20 Dec 2023
Water industry finances are under pressure again. Thames Water Last week, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee questioned Thames Water and Ofwat about the company’s financial situation. This included the nature of the recent £500m equity injection to Thames, its parent company’s ability to pay its debts, Ofwat’s new dividend lock-up powers and prospects […]
20 Dec 2023
The National Audit Office has published a new report looking at how well-prepared the country is for future extreme weather events. The report sets out how central government coordinates, leads, supports and assures local activity, but does not cover local responses, such as local response plans. It also does not cover arrangements in the devolved […]
20 Dec 2023
The government has said that a pilot project to replace gas with hydrogen in home heating in the village of Redcar in Yorkshire, will not go ahead as there is not enough adequate low carbon hydrogen available. The “hydrogen village” scheme had been expected to start in 2025, but the decision followed months of protests […]
20 Dec 2023
Defra and the Environment Agency have published new guidance on when to use hydrological and hydraulic modelling as part of a flood risk assessment for a planning application, and the expected standards. It includes modelling standards, information needs, methodologies, climate change allowances, impact on off-site flood risk, quality assurance, uncertainty, reporting and more.
20 Dec 2023
’30by30′ is a commitment in the Global Biodiversity Framework agreed at the COP15 biodiversity summit last December, whereby “30% of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and marine and coastal ecosystems are under effective restoration.” Defra has outlined its approach to how the target on land in England will be met. This includes a set […]
20 Dec 2023
A new independent expert report, developed with nature-based solutions Task Force 6, presents insights into the co-creation and co-governance of nature-based solutions across Europe. The report contains practical guidelines for researchers, practitioners and other experts who are researching, implementing or evaluating nature-based solutions.
13 Dec 2023
The fortnight-long talks in Dubai have concluded with limited progress, the headline being a deal that for the first time calls on all nations to transition away from fossil fuels to avert the worst effects of climate change. The agreement did not include an explicit commitment to phase out or even phase down fossil fuels. […]
13 Dec 2023
Nearly a quarter of the world’s freshwater fish are at risk of extinction due to global heating, overfishing and pollution, according to an expert assessment. From the large-toothed Lake Turkana robber in Kenya to the Mekong giant catfish in south-east Asia, many of the world’s freshwater fish are at risk of disappearing, the first International […]
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