08 Jul 2023

By Jan Geert Hiddink, in The Conversation: You might remember newspaper articles in 2021 claiming that towing nets over the seabed to catch fish (known as bottom trawling) releases as much carbon as all flights taken each year. It turns out that the assessment behind this claim overestimated how much CO₂ is released in the process of bottom trawling […]

08 Jul 2023

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said its Marine Environment Protection Commission has adopted a “historic… strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping”. Compared with 2008 levels, the United Nations’ global shipping regulator said nations had agreed to cut total annual emissions of greenhouse gases “by at least 20 percent, striving for 30 percent, […]

08 Jul 2023

A new report by MPs has found some marine wildlife is being failed by the UK government. Protections for whales, dolphins and seals are poorer compared to other countries, the Parliamentary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (Efra) found. Some of the threats include underwater noise, pollution in the water and climate change, the BBC […]

05 Jul 2023

Ofwat has issued a statement on financial resilience in the water sector, seeking to provide reassurance following recent media reports, especially concerning Thames Water. The regulator says that “overall, the sector is continuing to attract international capital and is especially attractive to long term investors such as pension funds. Indeed, there has been an additional […]

05 Jul 2023

The multi-stakeholder National Drought Group met last week to discuss the impact of the hottest June on record on reservoir and groundwater levels and river flows. As of 20 June, total reservoir stocks for England were at 83% of their total capacity. Devon, Cornwall and parts of East Anglia remain in drought. In the Lake […]

05 Jul 2023

The government has updated its guidance for applying for bathing water designation in England. The guidance on applying to de-designate existing bathing waters has also been updated. The updates mean that the application process is now easier to follow and ensures the criteria for designation are clearly set out. Defra will use the updated guidance to […]

05 Jul 2023

WildFish charity says £56bn plan to reduce sewage dumping from storm overflows is illegal because it expects customers to foot bill The legal challenge brought by WildFish, which seeks to have the Government’s sewage plan rejected as unlawful and re-written, is being heard in the High Court this week. WildFish wants the Government to: Enforce […]