eco - Caring for our World

Urgent Government action is needed to tackle the growing pressures on England’s natural environment, Friends of the Earth said today. The call coincides with the publication of Natural England’s State of the Natural Environment report which highlights the increasing threats the country faces from intensive development, climate change and general neglect.

"England’s green and pleasant land is facing an unprecedented threat. Growing development pressures are combining with the impacts of climate change to put our natural environment under critical strain.

“The Government must do much more to safeguard our future. Green speeches are not enough – we need urgent action.

“Ministers must put the environment at the heart of all their policies - including transport, the economy, housing and planning - and invest in the clean, green solutions that would make Britain a world leader in developing a low-carbon economy.”

Ethical investment week: make your money green

Environmental groups including WWF-UK have welcomed National Ethical Investment Week (NEIW), a campaign created by the financial services industry and community groups around the country to encourage investors to consider green and ethical investment options. "One of the most important things you can do for the planet is to take an interest in how your money is invested. Many people do not realise that their money could be invested in companies that are destroying the world's rainforests and extracting fossil fuels," said Jen Morgan, Sustainable Business Manager, WWF-UK.
Each year the companies behind our investments, including pensions, insurance and shares, invest billions of our pounds in projects around the world that can have a huge impact on biodiversity, natural resources and climate change.
But people are often unaware of how to invest their money ethically while still making a profit.
NEIW is providing information about companies and business practice to help people make better decisions about investments so that they can help fund companies that are implementing sustainable development strategies, more efficient technologies, or supplying goods that come from sustainable natural resources.
"NEIW is helping people understand how to make a positive impact through their investment decisions," explained Morgan.

NEIW runs from 18 May until 25 May 2008.
To find out more about ethical and green investments and how you can support NEIW, visit: www.neiw.org

Banking on Biofuels

High street banks financing biofuel destruction in Latin America

Friends of the Earth joins UN call for banks to stop fuelling harmful biofuel boom

UK banks are funding rapid expansion of biofuel production in Latin America, leading to large scale deforestation, human rights abuses and rising food prices, a new Friends of the Earth report reveals today.

The new research documents how major UK banks, such as Barclays and HSBC, are investing billions of pounds in biofuels companies one of which is working conditions have been classed as slave labour by the Brazilian Labour Ministry. Barclays and HSBC both give significant credit to Cargill, a biofuel producing company that has been convicted of illegal activities in Latin America.

Biofuels mean big bucks for banks while the food crisis they are creating is leaving hundreds of millions of people starving and vital natural habitats destroyed. Friends of the Earth is joining the UN in calling for banks to immediately ditch their investments in harmful biofuel development.

Friends of the Earth is calling on the EU to scrap its plans for a 10% biofuel target by 2020. Biofuels are being touted as a solution to climate change but growing scientific evidence shows that they are doing more harm than good and can increase greenhouse gas emissions through large-scale rainforest clearance.

The Government has announced its short-list of 15 eco towns, defusing criticisms in some areas which have been left off the list, but with further protests expected in some of the areas that made the list. The eco towns short-list is shown below.

10 sites for the "eco-towns" will be finalised in the next six months. Ministers wants five of them built by 2016, with the other half completed by 2020. The government wants them to be low-energy, carbon-neutral developments built from recycled materials and with amenites, employment and public transport close to peoples' homes to reduce the need to use cars. They will be the first new towns since the 1960s.

The largest town will provide between 15,000 and 20,000 new homes, with officials saying the towns should be "zero-carbon" and should be exemplary in one area of sustainability, such as low water use, powered by renewable energy or with exceptional waste disposal methods.

Unveiling the shortlist, the housing minister, Caroline Flint, said the new towns would help to tackle climate change, as well as providing affordable new housing.

"We have a housing shortage in this country and that's why we need to build more homes," she told Eco, "But we also need to think about sustainable homes in sustainable communities...... Bidders will have to meet the highest standards for sustainability, affordability and creativity. This expert panel will challenge developers to the limits."

Grant Shapps, the shadow housing minister, accused the government of "eco-spin rather than a genuine attempt to address the environmental nature of our housing".

Commenting on the shortlist, Paul de Zylva of Friends of the Earth England told Eco: ?

"With proper involvement of local communities and stringent standards, the Government's new eco-towns could provide an inspiring blueprint for low-carbon living - but they will be a drop in the ocean of the Government's wider house building programme. All new homes must be built to the highest green standards.

"And the question remains over how Ministers will reduce emissions from existing homes - which currently account for over a quarter of all the UK's carbon impact. The Government must prioritise this area and make it cheaper and easier for people to green their homes, and invest in energy saving and clean renewable technologies such as solar panels."

Marine Bill needed

for all of UK

4th April 2008

The draft Marine Bill published today by the Government includes encouraging measures to protect our marine environment, but its effectiveness will be limited unless it is implemented throughout the UK, said experts at WWF-UK.
"There are many positive steps forward outlined in today's draft Marine Bill, including a huge leap forward from the current situation where only 0.001 per cent of UK seas are offered high levels of protection from damaging activities. However WWF-UK is concerned that there is still no indication of how this legislation will deliver for the whole of the UK's seas. Without effective legislation across UK and devolved seas, many species and habitats will still be at risk," said Sally Bailey, North East Atlantic Marine Manager at WWF-UK.
"In order to secure robust protection of UK seas it is essential that a Marine Bill is passed in both Westminster and Scotland, with appropriate devolved legislation in Wales and Northern Ireland. Our marine environment needs to be managed as a single ecological unit and as such WWF urges the administrations of all four countries to work together to achieve the rapid delivery of this legislation and the means to implement it," she added.
While broadly welcoming the Government's commitment to a network of marine conservation zones covering 14 to 20% of UK seas by 2012, WWF-UK points out that this may not provide the necessary level of protection needed.
Bailey explained: "There is a considerable body of work that suggests that a network of marine protected areas should cover from 20 - 30% of waters with some work even suggesting as much as 40%. The Government must ensure it sets the right criteria for identifying the areas most in need of protection. WWF is also disappointed that the Government's commitment to a network within the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (known as the 'OSPAR Convention') by 2010 will not be met and strongly encourages no further slippage against the worldwide deadline of 2012."

Juvenile Grey seal, Land's End © Charles Hood / WWF-UK
Other encouraging measures outlined in the draft Marine Bill include a new UK wide marine planning system to manage our activities at sea. WWF-UK now urges a timeline for the implementation of this planning system, and greater details of how it will work across UK seas.
The introduction of a new Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is vital, but WWF-UK claims its effectiveness will depend largely on its remit and whether it will hold responsibility for all marine planning, including the development of all marine renewable projects and the licensing of carbon capture and storage in UK waters.
Bailey said: "We have waited a long time for a central body that can facilitate marine planning and management in UK seas. We urge the Government to invest the MMO with the necessary degree of powers to ensure that all major developments at sea take environmental issues into account The UK MMO must deliver a joined up approach to the governance of UK seas and will need to work closely with other bodies that will deliver devolved management functions."
Finally, WWF-UK welcomes proposals for simpler licensing of marine developments. A new integrated marine licensing system is vital to amend the shortcomings of current marine management, streamline regulation, and secure protection of the marine environment.
Bailey stated: "This planning system is urgently needed for the Government to reach its commitments to be strategic and integrate the management of activities at sea, including national and international CO2 emissions reduction targets. Developers need certainty that they can develop through an efficient licensing system and conservationists need certainty that habitats are protected while such developments go ahead. This can only be achieved with a proper planning system that supports the protection of an ecologically representative network of marine protected areas."
WWF-UK now urges the Government to ensure a full Marine Bill is included in the Queen's Speech in November.
"We welcome this draft Marine Bill and the opportunity it provides to safeguard our seas and the amazing wealth of wildlife inhabiting them. However this is only the first stage of a longer process and if the Government is serious about protecting our seas it must include a full Marine Bill in November's Queen's Speech," Bailey concluded.

Green Homes Service Welcomed

Environmental groups have welcomed the launch of the Government's Green Homes Service, but are calling for a radical shift in Government policy on sustainable housing, to ensure the UK is to meet our climate change targets.

Simon McWhirter, WWF-UK Homes Campaign Manager said: "We welcome any initiative that will further public understanding of the impact our homes have on the environment. The Green Homes Service will be a valuable resource in facilitating wider understanding and take up of home energy efficiency, water use, and waste reduction measures, and we hope that the Government continues to invest significant funds to ensure as many homeowners as possible can benefit from its services and grants."
"However, there still remains a huge gap in the provision of financial incentives and support to enable homeowners to install these measures, and as such we hope the Government will see the Green Homes Service as the first step in improving the footprint of our homes, recognising that there is a great deal more they need to provide in terms of policies, incentives, and support mechanisms," he explained.
A report published by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee today further reiterates the need to tackle the environmental impact of the UK's 25 million-plus existing homes. It warns that the Government is falling behind other European countries when it comes to tackling the efficiency of our existing stock and recommends a shift in policy that will see a much greater focus on reducing carbon emissions from our existing homes.
Simon McWhirter added: "The findings from the Committee report reinforce WWF-UK's concern that the Government's current homes policy will not put it on track to meet its own climate change targets. Our How Low? report proves it is feasible to go further and reduce emissions from the UK's existing housing stock by up to 80% by 2050 with the right policies, incentives, and support mechanisms. WWF welcomes the proposals for stamp duty relief, smart meters, and the abolition of the VAT anomaly which makes it cheaper to demolish a building than refurbish it to a higher standard. However, realistically we need to go much further, faster with the reform of the energy supply market and a much wider range of financial incentives."

The High Court has ruled that a Government department must hand over information to Friends of the Earth about a controversial oil and gas project. Friends of the Earth requested the information under freedom of information laws when the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) was considering financing oil and gas exploration off the north-east coast of Sakhalin, a Russian island north of Japan.
Friends of the Earth first contacted the ECGD in March 2005 to ask for information about the Government's views of the environmental and human rights impacts of the Sakhalin II project. The ECGD refused to release the information - which consists of communications with other Government departments. The ECGD's refusal was upheld by the Information Commissioner. However, Friends of the Earth appealed that decision to the Information Tribunal who ruled in favour of Friends of the Earth last August and ordered the ECGD to release the information. The Government appealed that decision to the High Court.

"We are delighted that the High Court has ordered the Government to reveal information about the Sakhalin oil and gas exploration project. The Government should have given Friends of the Earth this information three years ago when we first requested it. The Government should now stop dragging this matter through the Courts and release the information to the public. This is of enormous public interest because at the time of these discussions the Government was considering putting hundreds of millions of pounds into a project with enormous negative environmental effects. The public has a right to know what the Government was saying about Sakhalin behind closed doors."

On 4 March, it was reported that the energy company behind the project - Sakhalin Energy - had withdrawn its application for funding from the ECGD and from the US Export Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank). However, the construction of Sakhalin II continues and is now 90 per cent complete.

Friends of the Earth is deeply concerned about the Sakhalin oil and gas project which is likely to:

• have a significant impact on climate change;
• pollute the surrounding area;

Schemes which help you offset your ‘carbon footprint’ are often inconsistent and confusing for consumers, according to Which? Money.

They found there are big variations in how carbon offsetting schemes calculate people’s ‘carbon footprints’ and how much they charge to offset them.

Researchers used an example of a couple living in a two-bedroom semi in West London to compare the 13 UK-based carbon offset companies.

The couple spent £500 a year on gas and £300 a year on electricity, drove a petrol-engined Ford Focus 8,000 miles a year and took one return flight each a year from London Heathrow to Barcelona.

But emissions calculated varied from 1.15 tonnes with a company called Carbon Footprint, to 7.1 tonnes with The Carbon Neutral Company.

To add to the confusion, the cost to offset a tonne of carbon dioxide varied from £7 a tonne to almost £23 a tonne depending on the website and project selected.

The overall cost to offset carbon produced by the test couple ranged from £25 to almost £160.

Which? Money was concerned that many websites failed to give sufficient information about where donations go.

For example, few revealed the proportion of donations that reach the offset project and how much goes on administration fees.

Climate Care was the most transparent, with Blue Ventures Carbon Offset, Pure and the World Land Trust also highly rated.

The government plans to introduce a voluntary code of practice this spring to cover carbon offsetting projects that comply with the Kyoto treaty on climate change, but it will not apply to voluntary schemes.

Which? Money Editor Martyn Hocking said: ‘Carbon offsetting schemes offer to ease your conscience, but choosing which company to use can be very confusing as there’s no consistency in how they calculate your "carbon footprint" or how much they charge.

‘The new code of practice will help indicate which schemes meet standards of transparency and quality.

‘As voluntary schemes are not covered, we'd like to see the industry develop its own code of conduct so that people can donate with confidence and know that their payment is being used for a verifiable project.’

With their current policies on renewables and the results that these have produced, is the Government fulfilling its obligations to current and future generations?

Green Party Peer Lord Beaumont of Whitley will today urge the House of Lords to include further legislation that increases levels of renewable energy production in the Government's Energy Bill when it arrives for debate at the House of Lords.

He will deliver a speech in the Lords highlighting the increasing cost of fossil fueled heating to British households, and will criticise the Government's lamentable record on renewable energy investment so far.

"Households are paying more than ever in energy bills. Reserves of gas and oil are increasingly concentrated in the small number of states as scarcity begins to take hold. One does not have to subscribe to any environmental ethic to realise that the economic and political integrity of the UK is threatened by the current conditions surrounding our primary energy supply.

"The challenge of Government has been the same for sometime now: that is, how to secure a stable and acceptably priced primary energy supply for the 21st Century?"

He will go on to attack the Government's current policies, accusing it of "trying to replicate the past" by returning to intensive coal use, saying

"We cannot return to an age of intensive coal use because the limits to nature to absorb the pollution from this have been reached. By subscribing to carbon dioxide targets, the Government accepts this on one hand. By increasing coal usage, the Government contradicts itself with the other hand.

"It is not the job of Government to throw caution to the wind in pursuit of economic gain. From this few will gain and many will suffer, at home and abroad.

"With their current policies on renewables and the results that these have produced, is the Government fulfilling its obligations to current and future generations?"

28th February 2008
Adam Khan Architects has won a RIBA design competition to work on the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Britain’s largest eco-regeneration scheme, announced the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Forestry Commission (FC) today [27.2.08].
Khan has designed a visitor facility for Brockholes wetland and woodland nature reserve in Preston; the 106ha Lancashire Wildlife Trust site which was purchased in 2006 under the multi million pound NWDA / FC land regeneration scheme, Newlands.
Khan’s design, entitled “A Floating World”, was selected this month from a shortlist of five by a judging panel led by design expert Wayne Hemingway. The panel believed that Khan had fully embraced the Newlands partnership’s brief to inspire and encourage people to visit the site and engage with the natural world, whilst remaining sustainable and maximising local resources.
The winning concept is based on a cluster of buildings constructed largely of wood and other sustainable materials, and it resembles an ancient marshland village. It has been designed as part of wider plans to regenerate the former quarry site into a premier visitor attraction of national and international significance.
Lancashire Wildlife Trust, NWDA and FC will now work together, and with Adam Khan Architects to explore opportunities to make the plans for Brockholes become a reality.
Brockholes sits in a key strategic location aside junction 31 of the M6 motorway. Under Newlands, there are plans to turn Brockholes into a visitor attraction that will not only be a landmark centre of excellence for recreation and wildlife, but will also act as a catalytic driver for economic and social development within the local area. If developed, Brockholes will also signpost visitors to the range of landscape, recreation and biodiversity assets present in this part of England's Northwest.
On announcement of the winner, Peter White, Head of Infrastructure & Development at the Northwest Regional Development Agency said:
“This site has the potential to become an important visitor attraction for the region, building on its rich natural assets and impressive biodiversity. The Agency is supporting its development through Newlands, a wide reaching scheme that aims to reclaim brownfield land and transform it into thriving community open spaces, and has so far invested £800,000 in Brockholes. The chosen design will not only create an inspirational open space for the local community to enjoy but will also enhance a key gateway into Lancashire and attract further investment into the area and we look forward to working with our partners to progress these plans.”
In support, Keith Jones, Regional Director of the Forestry Commission said:
“The Newlands partnership strives to combine quality site design with cutting edge brownfield remediation. As we work together to deliver real economic and social benefit through the Newlands projects, sensitive, responsive and innovative design must be at the heart of our approach. The Forestry Commission is pleased to announce Adam Khan Architects as the winner of the Brockholes design competition and we now look forward to working with Lancs Wildlife Trust, Adam Khan & NWDA to realise the plans for the site, and deliver a real transformation of this currently brownfield, underused space.”
Launched in the summer of 2003, Newlands is now the largest land regeneration programme in the country – and the foremost of these to use forestry as the basis for change. Several projects across the Mersey Belt area of the Northwest region are already being developed to have direct impact on the local economy and communities and in 2007, Newlands expanded to cover the whole of the Northwest region.
Newlands counts high levels of sustainability and design quality amongst its aims; the Brockholes design competition is just one of several projects within Newlands that ensure high levels of design quality, including the development of design ‘visions’ for each new site.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has announced a £47 fund to pay for the launch of Britain's first cycling city, and six cycling towns. Local authorities have until the end of March to make their applications, and the winners will be announed in June. Kelly told Eco:

"I've been hugely impressed by the work of the existing cycling demonstration towns, and see no reason why that couldn't be repeated on a larger scale..... I want to see bold ideas from the first major cycling city - new ways to link residential areas to major transport hubs, city centres, schools and facilities."

The winning city and towns will join Aylesbury, Exeter, Morecambe, Brighton, Derby and Darlington which are already receiving Department for Transport funding dedicated to promoting bike use, and London which has just announced a £500 million programme for cycle "motorways" into the capital, and a bike hire scheme similar to the one in Paris.

Kelly told Eco that the government is targeting car journeys that are shorter than two miles — which account for nearly a quarter of all car trips. "If some of these journeys were transferred onto two wheels, we could make a real difference to congestion and pollution in local communities".

The UK ranks 12th out of 15 European cycling nations, according to the average distance cycled by British citizens each year.

Government announces major biofuel review

Environmental campaigners led by Greenpeace today welcomed the government's announcement of a scientific review into the impacts of biofuels, but insisted that Britain's biofuel targets be suspended until the full consequences of the technology are properly understood.

The study, to be conducted by the UK's new Renewable Fuels Agency, will look both at the immediate impact of biofuels and at so-called "indirect effects".

For example, these effects include an increase in demand for palm oil, which is imported into the EU to be used in the food industry because homegrown rape seed oil is increasingly being used in biofuels. Palm oil is heavily linked with deforestation in Indonesia, which creates massive greenhouse gas emissions.

Recent scientific evidence shows that these "indirect effects" could produce huge greenhouse gas emissions which would more than negate any potential savings that biofuels can offer over conventional fuels like petrol and diesel.

However, current government and EU policies will oblige all suppliers to include biofuels in the fuel mix over the next few years. The UK policy, called the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, comes into operation on 15 April this year. From this date, every forecourt in the country will have to provide 2.5 per cent of its fuel from biofuel sources - rising to 5% by 2010.

Responding to the news, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK said: "The scientific evidence is mounting - biofuels are often more damaging to the climate than the fossil fuels they are designed to replace. While it's good news that the Government has commissioned a report to assess the consequences of these fuels, the fact remains that from April this year we'll be forced to pump biofuels into our petrol tanks. The government needs to introduce a moratorium on the UK's biofuel targets until this review has been published."

Biofuels currently make up a proportion of the EU's 2020 renewable energy target. Greenpeace believes that it is essential that if biofuels are taken out of this mix then the headline target remains the same, and the shortfall is made up by the electricity and heat sectors - where technologies such as wind, wave, tidal, solar, biomass, biogas and hydro power can all contribute.

Indeed, it is widely accepted that using biofuels in the transport sector is far less effective than using the same land to grow biomass (like wood chip) for use in the heating and electricity sectors.

Sauven continued: "The uncertainty over biofuels must not be used as an excuse to derail the EU's ambitious renewable energy targets. We need to produce 20 per cent of our energy from renewables by 2020 to show real leadership at tackling climate change - but we can achieve this without the use of biofuels."

Sony does the Business

Sony is among a number of multi-national companies who have backed a WWF sponsored campaign to cut their carbon emissions. They are among twelve companies, including Nokia, Nike, and Hewlett-Packard, signed up to the Tokyo declaration, promising to "take all necessary action" to limit the increase in the global average temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.

"We have an obligation to help minimise our environmental impact and at the same time utilise our unique talents to help solve environmental problems," Sony's chairman and chief executive officer, Sir Howard Stringer, told Eco. "That is why we decided to engage more of our peers. We believe it is impossible for business to flourish in a degraded environment," he added. "We are committed to using our technological ability and know-how to reduce our impact on the planet, and to help our customers reduce their impact at home."

WWF defended its decision to seek the help of businesses in reducing global warming:

"There is no contradiction between growing economically and reducing your carbon footprint absolutely," said Oliver Rapf, of WWF International.

Prepare for War

The Prince of Wales' speech on climate change on Thursday to the European Parliament has been warmly welcomed by environmentalists, including Friends of the Earth.

The environmental campaign group congratulated the Prince for highlighting the scale of the climate challenge that the world faces, his call for urgent action - comparable with going on a war-footing - and his recognition that government action to develop a low-carbon economic and political framework is essential if the world is to successfully combat the threat. His call for countries to be paid to protect forests - "this vital global utility" - was also welcomed.

"The Prince of Wales has today raised issues of urgent importance that demand immediate political action. We are fast drifting towards a climatic disaster that could lead to humanitarian catastrophe, economic recession and dramatic environmental change. And while the resources and ingenuity to tackle climate change exist, we still lack the political will to make real changes to how we live, meet our needs and run our economies. Climate change is the biggest threat the planet faces; urgent action, similar to being on a war-footing, is now required to tackle it.

"The EU and other governments must respond by placing climate change at the heart of policy-making. This will give businesses the certainty that they need to invest in a low-carbon economy, and make it cheaper and easier for people to go green. The UK Government must also raise its game on this issue. Carbon dioxide emissions have risen under Labour, despite its promise of significant cuts. The Climate Change Bill is a welcome initiative, but it must be strengthened. It must ensure that UK emissions are cut by 80 per cent by 2050 and include Britain's share of international aviation and shipping emissions."

As well as strengthening its Climate Change Bill (which Friends of the Earth has led the campaign for), the environment group also called on the UK Government to put tackling climate change at the heart of next month's Budget.

"In the last few months we have learnt that the North Polar ice cap is melting so fast that some scientists are predicting that in seven years it will completely disappear in Summer. Others think it will take a little longer. But the mere fact that such a development is conceivable at all is, you would have thought, yet another wake up call as we sleepwalk our way towards the edge of catastrophe."

"If military policy has long been based on the dictum that we should be prepared for the worst case, should it be so different when the security is that of the planet and our long term future?"

"We cannot be anything less than courageous and revolutionary in our approach to tackling climate change. If we are not, the result will be catastrophe for all of us, but with the poorest in our world hit hardest of all. In this sense, it is surely comparable to war. The question is do we, as a world community, have the resolve to wage it?"

Recognizing the need for governments to take a lead by developing a low-carbon political and economic framework

"I can tell you that there is a genuine determination amongst many companies to show real leadership on climate change. But what many of them have told me is that while a market-based approach can influence behavioural change, up to a point, these mechanisms cannot be expected to deliver solutions by themselves.? They tell me that a proper framework is required, with governments setting consistent long-term policies and providing responsible and equitable regulation."

Launching a new initiative to tackle tropical deforestation by mobilizing the financial resources needed to pay developing countries to protect globally important national assets

"The problem for too many of us is that deforestation is out of sight and out of mind. The simple fact is that if we do not pay the countries who are the custodians of this vital global utility for the essential services they provide the forests will continue to be cut down and global warming will continue to accelerate. So this problem isn't someone else's that will have to be addressed in the future. It is ours and it must be addressed now. We must start to pay for the services that these great forests provide to us."

Pacific Marine

Reserve Doubled

Amid the doom and gloom on other fronts, comes the good news that the Pacific island nation of Kiribati has more than doubled the size of its marine reserve, making it the largest in the world. The extended reserve, is about the size of California and contains some of the world's most pristine reefs, that include 120 species of coral and 520 species of fish. Kiribati lies near the Equator, about half way between Fiji and Hawaii.

Kiribati's environment minister, Tetapo Nakara, said his government wanted to conserve the area's biological diversity:

"The coral reefs and bird populations of the islands are unique, virtually untouched by man - a true wilderness of natural beauty."

"Kiribati has taken an inspirational step in increasing the size of the protected area well beyond the original eight atolls and globally important seabird, fish and coral reef communities," said Greg Stone, New England Aquarium vice president of global marine programmes.

"We are also looking at the co-operation of Australia and New Zealand in aerial surveillance flights over the region," said Tebwe Ietaake, secretary of Kiribati's environment ministry.

Scientists have uncovered a "plastic soup" in the Pacific Ocean, which is causing immense harm to wildlife. The debris covers an area twice the size of the continental United States and is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan. Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" or "trash vortex", believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. Mr Moore, who is heir to a family fortune in the oil industry, but has sold his business interests to become an environmentalist, came across the sea of waste by chance in 1997 during a Los Angeles to Hawaii yacht race. He had steered his craft into the "North Pacific gyre" – a vortex where the ocean circulates slowly because of little wind and extreme high pressure systems. Usually sailors avoid it.

He was astonished to find himself surrounded by rubbish, day after day, thousands of miles from land. "Every time I came on deck, there was trash floating by," he said in an interview. "How could we have fouled such a huge area? How could this go on for a week?" He warned yesterday that unless consumers cut back on their use of disposable plastics, the plastic stew would double in size over the next decade. There are fears that the plastic debris is causing the death of thousands of sea birds and animals, and poses a threat to human health as the plastic pollutants act as chemical sponges attracting man-made chemicals such as hydrocarbons and the pesticide DDT. They then enter the food chain. "What goes into the ocean goes into these animals and onto your dinner plate. It's that simple," said Dr Eriksen, a research director of the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation founded by Mr. Moore.

The two Sea Shepherd protestors who had been held hostage on board the Japanese whaling vessel have been released, following the intervention of an Australian customs boat. Australian PM Kevin Rudd had earlier urged both sides to exercise restraint. The release follows a two day stand off in which both parties accused each other of terrorist conduct.

The Japanese fleet plans to kill about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid-April as part of what it describes as a scientific research programme.

But other nations and environment groups say the research goals could be achieved using non-lethal methods and call the programme a front for commercial whaling.

The national air traffic controller, Nats, has pledged to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide generated in British airspace by 2020 by 10%, by looking for efficiences in the way that planes take off, approach, and land. Paul Barron, Nats chief executive, said the target would galvanise the aviation industry:

"We cannot do this on our own, even though we have set the target independently," he said. "We have got to engage the airports, the airlines, technology companies and our partners around Europe." The air industry is coming under increasing pressure as it emits 1.6% of carbon emissions worldwide, and 5.5% of British emissions.

It is believed that beavers may have bred in Britain for the first time in 500 years. The beavers live wild in the Cotswold Water Park near South Cerney in Gloucestershire, and are thought to have young. Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 16th Century, due to the demand for their fur. No-one has actually seen the kits (as young beavers are known) yet, but experts are convinced by the beavers' behaviour that they have bred. Dr Simon Pickering, director of conservation and restoration at the water park, said: "We're pretty sure they've bred as they've become very territorial and nervous as if they are defending their young... They've been felling quite a lot of trees on one of the banks for extra habitat."

There may soon be an eco village in the heart of Salisbury, after Councillors approved in principle moves to use a piece of land immediately next to the train station for a show-piece development. The site is ideally located for local amenities and car-free living, although there are a lot of planning hurdles to overcome before work starts on site.

Transition towns are an idea whose time has come. Eco sent one of its reporters to a talk by Ben Brangwyn, co-founder of the Transition Network, to hear about how the twin threats of Peak Oil and climate change demand a new response from local communities around Britain.

The Greenpeace vessel the Esperanza has located the Japanese whaling fleet off the coast of Antarctica, after days of searching. Already a day's hunting has been disrupted. The whaling fleet is aiming to catch 1,000 fin and minke whales for "scientific" purposes, although the meat is taken back to Japan for human consumption. The Japanese government is under considerable pressure to recall the fleet, and has already conceded that no humpback whales will be caught, after international protests led by Australia. Greenpeace has since chased the main Japanese whaling vessel away from the area where most whales are to be found, adding to the cost of hunting them. A spokesperson said that if necessary inflatable craft would be used to get between the harpoons and the whales.

In a radio communication with the Japanese whaling fleet, Greenpeace expedition leader Karli Thomas told the whalers:

"Our vessel and crew are here in the Southern Ocean to condemn your hunt, which includes endangered species, and to insist that you return to port immediately.

"We represent millions of people around the world who want to see an end to whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

"We join with the majority of people in Japan who do not support whaling on the high seas. Your so-called scientific whaling is a hoax. It has been dismissed as useless by the International Whaling Commission."

The outgoing Chief Scientist Sir David King has launched an extraordinary attack on green activists, accusing them of being Luddites who are jeopardising the fight against global warming. King has just stepped down after seven years, and has published a new book "The Hot Topic" which among other controversies, defends the aviation industry, nuclear power, and genetic engineering. Making people feel guilty about their energy use, the book argues, "makes them less likely to act, not more". "What I'm looking for are technological solutions to a technologically driven problem, so the last thing we must do is eschew technology as we move forward."

King says: "There is a suspicion, and I have that suspicion myself, that a large number of people who label themselves 'green' are actually keen to take us back to the 18th or even the 17th century. They are saying "let's get away from all the technological gizmos and developments of the 20th century".

"People say 'well, we'll just use less energy.' Come on," he says. "And then there's the real world, where everyone is aspiring to the sort of standard of living that we have, which is based on a large energy consumption."

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, said it was King, not green activists, who was living in the past. "We need science to get us out of the climate change hole we're in - that's why Greenpeace wants to see research funding piled into the cutting-edge low-carbon technologies that can deliver deep emissions cuts in a very short timeframe.... We're talking about technical solutions that can also be safely spread to every country in the world, no matter how unstable. Nuclear power isn't that technology, but Sir David wants to take us back to the 1950s, the last time we were told it would solve all our problems."

Green Party Female Principal Speaker and former Oxfordshire County Councillor Dr. Caroline Lucas MEP today attacked Oxford City Council for their plans to chop down a host of trees to make way for a new shopping centre. In the process, protestor and Green Councillor Deborah Glass-Woodin was arrested on charges of aggravated trespass.

Oxford Green Party councillors have consistently opposed the building of the shopping centre. The decision is under judicial review, yet the Labour Party, united with the Liberal Democrat administration, is not waiting for the findings and have set about chopping down the trees in Norfolk Street and Bonn Square in preparation.

Dr. Lucas said: "The arrest of Green Councillor Deborah Glass-Woodin amounts to an outrageous infringement of her right to take part in peaceful direct action."

She continued: "Rather than upholding the spirit of the law and awaiting the formal decision on the future of the trees in question - due to be taken within the next few months - Oxford Council has shown contempt for the views of local residents and stormed ahead with the felling.

"It is pure irony that the trees in question were planted many years ago to mitigate the effects of local development, and are now being brought down to allow for further commercial development. The Council's disregard for the system of local democracy, as well the environmental concerns of the people of Oxford, is shocking."

Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Oxford East Peter Tatchell added:

"This is an outrageous act of environmental vandalism by the Liberal Democrat-controlled council. It makes a mockery of the Lib Dem's supposed commitment to green issues. In Oxford, they are reckless, irresponsible tree-destroyers.

"Part of the Westgate development is still under judicial review. There was no public consultation on the axing of these trees. In these circumstances, this destruction is premature, unnecessary and has no public mandate. Local councillors were not informed, which is contrary to the agreed policy that they should be advised before any trees are felled.

"Councillor Deborah Glass-Woodin's detention was an abuse of police powers. According to an eye-witness, the police arrested Deborah on a public pavement for trespass, roughly handcuffed her and dragged her physically to a waiting van. The aggressive behaviour of the police towards peaceful protesters is deplorable."

Councillor Matt Sellwood, Green Party member of Oxford Council's ruling Executive Board, commented

"Despite the fact that the entire development could still be halted by the verdict of a public inquiry, the Council has seen fit to start chopping down scores of trees. This is typical of an administration that cares more about shopping expansion and consumerism than the opinions of people living in the city centre."

The Government's decision to back a new generation of nuclear power stations, comes as no surprise, least of all to the Government, who had decided in advance of the "consultation" what the outcome would be. Britain has been stitched up, now a nuclear nation with a nuclear nonsense of an energy policy, with future generations cursed by the insoluble problem of what to do with nuclear waste. The British people have been nuked by their own Government.

Despite promises that the private sector will fund the new power stations, it can be revealed that the public will be expected to pay the cost of decommissioning through higher electricity bills. The companies building new nuclear reactors will also be spared the cost of storing nuclear waste by 'renting' space in a massive nuclear waste vault.
Referring to Gordon Brown's claim that he believes he is capable of making tough decisions on nuclear power, Greenpeace said: "Mr Brown is about as green as his name. It's no use being strong if you are wrong."
Labour's Alan Simpson said: "The tragedy of Gordon Brown is that the only big decisions he appears capable of taking are the wrong ones."

A report by the Nuclear Consultation Working Group has concluded that the Government used loaded questions in its consultation to get the answers it wanted. Professor Dave Elliott of the Open University complained: "We were offered what was, at best, a comparison between a half-hearted renewables programme and a speculatively enhanced nuclear programme. And at worst, a comparison based on caricatures of renewables and fantasies about nuclear."

Among the airlines trying to paint themselves green, Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic is leading the charge. Trying to be green while flying is rather like dieting by eating chocolate. It doesn't work, and Virgin surely know this. Customers on their website are invited to buy carbon offsets, suckered into the belief that once carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere it can somehow be removed again. Virgin goes to great lengths to to boost its environmental credentials, listing 12 initiatives to make itself as sustainable as possible. Branson has pledged to donate all of his future profits from his travel companies to research and development for bio-diesel fuel and environmental projects. A trial of "bio-jet fuel" will take place this year, and Virgin claims to be investing in more efficient aircraft, with the goal of improving fuel efficiency by 30 percent by 2020.

British Airways is little better, partnering with Climate Care to offer carbon offsets, and claiming that its new fleet of aircraft are more fuel efficient. Other airlines are offering to plant trees to assuage the conscience of flyers who must also realise that this is little more than window dressing.

Under contraction and convergence, a single flight uses up our entire ration of carbon dioxide, before we have even begun to heat our home, commute to work, or feed our family. Carbon offsetting is a dangerous illusion, as is the notion that flying can ever be "green".

German company Conergy has announced that it is to start building a massive windfarm in Australia later this year. The move shows how quickly things are changing in Australia following the election of a Labour government, whose first act was to sign the Kyoto Protocol. The installation will include 500 turbines, in the continent's south-east region, and will generate enough electricity for 400,000 homes and save greenhouse gas emissions of three million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

"The wind farm will be one of the largest in the world once it's operational, with the potential for almost 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity," Andrew Durran, executive director of Hamburg-based Conergy's Australian subsidiary, Epuron.

The project will generate 4.5 percent of electricity demand in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales. The Labour government has announed a target of generating 20% of Australia's energy needs from renewable power by 2050.

Environmentalists have reacted with some horror to the news that Indian car manufacturer Tata is to unveil this week, a People's Car, costing the equivalent of just £1,200. The company chairman claims he was motivated by the aim to provide safer family transport:

'That's what drove me - a man on a two-wheeler with a child standing in front, his wife sitting behind, add to that the wet roads - a family in potential danger.'

Until recently the main mode of transport in India was bicycle or foot, but rapidly the cities are experiencing congestion levels similar to the developed world, with the attendant problems of pollution. India has a growing middle class who will now be able to afford their first car, which will add to the traffic trouble.

The car will be unveiled on Thursday, but leaked details reveal that it has a 600cc. engine, and uses a lot of plastics in its construction.

Anumita Roychoudhury, of the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi comments: 'There is this mad rush towards lowering the prices to achieve mass affordability ......'If vehicle ownership increases very rapidly, we'll have a time bomb ticking away. When you lower the price that drastically, how will you be able to meet the safety and emissions standards? There are no clear answers yet.'

The cut-price car may revolutionise car prices not just in India, but around the world.

The US government is to announce this week whether polar bears are in danger because global warming is melting their icy habitat. Only last week, the government offered some of that habitat as a place to drill for oil.

The department's Fish and Wildlife Service is due to announce a decision by Wednesday whether polar bears should be listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Last week, the department's Minerals Management Service announced its plan to offer oil and gas exploration rights in February to 29.7 million acres in the remote Chukchi Sea off the northwest Alaskan coast.

Margaret Williams of the World Wildlife Fund said in a statement: "The polar bear's existence is increasingly threatened by the impact of climate change-induced loss of sea ice....The chances for the continued survival of this icon of the Arctic will be greatly diminished if its remaining critical habitat is turned into a vast oil and gas field."

Randall Luthi, director of the Minerals Management Service, called the decision "a good balance" that would allow exploration while still protecting "the resources important to the coastal residents." A spokeswoman questioned whether companies would even want to explore such distant waters.

STOP PRESS - 8/1/08 - The decision on whether to list the polar bear as endangered has been delayed by the US by one month for further research.

The average temperature in the Netherlands in 2007 matched 2006, the warmest year in 300 years. Dutch temperature records are among the oldest in the world. The Dutch meteorological institute KNMI said it was a sign of global warming.

The average temperature in 2007 was 11.2 degrees Celsius (52.16F) which, along with 2006, is highest average since Dutch temperatures were first measured in 1706, the KNMI institute said on Friday. This compares to the normal annual average of 9.8 degrees.

"The most important reason for the recent high temperatures is the slow global warming of the climate," KNMI said.

Athletes due to attend next August's Olympic Games in China are concerned about the ongoing problem of smog in the capital Beijing. Olympic chief Jacques Rogge has said some events may have to be rescheduled if the air quality is not good enough.

In response, Beijing is aiming for more "good air days". Beijing recorded 244 "blue sky days" by December 28 this year, a day short of its 245-day target. The standard of a "blue sky day" has not been widely recognized by international scientists.

"I predict that we will be able to meet this year's target in the last three days," said Jiang Xiaoyu, spokesman and executive vice president of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).

"The target number of good air quality days in 2008 will be higher than this year," Jiang told a news conference.

Prince Charles has weighed in again on environmental issues, and offered to help Norway save rainforests in developing countries.

The Prince of Wales's offer to Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg follows Norway's announcement earlier this month that it aimed to provide about 3 billion crowns (273 million pounds) per year to prevent deforestation in developing countries. Norway believes that fighting deforestation is a quick and low-cost way to achieve cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to maintaining biodiversity and securing people's livelihoods. Prince Charles sent his letter to Stoltenberg suggesting that his Rainforests Project send representatives to Norway to discuss ways to cooperate.

There is a growing mountain of discarded mobile phones, as millions of consumers upgrade their phone to keep up with the latest fashion. While some of these phones get recycled, millions more get thrown out with the rubbish and end up in landfills, where they leak toxic chemicals into the water table.

Johan Thomsen, a manager at Green Mobile, comments: "The problem today is that people upgrade their mobile phones every year and only a small percentage of these phones are disposed of safely." The situation is " frightening", he said.

Green Mobile is a small firm that passes on a portion of its profits to environmental charities such as the Woodland Trust and Friends of the Earth. It does not lure users with a free, leading edge handset, as is commonplace. Instead, it asks people to hold on to their existing phones for as long as possible and passes on the savings of not having to subsidise a new handset to the user through lower call charges.

Mr Thomsen said that a handset is designed to last five years, yet 100 million people in Europe upgrade to a new phone every year. The company also offers environmentally friendly wind-up phone chargers for customers who want to reduce their phone's environmental impact further.

Wildlife organisations have asked the Scottish Government for a licence to allow about 20 beavers to be set free in Argyll.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland believe the animals will improve the eco-system and boost tourism. The licence application submitted to the Scottish Government is for a trial reintroduction of European beavers in the Knapdale Forest.Allan Bantick, chairman of the Beaver Project Steering Group and trustee of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: "We are delighted that this licence application has now been submitted and we look forward to conducting a full scientific trial of the first formal reintroduction of a native mammal into the wild in the UK. Approval for the trial reintroduction would see 15 to 20 beavers from Norway introduced to the trial site following a period of quarantine.

The ultimate aim of the trial would be to monitor the success and impact of the beaver reintroduction before the animal is released elsewhere in Scotland.

In January 2007, the Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage launched a wildlife strategy that included restoring the European beaver to Scotland.

The Scottish Beaver Trial partnership hopes that the government will make its decision on the licence application in spring 2008.

EU ministers have agreed to limit carbon dioxide emissions from airlines in an attempt to fight climate change.

The Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, said a strong signal had to be sent.

The United States opposes the idea and has threatened legal action. Some among the airline industry fear the cost of the carbon trading scheme could force some carriers out of business. Mr Dimas, said that aviation was responsible for 3% of carbon emissions, more than the steel industry which was already part of the trading scheme.

He said aviation emissions had doubled since 1990 and were predicted to double again by 2020. Environment ministers meeting in Brussels agreed that airlines would have to buy 10% of permits upfront at auction in 2012, substantially lower than the proportion suggested by the European Parliament.

They also set the cap on emissions at the average level from 2004-2006. Environment secretary, Hilary Benn, said that Europe had taken "a bold step" in the week after the Bali agreement.

There is good news for humpback whales. The Japanese whaling fleet which had set off with the intention of catching the whales for the first time since the 1960s, has relented in the face of overwhelming international pressure, for at least a year. A top Japanese official said the humpback hunt would not go ahead - although the fleet will still hunt about 1,000 other whales in the area. Japan says whaling is necessary for scientific research, but other countries say the same goals could be achieved using non-lethal techniques.

Australia has been particularly critical of the humpback hunt, and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith welcomed Japan's decision.

The new Green Homes Agency set up by the London Development Agency is doing a roaring trade among householders wanting lower heating bills, and concerned about global warming. The scheme has been set up to help Londoners reduce their energy leaks by providing both the technical detail about their own home's energy usage and advice and support in doing something about it.

Under the scheme Home Energy Advisers for the Green Homes Concierge Service scheme visit your home and assess it using thermal imaging cameras and computer software. They then look at the changes the home-owner might consider making, and how much energy and CO2 and money that could save. The homeowner pays a subsidised one-off charge of £199, and in return gets an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which will come in handy should they ever come to sell their home as the certificates are now a requirment. Homes are rated on a scale of 100 and most modern homes score around 80.

Andrew Long of Ten UK who are the consultants running the scheme comments: "Some people are uncomfortable with their energy bills, other people want to be as green as they possibly can," he says. "Then you have the people who want to be seen to be green, to sit at their dinner parties to talk about how they have slashed their carbon footprints. Our job is not to be judgmental. Our job is to say, 'We're not going to tell you to stop flying, but if you are going to, at least sort your home out, because not doing anything is unacceptable.'"

Although the scheme is currently only available in London it is thought that the Governement may extend the scheme to the rest of the country. Since most peoples’ home represents around 30% of their carbon footprint the Green Homes initiative is a major contribution to limiting the impact of climate change, especially if taken up elsewhere.

Leading environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt has said that "soaring" speeches about making the UK a world leader in fighting climate change were not backed up by action, and condemned policies in the pre-Budget statement as "crabby incrementalism". "What we are seeing at the moment is such a woeful falling short of what could be done that we are really nowhere near the pain barrier. Our biggest worry at the moment is that this leadership is incredibly inconsistent... Just a little bit here, a little bit there, without actually sending a signal to citizens in the UK that this is indeed now the most serious problem that we have to deal with and we have to use the tax and expenditure systems in this country to address it....If the UK is going to have any impact in these global international debates, we have to be able to demonstrate here in our own backyard what it looks like to move cost-effectively towards a low-carbon economy."

The government said the measures - also criticised by environmental groups - were an "important step forward". A Defra spokeswoman said they built on existing policies and programmes. "The £1.1bn environmental transformation fund, which will help to develop and roll out low carbon technologies in the UK and in developing countries, is a particularly significant investment," she added.

"This is by no means the end of the government's efforts to fight climate change, and we will continue to push towards a low carbon economy through a variety of fiscal, regulatory and voluntary approaches." Chancellor Alistair Darling announced a modest annual cash rise for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a switch in air passenger duty to encourage more fuel-efficient aviation, and cash for an environmental transformation fund to drive green technology at home and abroad.

Global climate change is "very likely" to have a human cause, an influential group of scientists has concluded.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has announed that temperatures are probably going to increase by 1.8-4C (3.2-7.2F) by the end of the century.

It also projects that sea levels were most likely to rise by 28-43cm, and global warming was likely to influence the intensity of tropical storms.

"We can be very confident that the net effect of human activity since 1750 has been one of warming," co-lead author Dr Susan Soloman told delegates in Paris.

The DIY group B&Q has begun selling roof-top wind turbines and solar panels priced at less that £1,500.

The turbines are designed to deliver 230-volt electricity direct into the household wiring without the need for batteries or complex conversion equipment.

Over their working life they could save thousands of pounds. The solar panels will provide hot water and can save up to 50 per cent from domestic hot water costs.

The two devices together could knock hundreds of pounds off a typical £1,000-a-year domestic energy bill.

Britain and California have signed a new carbon trading agreement, side-stepping opposition from President George Bush.

The agreement is a tentative first step to bringing California into the EU carbon trading scheme, whereby polluting organisations can buy credits from greener rivals. If successful it could open the way to other US states signing up, circumventing federal opposition from Mr Bush.

Ken Livingstone followed the announcement with a second city-to-city agreement between London and Los Angeles, in a further sign of increasing co-operation over the issue.

Leading wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough has come off the fence, and announced he is no longer sceptical about climate change:

"I'm no longer sceptical. Now I do not have any doubt at all. I think climate change is the major challenge facing the world. I have aited until the proof was conclusive that it was humanity changing the climate. The thing that really convinced me was the graphsconnecting the increase of carbon dioxide in the environment and the rise in temperature, with the growth of human population and industrialisation. The coincidence of the curves made it perfectly clear we have left the period of natural climatic oscillation behind and have begun on a steep curve, in terms of temperature rise, beyond anything in terms of increases that we have seen over many thousands of years."

New Kid on the Block

The new Environment Minister is David Miliband, who at 40 is of a different generation to his predecessors. He lacks the charisma of David Cameron, or the money of Zac Goldsmith, but is an intellectual who is up to speed on climate change, urban philiosophy and decentralisation. Over the coming months he will have to try and convince Tony Blair to move from lots of hot air, to action on issues like road transport and aviation.

Under Threat:

Our Green and Pleasant Land

Government must put environment at heart of policies