The Guardian reports on research that looked at three London boroughs to value overall health benefits of active travel over 20 years at up to £4,800 per head. Policies to help people walk and cycle such as low-traffic neighbourhoods can create public health benefits as much as 100 times greater than the cost of the […]
Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, and climate risks are threatening its energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, financial stability, and people’s health. According to the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) assessment, many of these risks have already reached critical levels and could become catastrophic without urgent and decisive action. Extreme […]
2023 was the hottest year on record, approaching 1.5°C increase compared to pre-industrial temperatures. Preparing businesses and infrastructure to climate risks is therefore crucial. Climate change is no longer a future problem. Flooding, heatwaves, draughts and other climate-related disasters are disturbing supply chains and working conditions, as well as damaging buildings and threatening the environment […]
While sewage and intensive farming pollution steal the media headlines, an eco-toxic cocktail of hydrocarbons, metals and plastics runs off our roads into rivers and streams when it rains. Stormwater Shepherds and CIWEM have been pulling together the evidence. Poly aromatic hydrocarbons are nasty, toxic organic substances. They are carcinogenic; they cause mutations and deformities in aquatic organisms and they affect their […]
A joint statement between DLUHC, Defra, the Environment Agency and Greater Cambridge councils (Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire districts) sets out the government’s position on addressing concerns raised about water scarcity issues in the Greater Cambridge area, which have led to a sizeable number of sites remaining in the planning process. This is published alongside […]
Ofwat is consulting on a £400m Innovation Fund for AMP8. The plan is to keep the annual Water Breakthrough Challenge ‘Catalyst’ and ‘Transform’ competitions for water companies, but to boost the value to £250m. The remaining £150m would be split between two rounds of the Water Discovery Challenge for external innovators; a new stream for strategic […]
The Environment Agency (EA) consultation on charge proposals for water quality permits closed this week. the proposals would see charges increase significantly, especially for water companies. The Worshipful Company of Water Conservators (WCWC) has published its considered response. The WCWC welcomes the increase of resources for the Environment Agency to inspect sewage effluents and suggests […]
The European Parliament has adopted the Nature Restoration Law. The law sets a target for the EU to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. The EU nature restoration law, agreed with member states, will restore degraded ecosystems in all […]