27 Jan 2025
Policy Connect has published a new report arguing that the Government should reform flood and coastal erosion risk management policy to protect vulnerable communities and deliver sustainable housing and economic growth. The fourth Bricks and Water inquiry by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum comes at a critical time. The new Government has committed to building 1.5 million […]
10 Jul 2024
New Environment Secretary Steve Reed used x (formerly known as twitter) to set out the top 5 priorities for Defra in the new parliament. These are: Rivers and seas clean up Zero waste economy Support famers for food security Nature recovery Protecting communities from flooding Also of interest, these key points from CIWEM – Labour […]
10 Jul 2024
Over at the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband sets out his priorities for the department. These are: delivering our mission to boost energy independence and cutting bills through clean power by 2030 taking back control of our energy with Great British Energy upgrading Britain’s homes and cutting fuel poverty […]
03 Jul 2024
The Labour Party manifesto doesn’t say much about water, but it does include Putting water companies into ‘special measures’. Although there is no detail on what these measures might be, they could include Giving new powers to regulators to block water bosses’ bonuses for pollution Introducing criminal charges for persistent law-breaking and automatic fines for […]
26 Jun 2024
The Environmental Policy Forum, which represents over 110,000 qualified professionals across a wide range of different specialised disciplines including engineering, ecology, environmental sciences, water, forestry, fisheries, environmental management, health, and resource and land management, has identified three cross-cutting and seven thematic priorities for the next government are. Cross-cutting priorities Improve environmental governance to ensure effective […]
12 Mar 2024
By Claire Szostek, Marine Ecologist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Towering up to 260m above the ocean’s surface, modern wind turbines are impressive feats of engineering, producing much-needed renewable energy. But what happens beneath the waves? Government policymakers need reliable evidence to make planning decisions about new offshore wind developments and ensure positive outcomes. Currently, this evidence comes […]
30 Jan 2024
The Guardian reports that testing by citizen scientists of a beck that feeds into Windermere has revealed a huge loss in invertebrate life in the lake in Cumbria that campaigners say is being caused by sewage discharges. Save Windermere and WildFish carried out testing for invertebrates in Cunsey Beck, a site of special scientific interest […]
22 Jan 2024
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has published its annual progress report, showing the Government remains largely off track to meets its environmental ambitions and must speed up and scale up its efforts in order to achieve them. The OEP report provides an assessment of government’s progress towards legally-binding environmental targets and the goals of […]
