Policy Archives - Communications and Management for Sustainability

Offshore wind farms: policymakers are more influenced by reports that accentuate negative impacts

By Claire Szostek, Marine Ecologist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Towering up to 260m above the ocean’s surface, modern wind turbines are impressive feats of engineering, producing much-needed renewable energy. But what happens beneath the waves? Government policymakers need reliable evidence to make planning decisions about new offshore wind developments and ensure positive outcomes. Currently, this evidence comes […]

Huge loss of invertebrates detected in stream feeding into Windermere

News , Water

The Guardian reports that testing by citizen scientists of a beck that feeds into Windermere has revealed a huge loss in invertebrate life in the lake in Cumbria that campaigners say is being caused by sewage discharges. Save Windermere and WildFish carried out testing for invertebrates in Cunsey Beck, a site of special scientific interest […]

Government off track to meet environmental ambition

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The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has published its annual progress report, showing the Government remains largely off track to meets its environmental ambitions and must speed up and scale up its efforts in order to achieve them. The OEP report provides an assessment of government’s progress towards legally-binding environmental targets and the goals of […]

Government struggling to understand own environmental policies

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Last week’s speech by the Prime Minister on Net Zero provoked criticism from many organisations and commentators, but Kathryn Brown at the Wildlife Trusts wrote a great deconstruction of the government’s muddled thinking on climate change and the environment. Key points The government’s announcement will significantly increase household energy bills The Prime Minister will scrap […]

Government criticised for “lack of leadership” over water industry problems

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The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has criticised the Government’s “lack of leadership and deep-rooted complacency” in the conclusion to its follow-up inquiry into Ofwat, the water industry and the role of Government. In a letter to Thérèse Coffey MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the cross-party committee has […]

Hydrogen strategy update

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According to the government, the August 2023 Hydrogen Strategy Update to the Market offers an accessible summary of hydrogen policy development and schemes since the publication of the last update to the market in December 2022. Policy areas covered in this update are: hydrogen production hydrogen networks and storage uses of hydrogen in industry, power, […]

Green policies could save over 2 million lives in England and Wales by 2050

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Issue 600: A new modelling study highlights the health co-benefits of actions towards achieving the UK’s 2050 net zero targets A new study highlights the health co-benefits of actions towards achieving the UK’s 2050 net zero targets. Reduced indoor and outdoor air pollution, reduced consumption of meat and dairy, plus greater uptake of cycling and […]

APPG briefing on Fisheries & Food policy

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A briefing has been released that summarises the output from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fisheries open Parliamentary hybrid event, 12 July 2022. The meeting brought together a variety of stakeholders to discuss how to better connect the seafood sector with food policy and the UK food supply chain. The document is a synthesis […]