Wales should lead the UK in bringing an end to the entire coal industry from opencast mining to highly polluting power stations, writes Gareth Clubb. A new report by Friends of the Earth Cymru shows the Aberthaw plant alone imposes social and environmental costs of nearly £1 billion per year on the country and global climate.
… From pit mines to power plants, Wales must lead the UK out of coal Gareth … Comment Fossil Fuels Coal Mining Pollution Wales UK Climate Change Politics Law aberthaw-cut.jpg Wales should lead the UK in bringing an end to …
This week the Welsh Assembly voted for a moratorium on fracking. But IGas company bosses insist that the Welsh Government is powerless to stop them pushing ahead with test drilling plans - as all the key decisions are made in Whitehall.
… Fracking company defies Wales's shale gas moratorium The Ecologist | … Planning Inspectorate for England and Wales. And as IGas helpfully points out, these … fracking." As Sion Chavez, editor of Daily Wales , points out, "It's a situation which …
A Friends of the Earth Cymru legal challenge to the Welsh Government's 'irrational' plan to drive a new branch of the M4 motorway across the highly protected Gwent Levels wetlands begins in the High Court today.
… The Ecologist | 10th March 2015 News UK Wales Law Transport Natural World … Gwent Levels, just south of Newport in South Wales. The new six-lane road, costed at £1 … its 14-mile path, ripping through one of Wales's most precious wildlife habitats. "This …
The fox-hunting season is now well under way, writes Toni Shephard. But with Cameron still pressing for a Commons vote on wrecking amendments to the Hunting Act, political controversy shows no sign of subsiding. Take, for example, the proposed lifting of the limit on number of dogs that can be used for the 'observation or study' of a wild mammal.
… weaken the Hunting Act in England and Wales under the guise of bringing parity with … gun in sight. With 300 hunts in England and Wales enforcement would be nearly impossible. … attempt to weaken the Act. The England and Wales legislation already contains one …
The Court of Appeal last month ruled that England's Badger cull is lawful despite the lack of independent supervision. But on the eve of a fresh Parliamentary debate, and with public opinion backing the badgers all the way, the Badger Trust is the clear winner where it really matters - in public hearts and minds.
… Cattle-based measures have halved bTB in Wales - so why not here? The poll also showed strong public support for Wales's strategy of TB reduction, based on … And all this is backed up by the situation in Wales, where they are beating the disease by …
The Scottish government has announced that its wild beaver populations will be given the full protection of both UK and EU law. The decision has been welcomed by campaigners who point out all the benefits of beavers to biodiversity, water management and flood control. Now, they say, England and Wales should follow suit.
… and flood control. Now, they say, England and Wales should follow suit. The Scottish … and manage beaver populations in England and Wales." 'Beavers promote biodiversity by … measures to protect beavers in England and Wales. …
New regulations that will allow fracking under national parks, water sources and nature sites won the approval of MPs today in a Commons vote, write Kyla Mandel & Oliver Tickell, even though four Tory MP's rebelled against the party whip. But the new rules won't apply in Wales and Scotland.
… party whip. But the new rules won't apply in Wales and Scotland. Fracking for shale gas … to vote. The new rules will not apply in Wales and Scotland as regulation of fracking … a formal moratorium on fracking in place and Wales has an effective moratorium with no …
The UK Government's policy is to frack at all costs, against public opinion and compelling evidence of environmental damage and poor returns, writes Paul Mobbs - a timely reminder that as far as the Government is concerned, it has a God-given right to rule over us, no matter what we think or want.
… three days I've been at the Frack Free South Wales gathering . In Wales I met a lot of people who, just a few …
At its Spring Conference in Harrogate yesterday the Green Party of England & Wales gave formal recognition to the Rights of Nature in an overwhelming vote, committing it to passing a new law to that effect at the earliest opportunity.
… yesterday the Green Party of England & Wales gave formal recognition to the Rights of … opportunity. The Green Party of England & Wales yesterday became the first UK-wide …
A successful, low-cost scheme in New South Wales to safeguard indigenous Australians in police custody is to lose federal funding, writes Eugene Schofield-Georgeson, even though it is demonstrably saving lives. Rather than cut funding, the government should be financing similar schemes across the country.
… A successful, low-cost scheme in New South Wales to safeguard indigenous Australians in … the Custody Notification Service in New South Wales through a funding cut on July 1 - for …
Breaking a clear pre-election promise, the government will allow fracking to take place in the UK's most precious wildlife sites and in vital groundwater source areas, writes Adam Vaughan.
… 8% of England and similar proportions of Wales and Scotland. Amber Rudd, the energy … 4,000 SSSIs in England, more than 1,000 in Wales and 1,425 in Scotland. They are …
A new study led by RSPB shows that more than half of Britain's most precious upland moors are suffering from burning - widely used to increase the numbers of red grouse available for recreational shooting.
… were mapped across Scotland, England and Wales, and revealed that burning occurred … and advice differs between England, Wales and Scotland, and the discrepancies …
As falling milk prices push dairy farm out of business, new mega-dairies and feedlot operations of 700 or more cows are filling the void, writes Andrew Wasley. Never mind the pollution, slurry lagoons, and heavy plant on country lanes - do we want the cows that produce our milk confined to sheds? And what's the future for traditional dairy farmers with small, well cared for herds?
… of such farms operating across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, … now stands at less than 10,000 in England and Wales with an average of one leaving the … facilities has not been without problems. In Wales, Cwrt Malle Farm, near the village of …
Britain's nuclear bomb test veterans suffered severe genetic damage from radiation, writes Chris Busby, and their case for compensation is being heard in the High Court today. Key to their case is evidence of similar damage inflicted on in utero babies exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster, and how the dreadful health impacts of radiation cascade down to future generations.
… radioactive rain in the mountains of North Wales, where I lived in 1986, that brought me … Russia, Hungary, Italy, the UK, Scotland, Wales, indeed everywhere where anyone looked. …
Will the UK keep Theresa May's promise to 'leave the environment in a better state than it found it' in the Brexit negotitions? Or is the government bent on the 'bonfire of red tape', including environmental protections, demanded by right-wing former and serving ministers? Viviane Gravey sets out four 'green lines' by which to judge the Brexiteers' true colours.
… implemented slightly differently in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Common … still exists: for example, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have banned their farmers …
With the deadline for EU countries who wish to ban genetically GM crops drawing near, writes Oliver Tickell, Poland is the latest to register with the European Commission to go GM-free. Now the division of the EU into pro and anti-GM zones may test the single market beyond its limits.
… Within the UK Scotland , Northern Ireland and Wales have also decided to prohibit the …
Beavers are Britain's native aquatic engineers and their return to sites in Scotland and England is doing wonders for the local environment, write Nigel Willby & Alan Law: restoring wetlands, recreating natural river dynamics and ecology, filtering farm pollutants from water, and improving habitat for trout and other fish.
… while there are also plans for a trial in mid-Wales . Should we let these beavers take up …
Since February 18, 2005 roughly 200,000 illegal hunting events undertaken by registered hunts may have taken place in the UK, writes Jordi Casamitjana. By engaging in fictitious 'trail hunting', they can chase foxes as before, and when they are killed, well, it was all a shocking 'accident'. It's high time to strengthen the law to ensure the spirit in which it was passed is fulfilled.
… 2004 finally came into force in England and Wales. And so hunting wild mammals with dogs …
The Government is struggling to spin its policy to fast track fracking, writes Paul Mobbs. So as it cuts the public out of the regulatory process, exempts exploratory wells from controls, and forces the Environment Agency to issue permits with 1-2 weeks, its spin machine has resorted to outright lies and misinformation to conceal the scale of the attack on our environmental rights.
… Agency (in England), Natural Resources Wales and the Scottish Environmental … permitting process in England (Scotland and Wales have yet to complete this process). This …
Following a disgraceful EU stitch-up, the European Parliament today passed a law permitting EU-wide GMO crop cultivation. With regulation and safeguards devolved to member states, and only limited 'opt-out' rights, it is a recipe for chaos that GM corporations will ruthlessly exploit.
… to give the go-ahead to more authorisations." Wales and Scotland have welcomed the …
Little publicised government plans to 'reform' court costs are intended to foreclose access to environmental justice for all but the wealthiest individuals and communities, writes Paul Mobbs. Meanwhile cuts to agencies and regulators will make it ever harder for them to do their jobs - making public participation in environmental protection all the more important.
… law cases before the courts in England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland are also …
The surprise removal of tax benefits for investors in community renewable energy schemes - effective from Monday - is unlawful and must be reversed, states a legal letter to the Treasury. But meanwhile, investments in the sector have hit record levels, with two days still to go.
… for example, the Awel Wind Coop in South Wales had raised £81,250. By 25th November it …
The Law Commission says the UK's wildlife agencies should be able to compel landowners to clear invasive exotic plants and animals from their land, or enter land and do it themselves.
… Natural England and Natural Resources Wales. Among the plants that may be subject to …
A new species of eco-lawyer is emerging from the legal undergrowth. James Thornton advocates a wig-and-gown approach so campaigners can strengthen their case against unethical corporations
… a charity under the laws of England and Wales. It’s the first environmental law group … ClientEarth. He is a solicitor of England and Wales and a member of the bar of New York and …