17 Dec 2019
It was a momentous night and the 2019 election has produced a decisive result. Brexit with all its ramifications will proceed. The next Queen’s speech will come in the next few days (Thursday) – watch out for the Environment Bill & Fisheries Bill in particular. Pity to lose two strong environmentalists in Mary Creagh who […]
19 Nov 2019
Guardian ‘The Conservative party’s record on tackling the climate crisis has been condemned by leading scientists and former government advisers, as the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, warned that the forthcoming election was the last chance to halt the escalating emergency. Experts accused the Conservatives of copying rightwing politicians in the US by deliberately weakening environmental protections. Meanwhile, analysis […]
02 Nov 2019
So the election has been called, in one of the shortest Parliamentary sessions ever. One positive was the introduction of a fuller version of the Environment Bill which has received detailed commentary. One to bank for the next Parliament. There is a key message to get out to encourage everyone to register to vote. Fracking […]
10 Jul 2019
The UK has legislated for net-zero emissions by 2050 – now the UK Government must show it is serious about its legal obligations to tackle and prepare for climate change, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says today. UK action to curb greenhouse gas emissions is lagging far behind what is needed, even to meet […]
04 Jul 2019
Bob Earll Each week in preparing Water News I scan the Defra website. This week this site is awash with individual regional calls for projects under two themes: Call for project’s promoting climate change adaptation, risk prevention and management’ Call for project’s focusing on preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency’ This is […]
29 Nov 2017
In his 2017 Autumn Budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged to build an economy “fit for the future” by announcing new air quality funding, tax incentives for electric cars, and measures to combat plastic waste. Hammond dedicated much more time to the green economy than previous Budget announcements; also covering off diesel tax, driverless vehicles and […]
29 Nov 2017
The government has published its new Industrial Strategy. One of the ‘sector deals’ announced covers artificial intelligence, which could “could dramatically reduce the amount of water needed for agriculture”. The Strategy also says that “developing a National Policy Statement for water resources to ensure that businesses and households in England can continue to rely on […]
19 Sep 2017
Following a recent consultation, Defra has published its Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat. Full details are available here, but some of the key points are: No substantive changes from the draft statement – the wording of some points / objectives has moved away from “Ofwat should work with” to be more challenging for both the […]
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