29 Jul 2025
Photo by Ray Harrington The UK government has published a new policy paper detailing the principles for identifying and selecting compensatory Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), a key step in balancing the country’s ambitious offshore wind targets with marine conservation goals. The policy, released on 24th July by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural […]
29 Jul 2025
Photo by Zoltan Tasi In June 2025 the UK Government launched announced a major plan to ban bottom trawling in 41 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across English waters. The consultation will close on 29th September, after a four-week extension was announced, and in recent weeks the debate over the proposed ban is being keenly […]
07 Jul 2025
Photo of Oil and Gas Platform by Dean Brierley Increasing oil and gas production in the North Sea makes little difference to the UK’s energy import levels, according to Energy Minister Michael Shanks. Speaking to the Scottish Affairs Committee, Shanks said that most domestically produced fossil fuels are traded on global markets rather than […]
17 Dec 2024
The UK Government has launched its awaited Clean Power Action Plan, with a focus on a massive ramping up renewables. The 136-page plan sees wind and solar – in particular offshore wind – becoming the backbone of the British electricity system. It says record amounts of new renewable capacity will need to be delivered, alongside reforms to […]
17 Dec 2024
The Environmental Audit Committee of the UK Parliament is seeking views on the Government’s delivery of its environmental obligations under international marine treaties and the Government’s strategy for marine planning and protection. The United Nations’ (UN) 14th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) relates to the planet’s largest ecosystem, which refers to life below water. The 14th […]
26 Nov 2024
“The UK Government is here to ensure that nature is high on the agenda at COP29. Half of the global economy depends on nature, and we must protect nature not only for its own sake but also for the sake of humans,” said the UK Government’s Nature Minister Mary Creagh, as she announced new funding […]
19 Feb 2024
Experts and academics are invited to join a new science network that will help to provide evidence on the environmental impact of deep-sea mining. The UK Government has launched a new UK-based environmental science network, to gather scientific data, and carry out world-class research to help assess the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining. Eligible applicants […]
05 Jul 2022
The UK Government has joined other world leaders at the UN Ocean Conference to announce new initiatives to protect the global marine environment. Defra released a news item which stated that: ‘The government’s ambitious £500 million Blue Planet Fund, launched at the G7 Leader’s Summit last year, is already supporting developing countries and vulnerable coastal […]
