13 Mar 2024
The Sustainable Solutions for Water and Nature (SSWAN) partnership has published an outline of a new model and discussion paper for regulation of the water environment. The new SSWAN model shifts regulation towards catchment-based approaches to support cheaper, more innovative, more collaborative projects that more accurately reflect local priorities. SSWAN proposes a four-tier regulatory framework: […]
13 Mar 2024
Last week’s Spring Budget was widely criticised for missed opportunities on energy efficiency and growing low-carbon industries. Key points from the useful summary by Carbon Brief UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt failed to mention the term “climate change” at all when setting out the government’s spring budget – the first since it was confirmed that 2023 was […]
13 Mar 2024
The government has announced that fast-tracked investment of £180m over the next 12 months is expected to prevent more than 8,000 sewage spills polluting English waterways. According to Defra, it follows the Secretary of State directing water and sewage companies last December to measurably reduce sewage spills over the next year by accelerating commitments and delivering new […]
13 Mar 2024
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 […]
13 Mar 2024
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 […]
13 Mar 2024
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 […]
13 Mar 2024
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 […]
13 Mar 2024
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 […]
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