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Sunak ‘dodging scrutiny’ by failing to appoint chair of Climate Change Committee
No successor has been named for Lord Deben – and now the independent watchdog’s chief executive has resigned
Rishi Sunak has been accused of trying to avoid scrutiny of his green policies after details surfaced about his government’s failure, over more than 18 months, to appoint a new chair of the independent climate change committee.
Senior environmentalists said they believed Sunak may be deliberately trying to avoid appointing a successor to Lord Deben – who first announced that he was stepping down in July 2022 – until after a general election, so he does not face criticism for his U-turns on green issues.
Continue reading...Reflectors in space could make solar farms on Earth work for longer every day
Orbiting solar reflectors are still some way off. But they represent a way to connect the space and energy sectors to tackle climate change.
The post Reflectors in space could make solar farms on Earth work for longer every day appeared first on RenewEconomy.
John Kerry to step down as US climate envoy
Star of the South: First offshore wind farm still on track, despite port veto
The leading contender for Australia's first offshore wind project is unfazed by the veto of a port assembly plant to protect wetlands.
The post Star of the South: First offshore wind farm still on track, despite port veto appeared first on RenewEconomy.
John Kerry to step down as US climate envoy
Grouse and kestrels on the wane as climate crisis hits Scottish wildlife
Hotter and wetter weather has led to populations of the region’s most famous bird species to be halved in the last 30 years
Some of Scotland’s most famous bird species, including grouse and kestrels, are among those declining as a result of climate change, a new report has found.
The study, by public body NatureScot, charted the populations of Scotland’s terrestrial breeding birds between 1994 and 2022. It found significant changes to the numbers and species of birds living in the country’s urban, woodland, upland and farmland habitats, in large part due to hotter and wetter weather related to the climate crisis.
Continue reading...Human ‘behavioural crisis’ at root of climate breakdown, say scientists
New paper claims unless demand for resources is reduced, many other innovations are just a sticking plaster
Record heat, record emissions, record fossil fuel consumption. One month out from Cop28, the world is further than ever from reaching its collective climate goals. At the root of all these problems, according to recent research, is the human “behavioural crisis”, a term coined by an interdisciplinary team of scientists.
“We’ve socially engineered ourselves the way we geoengineered the planet,” says Joseph Merz, lead author of a new paper which proposes that climate breakdown is a symptom of ecological overshoot, which in turn is caused by the deliberate exploitation of human behaviour.
Continue reading...Environment Agency accused of ‘scandalous neglect’ over chicken excrement entering River Wye
Charity says new evidence shows how poultry farms are draining excrement into river system
The Environment Agency faces new allegations of neglect of the River Wye after a project by a conservation group found effluent and contaminated waters at free-range egg farms flowing directly into watercourses in the catchment.
Out of 47 sites visited in England and Wales in the Wye catchment, 19 had drains running from the poultry units to a nearby watercourse. Many of the farms had drains excavated within a few metres of the sheds.
Continue reading...Tories urged to end ‘idiotic’ £1.8bn tax break for UK fishing fleet
Conservationists call for end to subsidies that make up 15% to 18% of industry’s income and threaten to ‘empty the ocean of fish’
The government needs to urgently end polluting tax breaks for the UK fishing fleet that threaten to “empty the ocean of fish”, say conservationists, after a first-of-its kind study reveals diesel subsidies to be worth up to £1.8bn a decade.
Without the tax subsidies, largely provided to the most fuel-intensive section of the fleet, many sectors would be unprofitable, according to the analysis by government environmental advisers.
Continue reading...Children living near green spaces ‘have stronger bones’
Bone strength is set in childhood so better park access could prevent fractures in older people, study finds
Children with more green space near their homes have significantly stronger bones, a study has found, potentially leading to lifelong health benefits.
The scientists found that the children living in places with 20-25% more natural areas had increased bone strength that was equivalent to half a year’s natural growth.
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