juliet Davenport, CEO and founder of Good Energy told Eco: "Good Energy and Friends of the Earth are working towards a similar goal - a sustainable world where people are concerned about what is happening around them and to the environment. This powerful new partnership will add weight to the fight for more renewables, and Good Energy is very pleased to be able to work with such an influential organisation during this critical time for the future of energy in the UK."

·         Good Energy is the first and only 100 per cent renewable electricity supplier in the UK. Unlike many other suppliers, Good Energy buys all of its electricity from renewables and uses no fossil fuels or nuclear power. By choosing 100 per cent renewable electricity, individuals are cutting their personal carbon emissions and impact on Climate Change.

·         Over 25,000 homes and businesses across the UK have switched to Good Energy. The electricity supplied by Good Energy comes from over 400 independent renewable generators that use wind, small scale hydro, solar power and sustainable biomass to generate electricity.

·         Good Energy's customers are cutting their personal carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by an average of two tonnes per household. That's saving the equivalent emissions produced by driving 5,000 miles in a petrol car.

·         In an official report entitled "Reality or Rhetoric? Green Tariffs for Domestic Customers" from the National Consumer Council, Good Energy was rated the greenest energy supplier in the UK. The report states: "For those consumers who want a green electricity supply, pure and simple, this is probably the closest they will get to it."

·         Good Energy is owned by the Good Energy Group, an independent PLC which specialises in investing in renewable energy. Good Energy Group has in the region of 1700 shareholders, of which over 90 per cent are customers of Good Energy.

·         Good Energy is the first electricity company to publish an independent audit of its renewable supply claims.

·         Join Good Energy today and reduce your carbon footprint by up to one third. Call 0845 456 1640 or sign up online at http://www.good-energy.co.uk/

Win a £3750 solar thermal system

Tesco's Rejected

10th September 2008

Countryside campaigners, The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) , has warmly welcomed the announcement that the Planning Inspector has dismissed Tesco’s planning appeal on its proposal to build a supermarket at Sheringham in Norfolk.

Graeme Willis, Rural Policy Campaigner, told Eco:

“This is a crucial decision which will encourage all those fighting for local democracy and the right to shape their town and how it develops.  It marks the winning of a hard fought battle by residents and councillors, with support from CPRE Norfolk, to prevent irrevocable damage to the character and vitality of Sheringham”

 “The decision will safeguard the distinctiveness of the town for residents and tourists alike, as well as the many rural businesses who depend on it,” Graeme Willis continued.

“This comes at a critical moment nationally too.  The Government is consulting now on plans to change planning policy for town centres. CPRE is pressing for stronger measures to make it easier for the diversity of towns like Sheringham to be protected from out-of-scale retail.”

Arctic Role is Special

8th September 2008

As the Northern hemisphere approaches the end of its summer, the role of the Arctic in regulating the world's climate has never been in greater peril. This year the amount of sea ice shrank to the second lowest level ever recorded, opening up the fabled North-West Passage to shipping,

This comes at the same time of news that ice shelves on the shore of Canada that have been present throughout the history of mankind, are now melting and breaking away into the sea. The floating tongues of ice attached to Ellesmere Island, which have lasted for thousands of years, have seen almost a quarter of their cover break away.

One of them, the 50 sq km (20 sq miles) Markham shelf, has completely broken off to become floating sea-ice. Researchers say warm air temperatures and reduced sea-ice conditions in the region have assisted the break-up.

"These substantial calving events underscore the rapidity of changes taking place in the Arctic," Trent University's Dr Derek Mueller told Eco.

"Reduced sea-ice conditions and unusually high air temperatures have facilitated the ice shelf losses this summer," said Dr Luke Copland from the University of Ottawa. "And extensive new cracks across remaining parts of the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf mean that it will continue to disintegrate in the coming years. These changes are irreversible under the present climate."

Loss of ice in the Arctic, and in particular the extensive sea-ice, has global implications. The "white parasol" at the top of the planet reflects energy from the Sun straight back out into space, helping to cool the Earth.

Further loss of Arctic ice will see radiation absorbed by darker seawater and snow-free land, potentially warming the Earth's climate at an even faster rate than current observational data indicates.

The changes in the Arctic come at a time when a replacement for the Kyoto Treaty is under discussion at the United Nations, but also at a time when the economies of many Western nations are slipping into recession. It is vital that the pressure to resume economic growth does not distract from the urgnecy of securing some stability in the Earth's climate.

Huge Wind

Farm Approved

Consent secured for largest onshore wind farm in Europe

23rd July 2008

Scottish and Southern Energy plc ("SSE") has been granted consent by Scottish Ministers to develop in southern Scotland a wind farm with a total capacity of up to 456MW.  The wind farm will be built in two phases and, on completion, will be the largest onshore wind farm in Europe.

The wind farm, known as Clyde, is located between Biggar and Moffat.  It became part of SSE’s development portfolio when it acquired Airtricity earlier this year.  Scottish Ministers’ decision to award consent follows a Public Inquiry into the development, which was concluded in 2006.
As a result of their decision, SSE now has almost 1,500MW of onshore wind farm capacity in operation, in construction or with consent for development in the UK and Ireland, which compares with 875MW when the agreement to acquire Airtricity was announced in January 2008.
The wind farm will eventually have up to 152 turbines and construction work is expected to begin later in this financial year.  First commissioning is scheduled for 2010 and completion of both phases scheduled for 2011. Its development is expected to require the investment of around £600m, which is included within SSE’s existing plans to invest £2.5bn in renewable energy in the UK and Ireland over the next five years.
It is estimated that around half of the total investment (around £300m) will be placed with Scottish companies and over 200 full time jobs will be created during the three-year construction period.  Discussions have been held with South Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire to maximise local supplier involvement in the construction and ongoing maintenance of the wind farm.
SSE is also committed to a community fund to enable local communities to benefit from the development of the wind farm.  Discussions with regard to the provision and management of these funds, which are expected to be around £1m a year and centre on a long-term education and skills programme, are currently taking place with South Lanarkshire Council and other representatives of the local community.
Any proposal to construct, extend or operate an onshore wind farm in Scotland with a generation capacity in excess of 50 Megawatts (MW) requires the consent of Scottish Ministers under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.  Consent is generally granted with conditions and in this case they include completing ongoing work with NATS on air traffic control radar-related issues.
Including hydro schemes and offshore wind farm developments, SSE now has around 3,500MW of renewable energy capacity in operation, in construction or with consent for development. In addition to Clyde, SSE (including Airtricity) has submitted to planning authorities applications for consent to develop wind farms in the UK and Ireland with a total capacity of around 600MW.
Ian Marchant, Chief Executive of SSE, said: "I am very pleased that the Clyde wind farm has received consent.  It is another example of the value of the Airtricity portfolio of renewable energy projects which we acquired earlier this year and provides us with another major investment opportunity.
"Projects like Clyde are essential if Scotland and the UK are to have any hope of meeting legally-binding EU targets for renewable energy.  Scottish Ministers aim to make Scotland the green energy capital of Europe, and giving the Clyde wind farm consent is evidence of a willingness to take decisions which are consistent with that ambition.
"Clyde is clearly going to be a major project, with significant economic opportunities for the local community.  Our priority is to satisfy the conditions relating to the consent, including completing our constructive discussions with NATS.  We will also ensure that work at the site is carried out in a professional manner, sensitive to the needs and concerns of the local community."

UK is second biggest EU importer of illegal timber

23rd July 2008

Almost one-fifth of wood imported into the European Union in 2006 came from illegal sources, with the UK being the second largest importer, a new report has found. The UK imported 3.5 million cubic metres of illegal wood, which included importing the biggest quantities of furniture, finished wood products, sawnwood and plywood of all EU states. Only Finland brought in more illegal timber.
In 2006, the EU imported between 26.5 and 31 million cubic metres of illegal wood and related products, equal to the total amount of wood harvested in Poland in the same year. Most of Europe's illegal timber comes from Russia, Indonesia and China.
WWF, the conservation organisation, presents these findings as further evidence of the need for a strong European law to prevent illegal wood entering EU markets.
Julia Young, Manager of the Forest and Trade Network at WWF-UK, told Eco:

"Illegal logging reduces the protective function of forests which frequently increases the risk of natural disasters such as floods and landslides and leads to deforestation, one of the main causes for climate change. Illegal logging also pushes down wood prices leading to major economic losses for the producer states, industries and local communities.
"As the UK clearly plays a major role in fuelling this illegal trade, the government needs to ensure the EU urgently introduces legislation to prevent illegal timber entering the EU - and thereby help protect the world's last remaining forests."
The report showed that some 23% of wood-based products imported from Eastern Europe, 40% from South-East Asia, 30% from Latin America and 36% to 56% from Africa originated from illegal or suspect sources. Major importers were Finland, UK, Germany and Italy.
This highlights the ineffectiveness of the existing voluntary scheme to tackle illegal logging, the EU Forest and Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Licensing Scheme. Voluntary agreements have been drawn up between exporting and importing countries to tackle the trade. However, even if all voluntary agreements currently negotiated by the EU with partner countries under FLEGT were concluded, only 10% of illegal wood would be excluded by EU markets. No such negotiations are planned with countries like Russia and China.
The report traces ten main trading routes for illegal wood. The main trader is Russia with 10 million cubic metres of illegal wood transferred to EU countries in 2006. Half of this wood arrived in the European market through Finland, where it was processed into pulp and paper and then exported to other EU countries. While the second main trader is Indonesia, China has recently become a major player having tripled its exports of wood and paper products to the EU between 2003 and 2006 - 32% suspected to be from illegal sources.
WWF now urges the introduction of an EU law to guarantee that only legal wood is sold in the European market. Traders should have to prove the origin and legality of wood and a penalty should be introduced for any violation. The European Commission is expected to make a proposal on this issue in the next months.

• Read the report Illegal wood for the European market

Say No to Coal!

Leaders of the UK's largest climate change coalition pile pressure on Brown to say yes to green energy and no to coal

Today, the leaders of the UK's largest coalition dedicated to stopping climate change warned Gordon Brown that a green light for a new unabated coal plant at Kingsnorth will lock Britain into decades of spiralling emissions and severely undermine the government's ability to meet its climate targets.

At the invitation of the local community, leaders from a diverse range of organisations including the Women's Institute, RSPB, Oxfam and Greenpeace who make up the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition planted flags in the ground at Kingsnorth to show Mr Brown the breadth of opposition he faces if he gives the go ahead to a fleet of new unabated coal plants. Instead, the coalition demands that he invests in renewables and makes massive improvements to energy efficiency. 

The move comes on the same day as the publication of a new report from an influential parliamentary committee which warns that Government plans to develop new coal-fired power plants are "failing to take adequate account of the environmental impact of coal". The report states that "replacing old coal-fired power stations with new ones, rather than using alternative energy sources, locks Britain into a high level of emissions for many years to come".

In a letter to Mr Brown the coalition tells the PM that Kingsnorth is one of the most important climate change decisions of his premiership. It goes on to explain how building new coal plants in the UK would send the wrong signal to countries like China and India, and could thwart a new global deal on climate change. The organisations argue that by transforming Britain into a low-carbon economy, the Prime Minister would prove the case internationally that renewables and energy efficiency can protect the climate and keep the lights on. 

Fay Mansell, Chair of the National Federation of Women's Institutes said:

"The WI is here today to call for green energy decisions to be made now to protect our future. Women across the world are being hit hardest by climate change and have a key role to play in helping their families and communities adapt. We want a commitment to renewable energy in the UK which will lead the way for the rest of the world to follow, providing cleaner and safer options for households in poor countries."

Ashok Sinha, Director of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition said:

"Gordon Brown's decision on new coal-fired power plants could be a defining moment in the fight against climate change. If he jumps the right way and unlocks Britain's renewable potential, we could show the rest of the world that low carbon technologies are the answer to the inseparable challenges of climate change, poverty and energy security. The reality is that a thriving renewables industry would help us avoid disastrous climate change, create thousands of jobs and keep the lights on."

Paul Brannen, Christian Aid's Head of Campaigns, said:

"Christian Aid works with vulnerable communities in poor countries who are already bearing the brunt of the impact of climate change. Global cuts in carbon emissions are urgently needed to prevent the situation worsening. Building a new generation of high-emitting coal-fired power plants without the technology to capture and store CO2 from the outset will take us further down the path to climate catastrophe." 

Swindled!

22nd July 2008

After all the fuss about the alleged bias of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" from the global warming deniers, Ofcom has vindicated those who complained bitterly against the Channel 4 "documentary" "The Great Global Warming Swindle".

In a long-awaited judgemental, Ofcom says Channel 4 did not fulfil obligations to be impartial and to reflect a range of views on controversial issues. The film also treated interviewees unfairly. However Ofcom ruled that it did not mislead audiences "so as to cause harm or offence".

On another issue - whether contributors to the programme had been treated fairly - Ofcom mainly found against Channel 4 and the film's producer WagTV.

Former UK chief scientific adviser Sir David King had been misquoted and had not been given a chance to put his case, the regulator said.

Ofcom also found in favour of Carl Wunsch, an oceanographer interviewed for the programme, who said he had been invited to take part in a programme that would "discuss in a balanced way the complicated elements of understanding of climate change", but had turned out to be "an out-and-out propaganda piece, in which there is not even a gesture toward balance".

The Broadcasting Code requires Channel 4 to show "due impartiality" on "matters of major political and industrial controversy and major matters relating to current public policy".

The last segment of the programme, dealing with the politics of climate change, broke this obligation, Ofcom judged, and did not reflect a range of views, as required under the code.

While some of the 265 complaints received by Ofcom were short and straightforward, one group assembled a 176-page document alleging 137 breaches of the Broadcasting Code.

Channel 4 will have to broadcast a summary of the Ofcom ruling, but it brings no sanctions. Sadly untold damage has been caused to the campaign to mobilise the public behind efforts to curb global warming, as many people were deceived by "The Great Global Warming Swindle" into believing that the jury is still out. It isn't. The United Nations' leading scientists have ruled that beyond all reasonable doubt we face serious climate change. Every day of delay means that when the full force of climate change strikes, it will be more cataclysmic. Ultimately it was the film which swindled the public.

New wave of eco-regeneration funding for Southport

20th June 2008

The seaside town of Southport is to get a new community woodland following today’s 28 May 2008 announcement of more than £1.78million of regeneration funding from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and its partners.
Up to 26 hectares of brownfield land (a former landfill site) located to the south east of Southport’s town centre (and known locally as Town Lane), will be transformed into a community woodland as part of Newlands - the £59 million regeneration scheme led by NWDA and Forestry Commission.  Newlands is rejuvenating 381 hectares of the Northwest’s damaged land to stimulate economic growth and further opportunities for leisure and environmental improvements.
The make-up of the site includes two former landfill sites, unmanaged grasslands and large sections of land that has suffered from neglect and some abuse from anti-social behavior. Town Lane is also close to an area of social deprivation (in the top 70th percentile of the National Index of Multiple Deprivation).
The NWDA investment (and over £225,000 which has been secured as match funding from Objective 1 funding via The Mersey Forest) will bring a much-needed boost to the area that is currently underused by the communities that overlook the site. Strategically driven improvements to the area will create a mosaic of habitats that will contribute to the economic, social and environmental revitalisation of Southport. 
The funding will help to attract new businesses to the adjoining Southport Commerce Park by creating a visually pleasing green space and it will also be of great value to patients and staff at the nearby Southport General Hospital. The area’s cycle tracks and walkways are also going to be enhanced bringing further access to the area and beyond.  It is hoped that links will also be made to the nearby hospital that could allow the areas to be used for patient rehabilitation.
In addition, work on Town Lane will take advantage of the raised ground height of the site by creating a scenic viewing platform looking out across the West Pennine Moors and Southport Mosses. 
Following consultation by Groundwork Merseyside, residents and schools from the site’s large neighbouring communities will see many of their ideas and aspirations come to fruition. These will include enhanced recreational amenities to the existing playing fields with a new mountain bike skills area.
The project is within the region’s red squirrel zone.   It is expected that the remediation and long-term management of Town Lane will contribute to the protection and preservation of red squirrel habitats, as well as those for the existing ground nesting birds, currently residing in the grasslands, all of which will contribute to the North Merseyside Biodiversity Action Plan targets.
The NWDA is providing resources to keep Town Lane maintained for the next 20 years and the Forestry Commission will manage the woodland it creates through the project for a further 79 years making a secure period of nearly 100 years of management for the area’s greenspace.
Work on Town Lane will commence this Summer with the introduction of new soils for tree planting while the Forestry Commission will also work closely with local communities and interested parties to provide opportunities to be involved in managing the area, helping to develop local enterprise and ownership.
Town Lane is one of six Newlands projects being developed in the Mersey Belt area of the Northwest. Each project was carefully selected from the region’s derelict, underused or neglected (DUN) land that were then assessed using a Public Benefit Recording System (PBRS), a tool which identifies the areas that would bring the most benefits through regeneration investment.
Newlands projects across the wider region, including Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire are also now being explored – making Newlands the largest soft-end environmental land regeneration scheme in the country.
Peter White, Executive Director of Development at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), said: “The Newlands programme is a leading example of exactly how brownfield regeneration is making a significant economic impact across the Northwest, improving quality of life, delivering real benefits to communities and increasing investor confidence. The Town Lane project will be vital in the ongoing regeneration of the wider Southport area and demonstrates the full range of social, environmental and economic benefits that this kind of joined-up regeneration can bring.”
Chairman of the Forestry Commission, Lord Clark of Windermere, said: "The plans for a new community woodland for Southport will bring enormous benefits to the town, providing a natural landscape that will improve the area and deliver a clean and attractive space to play, live and work. Importantly, Newlands will once again demonstrate that environmental regeneration can deliver tangible results and improve the well-being of the area and the region."

Bats: the new performance indicator

Bats to help measure the UK’s biodiversity

27th May 2008

From today (International Biodiversity Day), for the first time bat and wintering waterbird numbers will be used to measure the health of the UK’s wildlife.

They join other wildlife indicators published today as part of the UK and England Biodiversity Indicators.

Bat species are some of the UK’s most common wild mammals, found throughout urban areas, farmland, woodland and river/lake systems. Strict legal protection, direct conservation action and education, and warmer winters have all helped bats on the slow road to recovery since 1999, following long term declines in their numbers in the second half of the 20th Century. 

Bat populations remain vulnerable, which is why they serve as a good indicator for the wider health of the UK’s wildlife. Pressures faced by bats including landscape change, agricultural intensification, development, and habitat fragmentation are also relevant to many other wildlife species.

The six bat species which will now be used as indicator species are the Daubenton’s bat, the noctule, lesser horseshoe, common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle and serotine.

Wintering waterbirds such as the Whooper Swan have also been included in the UK Indicator for the first time, helping to measure the effects of a changing climate. A recent decline in numbers has been associated with a spate of warm winters allowing the birds to remain in continental Europe.

The overall trend of the indicators published today shows that since 2000 there has been general slowing and halt in the long-term decline in populations of key species or habitats. However it is important that efforts to halt declines are maintained.

Joan Ruddock, Minister for Biodiversity said:

“The state of our wildlife is an indicator of the health of our environment and life itself. We can be proud of our efforts to slow and halt the decline of wildlife. More money is being spent, more people are volunteering for conservation and more woodland and farmland is managed for wildlife. 

“Bats are integral to the environment and are a good indicator of the wildlife we often don’t see – such as the insects they feed on.

“The evidence for all the indicators gathered by organisations such as the Bat Conservation Trust and its volunteers is invaluable to better focus research and conservation action.”

Amy Coyte, Chief Executive of the Bat Conservation Trust said:

“Bats are an excellent indicator of the state of the natural environment. As our wildlife continues to struggle against many threats, it is vital to have indicators of whether current efforts are working. By adding bats to the suite of indicators, we will gain a greater understanding of how our wildlife is faring.”

Also published today is the list of habitats and species of principal importance for the conservation of biodiversity in England under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

The 56 habitats and 940 of the species are already prioritised for conservation by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. In addition, the Hen Harrier has been included on the list in light of the severe declines this bird has suffered in England. 

Food Riots in Somalia

6th May 2008

At least two people have died in the Somali capital Mogadishu in food riots, as troops opened fire on protests about the rising price of food and circulation of counterfeit currency. The riots involved thousands of people burning tyres and throwing stones after traders refused to accept local notes and demanded US dollars instead. This and the increasing insecurity have seen food prices double.

The riots in Somalia over food prices are the latest in a series of disturbances around the world, that have toppled the government in Haiti, and brought protestors to the streets of Egypt, Pakistan and Mexico.

A number of factors are pushing food prices higher including the world's growing population, harvests affected by climate change, competition for land from biofuel crops, and a shift towards eating more meat in Asia.

Last week, the UN Food Security Analysis Unit warned that Somalia was facing a major famine caused by prolonged drought and soaring food prices.

It said that half of the population would need food aid by the end of the year and that hyperinflation, the devaluation of the Somali shilling and the ongoing armed conflict with Islamicists were making it more and more difficult for the urban poor to get enough to eat.

Oil price tops

$126 a barrel

10th May 2008

Predictions from the Transition Towns movement about Peak Oil driving the price of oil ever higher appear to be coming true, as the oil price rose on Friday to over $126 dollars a barrel, amid fears about attacks on pipelines in Nigeria and Northern Iraq.

"Nigeria is the lingering hotspot the markets will be focusing on," said MF Global analyst Ed Meir.

He added that while some production in the oil-rich African nation, there were "reports of fresh violence, as another pipeline explosion has shut in more oil production".

With no spare capacity in the system, every restriction to supply is causing a spike in prices, and with so much of modern food production and distribution linked to fuel prices, global inflation is a renewed threat to economies in America and parts of Europe that are struggling with recession. The current high price of oil is also due to the falling value of the dollar and hedge funds investing in commodities. Ironically, the latest spike in the oil price is partly due to optimism that the recession in the US is not as bad as feared.

The relationship between currency markets and commodity prices is a relatively new phenomenon, according to Damian Cox from John Hall Associates:

"Since about August, commodities appear to have been responding to movements in the currency markets....As the dollar has weakened, some people have moved into commodities."

The other factor in oil price rises is the booming demand as developing nations like China and India industrialise. China will take further steps to secure a greater future supply of oil this week when it signs a deal with oil-producer Venezuela to build a refinery jointly in Guangdong province.

Under the deal, Venezuela will supply China with 400,000 barrels a day, five times the current amount.

"We want to co-operate with foreign firms in both the upstream and downstream business to take advantage of our respective strengths and secure steady oil supplies," Shen Diancheng, vice-president of the largest Chinese oil and gas firm, Petrochina told Eco.

Thousands Die

in Burmese Cyclone

6th May 2008

Over 22,000 people have died in a powerful cyclone that has struck Burma, and over 41,000 people are missing. Unconfirmed reports put the death toll much higher at over 60,000. International aid agencies are pushing to launch a massive operation in the worst-affected areas of the country, although there is some resistance from the notoriously intransigent regime.

Hundreds of thousands of people are said to be without clean water and shelter, with some areas still cut off. State media reported on Tuesday that 22,464 people had now been confirmed as dead.

More deaths were caused by the tidal wave than the cyclone itself, Minister for Relief and Resettlement Maung Maung Swe told reporters in Rangoon.

"The wave was up to 12ft (3.5m) high and it swept away and inundated half the houses in low-lying villages," he said. "They did not have anywhere to flee."

Winds of about 190km/h (120mph) battered the Irrawaddy, Rangoon, Bago, Karen and Mon regions. Parts of the Irrawaddy region were hit particularly badly, with three out of four buildings reportedly blown down in one district, and Burma has declared Irrawaddy and four other regions, including the main city Rangoon, to be disaster areas. In Irrawaddy's Labutta township, 75% of buildings collapsed and 20% had their roofs ripped off, and 20,000 houses throughout Irrawaddy as a whole have been destroyed.

The capital city Rangoon has been without power and water, its streets full of debris. A diplomat in Rangoon described the situation as "like a war-zone."

Norwich goes

Green

Councillor Adrian Ramsay

Norwich Greens leapfrog Lib Dems to become main opposition to Labour

2nd May 2008

The result sets Councillor Adrian Ramsay on course to win Charles Clarke's Norwich South seat, becoming one of the first Green MPs elected to Westminster.

Finishing the night with an increased number of City Council seats from 10 to 13, Norwich Green Party has leapfrogged the Liberal Democrats to become the official opposition on Norwich City Hall, just 2 seats away from the ruling Labour Party. At the same time, the Greens have beaten Labour on local election vote share across the Norwich South Parliamentary constituency by approximately 2000 votes. For the first time, the Norwich Greens also won more votes than Labour across the entire city.

This historic election sees the Norwich Greens become the most powerful Green Group of councillors in the country. The result also sets Nelson Ward Green Party Councillor Adrian Ramsay on course to win Charles Clarke's Norwich South seat, becoming one of the first Green MPs elected to Westminster.

Councillor Ramsay, Norwich South PPC and Leader of the Green Party Group on Norwich City Council, said of the results:

"I'm delighted that we've achieved such an excellent result. Thousands of Norwich residents have endorsed our positive campaign based on more environmentally friendly and socially fair policies for the City Council. We need more affordable housing, comprehensive recycling facilities, better energy efficiency and more renewable energy in new developments and we need to protect the city's natural and historic assets. With more Green councillors elected I hope that we can get more of these policies adopted.

"The Green Party is now clearly the main challenge to Labour in Norwich, both on the City Council and as we bid to win the Norwich South Westminster seat from Charles Clarke at the next General Election."

Elsewhere in the country, Greens gained important breakthroughs in Cambridge, Stroud and Solihull, while the Greens in Liverpool formed an unprecedented 'group status'. Sheffield and Camden Greens both gained one seat to make full Green wards in Central and Highgate respectively.

Nationally the Green Party has made a very modest net gain of 5 councillors, increasing their number of council seats to 116.

In London, Boris Johnson has replaced Ken Livingstone as Mayor of London, on a ticket that includes a review of the Congestion Charge and opposition to the Kyoto Treaty. The Green Party gained 8.29% of the vote and has retained its existing two members of the Greater London Assembly (GLA). The British National Party gained its first member of the GLA, gaining 5.33% of the vote.

Green Party Results

Hot Topic

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment

1000 Londoners in Heated Climate Change Debate

25th April 2008

More than 1,000 people turned out for a lively debate on the Government's new Climate Change Law in Central London. The event was organised by The Big Ask, Friends of the Earth's climate campaign and I Count, the campaign of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition.

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and his Conservative and Liberal democrat counterparts, Peter Ainsworth and Steve Webb were subjected to tough questioning from the audience, some of whom had travelled from as far afield as Manchester to attend.

The audience applauded the Government for introducing the Climate Change Bill - which will be made Law later this year - but called for it to be strengthened. Specific demands included increasing the target for cutting emissions from 60 per cent to 80 percent to bring it in line with the latest science and ensuring the Bill covers all emissions including the UK's share of emissions from international aviation and shipping from the outset.

Pressed on whether he would include a target for cutting emissions by 80 percent in the Climate Change Bill, Hilary Benn said: "If we didn't think the target needed strengthening we wouldn't ask the [Climate Change] Committee to look at it. However I believe in the process so will only make that decision once the Committee has reported."

Peter Ainsworth, Conservative Shadow Secretary for the Environment responded: "There will be no point in the Climate Change Committee if the Government is not going to apply their recommendations."

Mr Benn also said emissions from international aviation are an international problem and need to be addressed at a European level through the Emissions Trading Scheme. However Steve Webb Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Energy, Food and Rural Affairs said: "The Government should include aviation emissions in the Bill from the start. The Law should be a statement of intention - the detail can be worked out later on."

All three politicians said that more had to be done to incentivise people to act by highlighting the benefits for the UK economy and people pockets as well as the environment. Peter Ainsworth described it as the `economic opportunity of the 21st Century' and said that Britain is losing out to Germany and other countries who have already invested hugely in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The politicians congratulated Friends of the Earth and Stop Climate Chaos supporters for their role in making the Climate Change Bill happen. Hilary Benn described it as a `demonstration of politics at its best' while Steve Webb said: "I see power in this room. Not one of us has failed to have been inundated with postcards, letters and visits from you on the Climate Change Bill. The volume of this campaign has made us think again."

Hilary Benn said: "Let's not forget how radical the Bill is - it will set legally binding targets for cutting emissions for the first time. It will introduce carbon budgets and every Government policy will have to be judged, in part on the level of carbon dioxide emissions it will emit. The Government will have to set out a plan on how they intend to deliver the emissions reductions targets and it will provide transparency on what the Government is doing and how we are doing it."

Peter Ainsworth said: "I congratulate the Government on introducing the Climate Change Bill. The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have made some amendments in the House of Lords aimed at strengthening the Bill [such as] getting aviation and shipping included in the Bill and making the Prime Minister responsible for it. I hope they stay in."

Steve Webb said: "The Department for the Environment is a small department and its broke - that is why the Prime Minister must be personally answerable for how we deliver on the Bill. The Bill must also include international aviation and shipping emissions and must commit the UK to cutting its emissions by 80 percent cut."

Friends of the Earth launched The Big Ask campaign for a strong climate change law, supported by Stop Climate Chaos, in May 2005. Over half a million people from across the UK have contacted their MP to demand a law and the Government listened.

The Climate Change Law is a ground-breaking piece of legislation but it needs to be strengthened if it is to deliver the cuts in emissions that scientists tell us are needed. MPs will now have a chance to debate and make amendments to the Governments proposed law before it is introduced later this year. Nearly half of London MPs and the key Mayoral Candidates support demands for a stronger Law.

Food Rationing - in America

24th Apri 2008

In an extraordinary sign of the severity of the global food crisis, a branch of Wal-Mart's cash and carry chain in America has started rationing the amount of rice customers can buy. Customers are being limited to buying 4 bags of rice per visit.

The price of rice has risen 68% this year, and is causing concern across the world, as the UN's World Food Programme has begun cutting back on school meals in some countries.

The price of food is being driven higher by a number of factors including growing populations, changing diets, biofuel crops, climate change, and there is also concern that commodity speculators are now adding to the looming disaster. There is talk that investors have profited from desperate hunger in Honduras, the Philippines and Bangladesh; critics also wonder if commodity speculators are making the crisis worse, and that hedge funds, index funds, pension funds and investment banks bear part of the blame.

Rice-producing countries like Vietnam and India have curbed exports to keep domestic prices under control and there are fears that Thailand - the world's largest rice exporter - could follow suit.

Rice shortages have sparked protests in several countries including the Philippines, Haiti and Egypt. According to the United Nations, North Korea is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Wheat reserves worldwide are only sufficient right now to cover about 60 days of demand.

Wal-Mart told Eco that it was not restricting the amounts of flour or oil customers can purchase "at this time".

Kansas Coal Veto

22nd March 2008

In a move that has delighted environmentalists and may have implications for the proposed new coal power station at Kingsnorth in Kent, a Democratic governor in Kansas, America, has vetoed legislation that would have allowed a huge coal-fired power plant to expand in the state and spew 11 million more tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed the bill, saying federal regulations of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by coal-powered electric generating plants will likely be implemented in the next several years:

"We know that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change," Sebelius said in a statement. "As an agricultural state, Kansas is particularly vulnerable. Therefore, reducing pollutants benefits our state not only in the short term -- but also for generations of Kansans to come." In addition to the veto, Sebelius issued an executive order creating an energy and environmental policy advisory group make recommendations to the governor on how to reduce Kansas' greenhouse gas emissions.

Bill and Benn

Friends of the Earth (as part of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition) is holding a public meeting on 22nd April in London with Hilary Benn (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Peter Ainsworth (Conservative Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary).
This meeting is one of the last chances to tell the Minister in charge of the Climate Change Bill and opposition speakers on the environment in person that they must deliver a strong law. Campaigners are pressing for a target of 80% reductions in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 instead of the 60% proposed in the draft Bill.

When: 7:30pm, 22 April 2008
Where: Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
More information

Bag Action

1st March 2008

There are signs that the British public's love affair with the plastic bag is coming to an end as momentum grows behind moves to cut their use. Billions of plastic bags are sold in the UK every year, and they can take hundreds of years to decay, often ensnaring wildlife on land or getting blown out to sea.

Around the UK more and more towns and villages are following the lead of Modbury in Devon, and announcing bag-free zones. From May Marks and Spencer's will be charging 5p per bag, and The Daily Mail has started its own campaign.

Green Party Waste and Recycling spokesperson Adrian Ramsay today applauded the move by Marks and Spencer, but called for more direct government action necessary to reduce national levels in a 'serious' and 'sustainable' way. Cllr Ramsay said

"The decision by Marks & Spencer comes as a welcome step towards ridding Britain of the 13 billion plastic bags strewn across our towns and streets, blighting our canals and rivers and discolouring the UK's green fields and spaces every year.

"While the Green Party applauds small voluntary steps like those from M&S in trying to encourage customer behavioral change away from the endless consumption of new plastic bags, we believe that the only way to achieve a serious and sustainable decrease is through Government legislation introducing a mandatory tax on every plastic bag used."

Cllr Ramsay continued, "In 2002, the Irish Government introduced a tax of 15 cents per bag, which resulted in a 90% drop in plastic bag usage. Crucially, it also raised 3.5 million Euros which was then spent on environmental projects throughout the country. The Green Party campaigns for an obligatory 10p 'plastax' per bag, as we believe there is popular support in Britain for a similar scheme here, and we would also encourage the use of re-usable bags and 'bags for life' that many stores are promoting becoming more commonplace.

"Plastic bags are an unnecessary waste in our increasingly environmentally aware society. From the oil-based materials used in their production to the vast numbers lying as waste in open landfill sites, damaging wildlife and disfiguring public spaces, the Green Party will be glad to see them disappear."

London to slash emissions

29th February 2008

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has announced a major initiative to "retrofit" London's public buildings - including police and fire stations - to cut energy waste. Greenpeace Chief Scientist Dr Doug Parr said:

"London is setting the pace, and if we're going to beat climate change then we need to see this level of ambition in cities across the world. Slashing energy waste and decentralising power across the capital will save Londoners money and cut emissions, but just as importantly it will mean our city is seen as an environmental trailblazer.

"Energy efficiency might not be one of the most eye catching ways to save the world, but it remains one of the cheapest, quickest ways of tackling global warming. We need to see this kind of thinking in every town in the country, and most importantly in Gordon Brown's government."

Limited Impact of

E-Day

29th February 2008

E-day did not have the hoped for impact for a variety of reasons, but it remains an innovative idea which in time people may be mobilised behind, particularly if those with power and influence come off the fence, and realise that ultimately climate change is in no-one's interest. During the day there was little noticeable reduction in electricity consumption as measured by the National Grid compared to their predicted demand, although this may have been influenced by the weather on the day being marginally cooler than predicted.

For more information visit: E-Day

Sumatra's forests at risk

29th February 2008

Turning the forests and peat swamps of just one Sumatran province into pulpwood and palm oil plantations is generating more annual greenhouse gas emissions than the Netherlands and is rapidly driving the province's elephants into extinction, a new study by WWF and partners has found.
"We found that Sumatra's elephants and tigers are disappearing even faster than their forests are in Riau," said WWF International's Species Programme Director, Dr Susan Lieberman.
"This is happening because as wildlife search for new habitat and food sources, they increasingly come into conflict with people and are killed," she explained.
The study found that in central Sumatra's Riau Province 4.2 million hectares of tropical forests and peat swamp have been cleared in the last 25 years.
Forest loss, degradation and, decomposition and fires are, on average, equivalent to 122% percent of the Netherlands total annual emissions, 58% of Australia's annual emissions, 39% of annual UK emissions and 26% of annual German emissions.
Riau was chosen for the study because it is home to vast peatlands estimated to hold Southeast Asia's largest store of carbon, and contains some of the most critical habitat for Sumatran elephants and tigers. It also has Indonesia's highest deforestation rate, substantially driven by the operations of global paper giants Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL).
The province has lost 65% per cent of its forests over the last 25 years and in recent years has suffered Indonesia's fastest deforestation rates. In the same period there was an 84% decline in elephant populations, down to only 210 individuals, while tiger populations are estimated to have declined by 70% to perhaps just 192 individuals.
"The fragmentation and opening up of new forest areas also increases both the access and the opportunities for poaching. Therefore, a concerted effort to save these forests will contribute significantly to slowing the rate of global climate change, and will give tigers, elephants, and local communities a real chance for a future in Sumatra," added Lieberman.
At last December's Bali Climate Change Conference, the Indonesian minister of Forestry pledged to provide incentives to stop unsustainable forestry practices and protect Indonesia's forests. The governor of Riau Province has also made a public commitment to protect the province's remaining forest.
"If the commitments by the Indonesian government are implemented, it will not only save its endangered species but actually slow the rate of global climate change through the carbon savings," said Ian Kosasih, Director of WWF-Indonesia's Forest Programme.
Carbon emissions are likely to increase, the study predicted, as most future forest clearance will be conducted in areas with deep peat, which releases greenhouse gases when it decomposes or burns.
"If government and local industry were to create positive incentives for projects to reduce emissions by saving forests in Riau Province, it would both protect the province's massive carbon stores and also contribute to the economies of local communities that are dependent on these forests," said Kosasih.
At the Climate Change Conference in Bali, it was agreed that the negotiations towards the post-2012 climate agreement should consider a mechanism to provide positive incentives for developing countries, such as Indonesia, to reduce emissions from forests.
However, environmental groups including WWF believes that it cannot wait until this agreement is in place and so there is the need for voluntarily financed programmes for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
The UK government showed support by contributing to the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility but greater funds are needed if we are to achieve the scale of emissions reductions needed.

Green Taxes Needed

29th February 2008

Environmental think tank Green Alliance has launched a new report, "Good product, bad product? Making the case for product levies". In the report, Green Alliance challenges the government to provide clear price signals on products like batteries and packaging to reduce their environmental impact.

The report argues the way products are designed plays a major role in determining how much energy and water we use, and how much waste we produce. Very little government policy, however, has been directed at changing the nature of products in ways that are radical enough to meet the environmental challenges faced by the UK. By replacing VAT with a goods tax, graduated according to environmental impact and with exemptions for best-in-class products, the government could give companies and shoppers an incentive to do the right thing for the environment.

Julie Hill, Green Alliance’s waste policy expert, says:

“We have a choice: do we want to continue living with stuff which conflicts with living a low-carbon, low-waste lifestyle or do we want to consume in ways that are smart, pleasurable and sustainable? The market still brings forward products that conflict with the government’s own environmental goals, from appliances that can’t be taken off stand-by to packaging that can’t be recycled. And without the right price signals this pattern is set to continue. Other European countries do it so let’s tax bads  - not goods.”

According to the Green Fiscal Commission, green tax revenues have actually fallen since New Labour first came to power. Replacing VAT with an environmental goods levy would buck this trend. At the very least a product levy could be used to promote innovation in the areas of energy, water and resource efficiency and recyclability.

Texas:

The Seventh Biggest Polluter in the World

It has been revealed that just one American state, Texas, is the seventh biggest polluter on Earth. Home to the gas guzzling 4x4, and with a contempt for environmentalists, US Energy Information Administration figures show how in 2003 Texas pumped 670 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - more than countries including Britain and more than that of California and Pennsylvania, the second and third-ranking US states - put together.

Rick Perry, the Texas governor, has expressed doubt as to whether global warming is a man-made problem and his Republican colleagues have refused to make carbon emission reduction a priority.

As other states attempt to limit car use, Mr Perry is trying to push through a $200 billion scheme to build a new trans-Texas highway that will be a quarter of a mile wide in places.

Green Pages Directory

Green Pages, the amazing directory of green living, returns for 2008 with the ambitious aim of making green lifestyles easier to achieve. With hundreds of listings covering everything from car clubs to composting, and
financial advisers to furniture, Green Pages gives readers all the
information they need to shop locally for goods and services with an
eco-friendly or ethical slant.
One of the directory's many enthusiastic readers is the environmental author
and campaigner, Mark Lynas. He said: "If you think your actions won't make a
difference, Green Pages will help you think again. It's full of ideas and
suggestions for ways to buy locally that will make a difference globally.
Green Pages isn't just a book - it's also an indispensable guide to
sustainable living."
Having started life as a 20-page booklet produced by a neighbourhood
bookshop in Oxford, Green Pages has grown into a fully-fledged annual
directory - and it keeps growing! For 2008, the Oxfordshire edition has
nearly 150 pages of entries, while the Bristol & Bath edition, which
appeared for the first time in 2007, runs to over 110 pages. As well as
listings, each edition of Green Pages features inspiring guest editorials,
special offers and reader competitions with prizes supplied by local
companies. It's a formula that is proving so successful, there are plans for
a London version of the directory in 2009.
Karen Bradford, co-editor of Bristol & Bath Green Pages, said: "We believe
many people want a greener lifestyle, but are put off because they think it
will be dull or difficult. By bringing together a wealth of information
about green and ethical businesses on their doorstep, we offer our readers
real alternatives about how and where they spend their money. And we hope
more people will join us in discovering that, as well as being greener, shopping close to home offers real choice and variety, and is a great way of connecting with the local community."
Green Pages is available from bookshops, cafes, health food shops and other outlets throughout Oxfordshire and the Bristol and Bath area. It can also be ordered online at www.oxfordgreenpages.co.uk and www.bristolgreenpages.co.uk, where readers can also find details of competitions and offers throughout the year.

Bali bickering

10th December 2007

There has been bickering between rich and poor countries as they failed on Sunday to agree on a plan to open up trade in green goods, with Brazil fearing a major U.S.-EU proposal raised on the fringes of climate talks in Bali was a protectionist ploy.

"What there's no agreement on is the U.S.-EU proposal,"  commented Brazil's Minister of External Relations, Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim:

"I think this list is incomplete. It won't do much for climate change. It's not proven what the effect it will have on climate change, maybe a little bit here and there".

At the end of two days of talks involving officials from 32 nations, including 12 trade ministers, a final news conference descended into farce as Brazil and the United States swapped recriminations.

The proposal involves cutting import tariffs on a list of 43 environmentally friendly goods, such as wind turbines and solar panels. If widely supported, it could lead to a global cut in greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change.

Organic Jobs

Site Launches

27th November 2007

Today saw the launch of a new dedicated jobs site for organic professionals.... www.organicjobs.co.uk   At the launch in London today, Director Andrew Coleman said:   "Organics' is the biggest growth market in the 'green sectors' and is set to continue its global expansion.  To meet the demand of organic businesses and job hunters we have launched www.organicjobs.co.uk.  Organicjobs.co.uk will become a one stop site for organic professionals encompassing Food, Cosmetics, Farming, Research, Clothing and many other sectors.  Organicjobs.co.uk will enable organic businesses to efficiently recruit suitably qualified staff.  For the job-hunter....all the organic jobs in one place!"   It is free of charge to advertise jobs at Organicjobs.co.uk until the 1st March 2008!   For more details email info@greendirectory.net or tel 01268 468000

iPhone may carry health warning

It has been discovered that Apple's best-selling iPhone contains toxic chemicals, and may have to carry a health warning.

This may embarrass former vice-US President Al Gore, who last month won the Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental campaigning, and is a prominent member of the hi-tech company's seven-member board.

Apple which claims green "leadership", has been notified that it is in violation of its home state's law. If found to be in breach it could either to have to rebuild the phone, eliminating the toxins from the much-marketed product, or attach a warning label to it.

Greenpeace bought an iPhone in and had 18 of its materials and components independently tested for toxic substances. Half of them tested positive for bromine, "suggesting widespread use" of brominated flame retardants; these are suspected of a range of threats to health, and the bromine itself can cause pollution when disposed of as waste.

Four items also tested positive for antimony, a toxic mineral often used with flame retardants, and others contained very small amounts of chromium and lead. Chlorine was found in the plastic coating of the headphone cables, indicating the presence of PVC.

In May, Apple promised that both PVC and the flame retardants would be banned from all its new products by the end of next year. Another problem for Apple is the discovery of phthalates, used to make plastic more flexible, in the cable coating. The chemicals are suspected of causing birth defects and gender-bending effects. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) says that under Californian law, products containing them must carry a warning label.

The company may prefer to eliminate the materials rather than face the stigma of carrying a warning label.

Greenpeace says that all the chemicals found would be allowed under European law and that it does not know whether they will be contained in the phones sold here. Apple declined to comment.

Ocean CO2 sinks failing

University of East Anglia researchers have measured CO2 absorption through more than 90,000 measurements from merchant ships equipped with automatic instruments, and concluded that t he amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the world's oceans has reduced.They believe global warming might get worse if the oceans soak up less of the greenhouse gas. The researchers said that their study and its results, published in a paper for the Journal of Geophysical Research, were surprising and worrying because there were grounds for believing that, in time, the ocean might become saturated with our emissions.

Results of their 10-year study in the North Atlantic show CO2 uptake halved between the mid-90s and 2000 to 2005.

20/10/07

US Urges Climate Deal

US Secretary of State Ms Rice said the US supported the goals of the United Nations

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said climate change is a real problem, and world leaders should forge a new global consensus on tackling it, expressing support for UN efforts to achieve international agreements on the issue at talks in Bali in December.

Critics are concerned that the meeting might be used to press for voluntary rather than binding emission cuts.

This would dilute attempts to reach a global agreement through the UN in the next two years, ahead of the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.

At a meeting of the top 16 polluting countries, Ms Rice said nations should pursue lower-carbon energy sources.

27/9/07

Continental market and homes for London Road, Brighton

A continental-style covered market selling healthy local food in an eco-friendly setting could replace the current Open Market in Brighton’s London Road. 

Market traders have been working with LCE architects to come up with early ideas.  Now a report to the council’s policy committee on November 30 will recommend setting up a multi-party board to oversee the scheme for the authority, which owns the site. 

Core of the plan is a large central square surrounded by 50 permanent stalls.  There would also be space for 20 visiting traders.  These could accommodate farmers’ or craft markets or be used for events and entertainment. 

The focus would be on healthy local food. 

Overlooking the square from a first-floor gallery would be workshops where artists and craftspeople could be seen working and sell their products. 

To the south on Francis Street would be 40 homes, many affordable, comprising one- and two-bedroom flats and five three-bedroom town houses.  Discussions are underway with Hyde housing association who could develop and manage the housing. 

The council wants the whole development to meet the highest national standards for sustainable buildings - the Building Research Establishment's 'excellent' rating. 

Traders are continuing to consult widely on the ideas.  An exhibition presenting the latest proposals will be set up in Jubilee library from December 7 to 9.. 

A ‘not-for-profit’ company and board of trustees could run the market, with any surplus ploughed back into the facility.  Progress of the scheme depends on a business plan which must demonstrate it is viable and there is local demand for the number of stalls and workshops. 

Council officers are talking to the Co-op about the future of their adjacent London Road building when the business closes in February 2007.  It could possibly be used for market accommodation during building works.  The Co-op has said it wants to retain a food store in the area.   

Chair of the Open Market project board, council leader Simon Burgess said;  "There is a lot of enthusiasm in the city to see the Open Market revitalised.  This bottom-up approach involving the traders will, I am sure, help to make it a success. We will work closely with them to ensure that these proposals are financially sustainable." 

If the proposal is shown to be viable and the council give it the go-ahead in principle, it is hoped a planning application could be submitted by the end of 2007.

Dings home zone rings their bell
9th September
The transformation of one of Bristol's most deprived areas has been declared a real hit...by the people who live there! Before and after surveys, carried out by Bristol-based sustainable transport charity, Sustrans have confirmed that the innovative approach to street planning and design, called a home zone, has exceeded local people's hopes.
The Dings, a small residential area, near Bristol Temple Meads station, was once blighted by rat-running and severe commuter parking problems; a cause for concern for local people. But now, with overall feelings of better safety for children, less fear of vandalism and antisocial behaviour, and increased pride in their area, the recent survey shows that by re-designing the streets to be more pedestrian and cycle friendly, the residents see their neighbourhood in a new light.
And it seems that the Dings home zone has turned out even better than local people expected. The initial survey showed that, overall, 84% of residents thought that the new design would be a positive move for the Dings. But after the project had been completed, a massive 93% of residents thought that the home zone had been a good idea for their neighbourhood.
Beth Trimmer, a resident in the Dings, believes the home zone has been a great improvement to the area, she said: "People have welcomed the re-design, it looks so much better! I think it's a really
nice environment to live in - especially for children. I enjoyed being involved in creating the many artworks around the neighbourhood
as they reflect people's thoughts and memories of the area."
The two surveys compared responses on a range of issues - parking, traffic, safety, anti social behaviour and vandalism, play
and the appearance of the streets, and found that:
* Before the home zone, only 6% of residents surveyed thought that their street was attractive. After the home zone was completed
this figure was completely turned on its head with 68% of residents
surveyed saying that their street was attractive - more than a tenfold increase.
* Nuisance commuter parking was the most significant concern
raised by the Dings residents in the before survey. After the home
zone was completed the number of residents concerned about
parking dropped from 93% to 55%.
* Residents' concerns about fast traffic also dropped (by 45%), with 50% of people surveyed thinking that drivers were more considerate
to children playing in the new home zone streets.
* There was a 39% reduction in the residents' concerns about antisocial behaviour and vandalism. While only one fifth of residents
felt the streets were safe before, more than half do now the home zone is complete.
* The picture was the same when it came to residents' concerns for the safety of their children. There was a 42% reduction in residents concerned that the streets were not safe for children to play. When asked if they thought children should play more in the streets now that the area was a home zone, 35% of residents thought they should. Sustrans worked in partnership with Bristol City Council to deliver the Dings home zone in Bristol as part of the EU funded VIVALDI project.

Planetary Emergency

Former US vice-president Al Gore, has warned the world is facing a "planetary emergency" due to global warming. This is the message of Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth".

He said the world faced a stark choice between the end of ivilisation and a future for its children.

He also said he was not considering running again for presidential office in 2008.

Mr Gore said global warming was a "challenge to our moral imagination to understand it and then to respond to it urgently".

Environmental chiefs join forces to fight growth in air travel

Britain's environmental leaders today called on the Government to change course over aviation policy - or pay a huge environmental and social price.

In a letter to The Independent, an unprecedented coalition of senior greens, scientists and politicians demands a radical rethink of current plans for air travel expansion, which they say will lead to an enormous increase in emissions of the greenhouse gases causing global warming.

The letter marks the first shot in a campaign highlighting the consequences of allowing air travel to grow in line with demand - the so-called "predict and provide" approach. This was at the heart of the 2003 Aviation White Paper, which foresaw new airport runways being built across Britain in the next 30 years as passenger numbers grow nearly threefold, boosted by the market in cheap flights.

The message of the Rethink! campaign, organised by AirportWatch, an alliance of environmental organisations and community groups at airports around the UK, and being spread by a series ofnewspaper advertisements, is that unless the Government alters its approach, the price to pay will be unacceptably high, involving at least a doubling of aviation's contribution to climate change. Aviation is the fastest-growing source of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.

It will also involve, the campaign says, the exposure of hundreds of thousands more people to aircraft noise, the destruction of numerous natural habitats and historic buildings, and more pollution for communities near airports.

Today's letter is signed not only by leaders of green groups such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Transport 2000, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Worldwide Fund for Nature, but also by Labour, Tory, Liberal Democrat and Green Party politicians, senior scientists such as the chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, Sir John Lawton, and the heads of major charities including the National Trust, the Woodland Trust and War On Want.

"We believe that urgent action is needed to bring aviation policy into line with climate change targets," they say.

"The Government must fundamentally rethink its aviation policy so that it plays a part in making the annual cuts in emissions needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change."

Carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft exhausts, if their rapid growth is left unchecked, will alone account for orethan the entire amount by which Britain is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gases over the next half-century.

Aircraft currently account for about 4 per cent of the world's CO2 emissions, but by 2030 they could account for a quarter of the total.

EU must stand up to homophobic and racist violence urges Green MEP

Jean Lambert 'proud to vote for' anti-discrimination resolution

On the occasion of a European Parliament resolution against racism and homophobia, adopted today, Green MEP Jean Lambert commented:

"The recent rise of homophobic and racist sentiments and violence in Europe is disturbing and demonstrates how far we still have to go to establish equality of respect in the EU. Politicians have a crucial role in developing a climate in which this kind of intolerance and violence is rejected outright and, as such, I welcome today's resolution and was proud to vote for it.

"The EU must face up to its own prejudices. Member States that flout fundamental rights should be named and blamed. Politicians who seek to stoke homophobic or racial hatred are gravely irresponsible and should have no place in EU politics. However, we must also confront the media and institutions when they promote these prejudices. This positive vote today is part of that process."

Barratt's launch new eco-village

Britain's best known housebuilder Barratt has unveiled a unique 'eco-village' of new homes packed with the latest in energy-efficient and 'green' technologies.
The first project of its kind by Barratt's EcoSmart Show Village at Chorley, Lancashire, comprises seven family houses using various combinations of wind, solar and geothermal power as well as micro Combined Heat and Power units, and a host of environmentally-friendly features such as rainwater harvesting and energy-saving measures.
The homes will now spend up to 18 months being independently assessed by the University of Manchester, while the EcoSmart Village as a whole will be open to homebuyers, schools and others.
26/5/06

Church leaders

back a green future

“The report shows we need to be meek

to inherit a good earth.”

LOW CONSUMPTION, NON-NUCLEAR, ENERGY STRATEGY A

“MORAL IMPERATIVE”, SAY CHURCH LEADERS

Church leaders have backed a new report that describes a low consumption, non-nuclear, energy strategy as a “moral imperative.” The report, entitled Faith and Power, urges an energy strategy informed by Christian principles of wise stewardship, peacemaking, justice, love for neighbours and moderation in consumption.  

Launched on Monday by leading church-based environmental organisation Christian Ecology Link, the report states that these principles “require much greater attention to promoting energy efficiency and restraining consumer demand, a bold switch from using fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy and the phasing out of nuclear reactors in electricity generation.”  

The Bishop of Liverpool, Rt Rev James Jones, commented:

“Christian Ecology Link’s paper Faith and Power comes to conclusions similar to those of the Sustainable Development Commission which I welcome.  What we lack is the commercial leadership to invest in renewable sources of power and the political leadership to reduce our energy consumption....People of faith and goodwill must work together to educate and inspire the public to use their own power as consumers and citizens to ensure the future health and safety of the planet.”

 Other Church of England bishops are known to be sympathetic to the report’s conclusions. 

Fr Sean McDonagh, a widely respected Catholic priest and author of several books on environmental issues, voiced his support:

“This document presents a very convincing case. The study is grounded in an authentic understanding of Christian discipleship in terms of the contemporary challenge to love God, our neighbour and God's creation, which is now deeply wounded. It calls all of us to a change of heart in the way we view and use energy.“ 

The report was also welcomed by Elaine Storkey, a regular contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day and President of TEAR Fund, who highlighted the report’s call for restraint in energy consumption and commented:

“The report shows we need to be meek to inherit a good earth.” 

The report responds to an invitation from Government for greater dialogue with representatives of faith communities. It says that energy strategy should be characterised by efficiency, conservation and restraint and welcomes newly emerging decentralised renewable energy supply options. While recognising that Christians will disagree on the detail of public policy, the report argues that such a strategy is the most appropriate in order to take proper care of God’s creation:

“The high consumption, nuclear path may appear easier for government to pursue in the short term, but we believe that there is a moral duty to follow a more challenging and more sustainable option....We conclude that substantially enhanced Government support for efficient, less profligate energy consumption and investment in renewable sources of energy supply rather than nuclear power is a moral imperative.” 

Faith and Power is available, price £2, from:

Christian Ecology Link, 3 Bond Street, Lancaster LA1 3ER

christian-ecology.org.uk

Greens call for Government to stop subsidising aviation to tune of £9.2 billion a year

UK Taxpayers are effectively subsidising airlines to the tune of £300 per person every year, new research by Friends of the Earth reveals today 1. The UK airline industry receives an effective subsidy of £9.2 billion a year 2 because airlines pay no tax on fuel used, virtually no VAT and benefit from duty free. Other taxes such as income tax therefore have to be higher to subsidise the aviation industry.

Keith Taylor, Green Party Principal Speaker, comments: "UK domestic flights and international departures from the UK are responsible for around 6 per cent of the country's total carbon dioxide emissions and throw the UK's chances of meeting our Kyoto Targets into serious jeopardy.

"The Green Party has long called for the Government to put an end to the subsidisation of the aviation industry for the benefit of both the environment and UK tax payers. We don't want to stop people going on holiday but the Government needs to start investing in cleaner, more sustainable forms of transport. 70% of EU flights are under 1000km and with trains capable of travelling at 300kph plus now is the time to expand a fast rail network. Trains are 19 times more carbon efficient than planes.

"The Green Party is committed to radical measures to force the aviation industry to take responsibility for the pollution it is creating. The Greens will be voting on a policy motion to introduce legislative controls on airline advertising at the Green Party Spring Conference, March 16th-19th in Scarborough. These legislative controls will include mandatory health warnings on the climate change effects and carbon dioxide emissions of the flights advertised. It is evident that corporations lack the drive to self-regulate and the aviation industry is currently a major barrier to effectively combating global climate change. Now is the time for the Government to act decisively, for the sake of our health, our environment and our pockets."

Notes:

1 www.foe.co.uk Average calculated thus:- £9.2billion effective subsidy divided by number of UK tax payers, 29million

2 Aviation Environment Federation report : 'The Hidden Cost of Flying', February 2003.

Oxford Greens influence City budget

Oxford's Green councillors secure £1 million for environmental and social initiatives

Oxford's 7-strong Green Group, who hold the balance of power on Oxford City Council, managed to secure one million pounds (£1m) of new environmental and social initiatives during the 2006/07 budget negotiations concluded this evening (20th February) following a five hour meeting of Full Council. The Greens also had a considerable influence on the adopted Labour budget (which they successfully amended).

Highlights include:

Councils lead the Climate Change Fight

22nd September 2008

The Government today published statistics for the 2006 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions at Local Authority and Government Office Region level.

The figures represent all UK emissions allocated to Local Authority areas on an end-user basis, incorporating all business, household and transport emissions, so that they are distributed according to the location of energy consumption.

Up until now these statistics have been “experimental” but this is the first year that allows a meaningful year on year comparison of CO2 emissions in local areas.

Local Authorities have risen to the challenge of climate change as demonstrated by the widespread commitment to include climate change targets in their Local Area Agreements (LAAs).  Significantly, the majority of LAAs contain targets against National Indicator 186 on reducing per capita emissions of CO2 in their areas, of between four and 15 per cent of the 2005 baseline.

Climate Change Minister Phil Woolas said:

“Climate change is a global issue, but the only way to fight it effectively is if people make positive choices and work together to make a difference in their local community. Local Authorities are not only ideally placed to enable this positive work, but also, through their own hard work and dedication, are able to set a good example through their own actions.

“We are already beginning to see the fight against climate change becoming  a part of our daily lives, and it is Local Authorities who are making this happen by putting infrastructure in place to make green actions the easy choice as well as the right choice.”

The statistics assign emissions to end users. For example, the emissions created by a power plant are assigned to the users of the electricity rather than to the plant itself.

The statistics showed that:

• Overall, 46 per cent of end-user emissions assigned to Local Authority areas were attributed to the industrial and commercial sector, 29 per cent to the domestic sector, and 25 per cent to road transport.
• The industrial and commercial sector had the highest share of end-user emissions in 48 per cent of authorities. The road transport sector had the highest share in 23 per cent and the domestic sector the highest share in 28 per cent of authorities.  The road transport sector had the lowest share in 56 per cent of authorities.
• In 2006, about 47 per cent of domestic end-user emissions come from gas use and 43 per cent are due to electricity consumption, showing little change from 2005 when the figures were 48 and 42 per cent respectively.
• In 2006, domestic end-user emissions were less than two tonnes per person in one per cent of Local Authorities, between two and 2.5 tonnes per person in 37 per cent, between 2.5 and three tonnes per person in 52 per cent and above three tonnes per person in nine per cent.

Waste Not Want Not

Getting waste out of the bin: Friends of the Earth's new report

20th September 2008

Research examining the main components of residual waste - the waste left over after reuse, recycling and composting - has identified the measures needed at local authority, central Government and EU level to increase recycling.

The Friends of the Earth research, published today alongside a briefing for councils, recommends promoting Freecycle and social reuse of furniture, improving facilities for recycling DIY wastes and tightening the law to ensure that more packaging is recycled, amongst other suggestions.

Michael Warhurst, senior Resources & Waste Campaigner at Friends of the Earth told Eco:

"Thousands of tonnes of valuable materials are squandered in landfill and incinerators ever year. This study shows that a range of simple steps - by councils and government - can help stop this waste."

"Councils can save money by creating effective recycling and reuse of furniture and DIY waste, while the Government must get plastic packaging out of the bin by increasing the legal recycling target for the packaging industry"

The research is the second stage of Friends of the Earth's residual waste project - the first of which revealed the materials contained within residual municipal waste.

Cutting residual waste reduces the need for facilities such as landfill, incinerators and mechanical biological treatment plants to process it. Higher levels of reuse, recycling and composting will reduce climate impacts and increase resource efficiency.

The 16-page briefing for councils also gives clear and practical advice on the best methods for ensuring the maximum extraction of recyclables from the remaining residual waste, as a final step to minimise climate impacts and maximise resource efficiency.

Read the Report

UK Caught in

Climate Cheat Scandal

Could UK weaken Europe's commitment on climate change?

20th September 2008

In a move that runs counter to claims that the UK Government is a leader in the fight against climate change, leaked documents have revealed their plans to push for increased access to the number of carbon credits from outside the EU that can be bought under the EU Energy Package, in order to offset carbon emissions. It is a proposal that would minimise any impetus to reduce emissions at home, not only within the UK, but across the European Union as a whole.
In order to keep global warming below a two degree temperature rise from pre-industrial levels, which would lead to dangerous climate change, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says developed countries like the UK need to reduce Greenhouse Gases globally by 25% to 40% less than 1990 levels in the next 12 years.
The current EU Energy package proposes a cut of 20%, increasing to 30% if an international agreement on Climate Change is reached in Copenhagen at the end of 2009. So in comparison to levels recommended by the IPCC, the EU's proposed 20% cut isn't high enough to begin with, and this figure is made even more worrying by the suggestion that close to a third of the proposed emissions reduction could actually be made via buying offset credits. Purchased through the EU's Clean Development Mechanism scheme, these credits would effectively allow EU countries to buy their way out of cutting emissions at home, allowing high carbon industry to continue as normal within the UK and across the EU.
The leaked UK Government non-paper (a paper passed between government bodies but not yet stated as official policy), coupled with a recent briefing sent out to UK MEPs, shows that the UK are now hoping to weaken this proposal even further, allowing up to 50% of the emissions reduction effort to be made via offsetting.
"Europe urgently needs to embrace the huge opportunities of moving to a more efficient, low-carbon economy," Keith Allott, head of climate change at WWF-UK told Eco. "But by relying on ever higher levels of offsetting, we will be giving the green light to a new round of investments in unabated coal-fired power stations and other carbon-intensive industries. The difference between what the EU are proposing and the UK are proposing is equivalent to the annual emissions of 34 extra coal-fired power stations in Europe."
Allott continues: "Europe has a responsibility to help developing countries move onto a low-carbon pathway - but this cannot come at the expense of high emissions at home. We need to move beyond the idea of offset Europe - if governments and companies know they can trade away their responsibilities, there is a real possibility they will just take their foot off the pedal.

Writing on the wall for 4x4s?

There are signs that the petrol-guzzling status symbol may at last be losing its appeal. Two weeks ago it was reported that manufacters have picked up on concerns about rising fuel prices and are offering more economical models (Times Online - 14/1/06). Now there are reports from mainland Europe of eco-activists letting down the tyres of large numbers of 4x4 vehicles in protest about the damage they do to the environment, and leaving an advisory note on the windscreen (Times Online 29/1/06).

Further reading: " Conspicuous thrift - keeping up with the Joneses in your hybrid car"