08 Sep 2020

From Defra Overview This consultation will inform a new England Tree Strategy which we will publish later this year. The strategy will set out policy priorities to deliver our ambitious tree planting programme. It will focus on expanding, protecting and improving our woodlands, and how trees and woodlands can connect people to nature, support the […]

02 Sep 2020

This is worrying given new research which has demonstrated how plastic contamination can decimate the soil micro-fauna. Proceedings of the Royal Society B Guardian – Greenpeace  ‘Sewage sludge containing human waste from the Netherlands has been passed for import to the UK, to be used on farmland as fertiliser, despite concerns over the safety of its […]

02 Sep 2020

We have known about the risks of Surface Water Flooding for over 20 years but it was the Pitt Review that signalled the need for action; successive governments have not acted fast enough to address this growing problem. Defra ‘Government takes action to manage surface water flood risk The government will immediately accept 12 recommendations […]

02 Sep 2020

Guardian article; Only one in 10 utility firms prioritise renewable electricity – global study Nature Paper: Only one in 10 utility firms prioritise renewable electricity The penetration of low-carbon technologies in power generation has challenged fossil-fuel-focused electric utilities. While the extant, predominantly qualitative, literature highlights diversification into renewables among possible adaptation strategies, comprehensive quantitative understanding […]

02 Sep 2020

Mine remediation Mine waste project starts £6m https://www.gov.uk/government/news/work-starts-on-6m-river-clean-up-project & Innovation for use of Minewater to heat cities. The Environment Agency and Coal Authority has started work on Nent Haggs Mine Water Treatment Scheme to address a harmful legacy of the industrial revolution. The River Nent is the second most metal polluted river in England with […]

02 Sep 2020

Protecting Our Local Rivers from Pollution by Industrial Farming The pollution of the Wye this summer by farms have been widely reported on by national and local media. Now concerned residents of the Golden Valley in Herefordshire are crowdfunding to take on Herefordshire County Council On 3 June 2020, Herefordshire County Council gave its approval to a planning application […]

26 Aug 2020

Defra:  In October 2019, we commissioned an independent review of the arrangements for determining responsibility for surface water and drainage assets. The review was carried out by David Jenkins. While the review will now be considered in full by ministers, the government is immediately accepting 12 of the recommendations. Executive summary I was asked towards […]