15 Sep 2019

Plastic pollution of the marine environment, of which food and drink packaging is a significant contributor, has captured public interest over the past two years, and the Government has set out its ambitions to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. In the backlash against plastic, other materials are being increasingly used as […]

15 Sep 2019

Most organochlorinated contaminants were banned in developed countries in the 1970s and 1980s. However, their chemical properties favour long-range transport and persistence in water, air and biota, including the deepest ocean fauna. Studies of cetaceans in Europe have reported bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, with markedly elevated Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations in their blubber. “Hotspots” include […]

15 Sep 2019

An estimated 92% of the UK seagrass beds have been lost in the last century. This summer seeds were collected from existing meadows around the British Isles by a group of volunteers led by Swansea University. They have been sorted and are being prepared to be planted this winter in Dale Bay, Pembrokeshire. Historically this […]

12 Sep 2019

Groundwater levels in East of England at lowest for nearly 30 years Latest figures from Anglian Water show groundwater levels in some parts of the East of England are the lowest they’ve been in almost 30 years. Although no usage restrictions are planned for this year, Anglian Water is urging customers to think carefully about their […]

12 Sep 2019

Cabinet Office  This guidance helps emergency planners ensure communities are central to emergency planning, response and recovery.  The Community Resilience Development Framework (CRDF) is an update to the Community Resilience Framework for Practitioners (2016) , reflecting the wider landscape of activities and capabilities being captured under the term Community Resilience (individual resilience, social action, voluntary […]

12 Sep 2019

Climate change is expected to alter water quality in rivers, but where and when this may happen is uncertain. This report describes a study of projected response in the amount of algal plant growth (phytoplankton biomass). Increasing algal growth is one of the ecological manifestations of eutrophication in slow flowing rivers, where the water starts […]

12 Sep 2019

No major oil company invests to support Paris goals of keeping well below 2˚C Carbon Tracker: Oil and gas companies have approved $50 billion of investment since 2018 in major projects that undermine climate targets and threaten shareholder returns, Carbon Tracker finds in a report released today. The first study to identify individual projects that […]