Environment

It's about 11.30am Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu time (which is an hour ahead of the mainland Maldivian capital Malé; the private island having taken the brilliantly hedonistic decision to literally alter time to allow for more sunset cocktails) and I'm sat cross-legged on a cream chaise longue in robe under a thatched hut roof surrounded by old books and sipping green tea. I've been barefoot for four days now, and in that time I think I've seen every colour of blue on the spectrum, including, yes, that otherworldly cerulean of the sea that it turns out doesn't only exist in brochures (on day one, I spent a solid 15 minutes splashing it with my hands like a toddler just to check it's real). I couldn't tell you what day of the week it is and frankly I don't care. Nearly 99% of the Maldives is water, and flying over it via seaplane to the resort, having been on the infinitely more prosaic method of transport that is the London Underground a few hours before, it looks like a …

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By Roger Harrabin Published 10 March comments Comments Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Campaigners have accused the government of hypocrisy for setting out environmental protection principles while simultaneously flouting them. UK ministers have just published long-awaited principles that will inform government decision-making. They say they intend to put the environment at the heart of their policy. But the document exempts the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence from being bound by the principles. And environmentalists complain that the principles are meaningless anyway, because the government presses on with activities that will harm the planet – such as the planned Cumbria coal mine and a £27bn road building programme. The principles have been laid out in a consultation document linked to the Environment Bill. Following Brexit, these …

[Read more...] about UK environmental protections ‘being flouted’

By Roger Harrabin Published 3 February comments Comments Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Climate change Progress towards protecting the UK’s environment has been “painfully slow”, a government spending watchdog has warned. The Public Accounts Committee pointed out that ministers had first pledged a decade ago to improve the natural environment within a generation. But it complained of serious delays in tackling “critical” issues like air pollution, water quality and wildlife loss. The committee - made up of MPs - said the 25-Year Environment Plan, published in 2018, lacked a coherent set of long-term objectives or interim targets. But a government statement said significant progress had been made and its Environment Bill would be “transformative”. Now and then: Iceland's vanishing glaciers Why 2021 could be …

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Any way we can make our homes more eco-friendly and add value at the same time is a win-win. The good news is there are simple home improvement hacks that will not only help save money on bills in the short-term – but can also add a substantial amount to an overall property price. A new report from Money.co.uk has found that homeowners could potentially add £29,000 to the price of their house, by embarking on some easy eco-upgrades. The research looked into how much different environmentally-friendly improvements would actually cost and the potential ‘added value’ amount for each. Some of the easiest and most profitable eco-features include draft proofing, energy metre installation, low VOC paint and energy-saving light bulbs – many of which can be done without the need for professional help. Draft proofing came out as the most lucrative improvement – adding the most value (£3,200) in relation to its actual installation cost (£200). Not only that, but draft …

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By James Morgan Published 14 May 2014 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing UK animal researchers have signed a pledge to be transparent about the nature of their experiments. The Concordat on Openness on Animal Research has initially been signed by 72 organisations, including universities, bio-industry companies, charities and research councils. The scientific community has long recognised the need to engage with the public about animal research. But many held back for fear of being targeted by animal rights extremists. Transparency is also limited by legal restrictions that prevent the Home Office from disclosing information about animal experiments. To overcome these barriers, in 2012 more than 40 bioscience organisations declared they would commit to a Concordat on Openness. Since then they have been seeking the opinions of the public, the scientific …

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Published 13 July 2017 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Home Office annual figures report that animal experiments carried out in the UK fell by 5% in 2016. The statistics show that 3.94 million procedures were carried out in the course of scientific research - a fall of 206,000 on 2015. Some 51% of the total figure was accounted for by experiments and 49% relates to the breeding of genetically modified animals for research. A charity called on the government to curb "out-of-control" animal breeding. Troy Seidle of Humane Society International said: "We've witnessed this trend toward out-of-control breeding of genetically modified animals developing for more than a decade, and have repeatedly called on the Home Office to take action." Between 2007 and 2016, the number of procedures increased by 23%. The rise in breeding of genetically altered animals was largely …

[Read more...] about UK animal experiments fall by 5% – annual figures

By James Morgan Published 7 February 2014 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The UK government has launched its delivery plan to replace, refine and reduce the use of animals in research - known as "the 3Rs". It pledges to encourage scientists to use alternatives wherever possible. But there is no commitment in the strategy released on Friday to reduce the total number of animal experiments, which has been on the rise. This is despite a post-election pledge by the Coalition to cut the use of animals in scientific research. Instead, the government will promote new, more ethical research techniques which can help boost UK science. "This isn't about a numerical target," said David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science. "The commitment is to 'work to reduce use of animals'. Ultimately the final figure will depend on patterns of scientific advance. …

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By Pallab Ghosh Published 17 May 2012 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The UK says it will retain stricter animal testing standards than required by a new European Union Directive. The Home Office Minister, Lynne Featherstone, said that special protection for dogs cats and primates would be maintained. Ms Featherstone also said that a centralised system for approving research licenses would continue. The statement was welcomed by the research community and animal welfare organisations. But the RSPCA's senior scientific officer, Barney Reed said that he was concerned the government was initially prepared to accept EU regulations which would have allowed smaller cage sizes, the use of less humane killing methods and the watering down of the powers of ethics committees which oversee animal research. "It's been unfortunate that we've had to battle for 18 months to …

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The Duke of Sussex has pleaded with corporate oil drillers not to “pillage the ecosystem for potential profit” as he launched a new environmental campaign. In a joint opinion piece for The Washington Post, the Duke and activist Reinhold Mangundu described the Okavango River Basin in southern Africa as a “natural beating heart that has nourished humans and wildlife for generations”. The opinion piece is part of the Duke’s campaign with conservation group Re:wild. The Duke and Mr Mangundu said they had both “found sanctuary and inspiration in the Okavango” and “said that some things in life are best left undisturbed to carry out their purpose as a natural benefit. This is one of them.” They highlighted an oil spill off the coast of California earlier this month and a fire on the ocean's surface off the Gulf of Mexico in July, saying: “There is no way to repair the damage from these kinds of mistakes. “Drilling is an outdated gamble that reaps disastrous consequences for many, …

[Read more...] about Prince Harry: Don’t ‘pillage’ my African sanctuary for oil, Duke tells Canadian company

New gas boilers will be banned from 2035 and families are set to be offered £5,000 grants to buy heat pumps for their homes under a landmark green strategy to be unveiled next week. The Prime Minister will announce the “boiler upgrade scheme” as the centrepiece of his long-awaited Heat and Buildings Strategy. It will set a deadline to prohibit the installation of new gas boilers and instead encourage homeowners to switch to low-carbon alternatives before then . Boris Johnson will first hold a Cabinet “away day” in the South West on Friday to discuss the green agenda with his top team before making his announcement next week, possibly as early as Monday. He will also publish his net zero strategy, which will run to more than 100 pages, at the same time. It will set out a roadmap to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, covering green investment and jobs, as well as the shift to cleaner forms of transport, such as electric vehicles. Mr Johnson’s plan for boilers will seek …

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