Climate

Many rivers in England contain a “chemical cocktail” of pollution which poses a risk to public health, according to a new parliamentary committee report.The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) raised concerns over sewage, agricultural waste and single-use plastic in the country’s waterways, saying this could harm swimmers and wildlife. It said England’s rivers were “in a mess” – and none had received a clean bill of health for chemical contamination. “Disturbing evidence suggests they are becoming breeding grounds for antimicrobial resistance,” the report said.Experts said it provided a “scathing snapshot” of the water quality of England’s rivers and the risks were being exacerbated by the climate crisis.Agricultural waste was the most common form of pollution stopping rivers from achieving good ecological status, while sewage was having the same effect on over a third of water bodies, the EAC report said.It also found a major source of plastic pollution in rivers were tiny particulates worn away from brakes and tyres that get wased into watercourses from busy roads.Single-use plastics were “clogging up” drains and sewage works, while water companies appeared to be dumping untreated or partially treated sewage in rivers “on a regular basis”, the report – published on Thursday – said.Bacteria found in sewage and animal slurry – that can end up in rivers – can make people ill, the EAC said. “Poor monitoring arrangements mean that river users cannot currently make informed decisions about when it is safe or not to use rivers,” it said.“The prevalence of plastic pollution, the prescence of persistent chemicals and spread of antimicrobial pathogens in rivers in England are all of grave concern.” Surfers Against Sewage told the EAC poor water quality was a public health issue, as it risked exposure to harmful viruses and antimicrobial resistant bacteria that could cause sickness and even long-term health effects.It was important for both public health and wildlife to clean up their waters, the report added.Philip Dunne, the Tory chair of the EAC, said: “Our inquiry has uncovered multiple failures in the monitoring, governance and enforcement on water quality.”“For too long, the government, regulators and the water industry have allowed a Victorian sewerage system to buckle under increasing pressure.”The report said the sewerage system was “overloaded and unable to cope with the increasing pressures of housing development, the impact of heavier rainfall and a profusion of plastic and other non-biodegradable waste clogging up the system”. Professor Rick Stafford, the chair of the British Ecological Society policy committee, said: “Sewage and agricultural waste not only cause disease, but disrupt the nutrient dynamics of rivers, causing excess algae and harming biodiversity.“Poor water quality can also greatly impact many charismatic river species, including salmon and otters, which have only recently recovered in many UK rivers.”The EAC report said the build-up of excess nutrients from animal waste and sewage was reducing oxygen levels in rivers – which can cause fish to die.Professor Hannah Cloke from the University of Reading said the report gave “a scathing snapshot of the state of the water quality in England’s rivers”.The hydrology professor said she was “appalled that we have reached a point where every single river in the country is considered dangerously polluted by chemicals”. Last year, another report said England’s rivers, lakes and streams had some of the lowest water quality in Europe and warned the climate crisis was worsening conditions.In response to the EAC report, Professor Nigel Watson from the Lancaster Environment Centre said: “The risks to public health and to wildlife from poor water quality are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. “Discharges of untreated sewage have become increasingly commonplace as a result of more frequent intense rainfall and storm events, despite those discharges only being permitted by law in exceptional circumstances.”Rebecca Pow, the environment minister, said the report highlighted “many areas” being tackled by the government, who she claimed was going “further and faster” than any others to protect and enhance the health of rivers.“Our Environment Act puts in place more protections against water pollution than ever before and we are the first government to instruct water companies to take steps to significantly reduce storm overflows, which we have also put into law,” she said, adding the government would take action against water companies failing to reduce pollution. More

Some of the UK’s largest conservation charities have written to Boris Johnson urging him to make New Year’s resolutions to tackle the crises facing nature and the climate.The National Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust and the Wildlife Trusts are calling for urgent action including protecting peatlands, paying farmers to restore nature, and taking steps to preserve the oceans.Warning of a “huge gulf between rhetoric and reality” in the government’s approach to tackling climate change, they said the momentum gained in November’s Cop26 talks in Glasgow must not be lost.The charities’ leaders are asking the government to make seven promises: Restore peatlands more quickly and ban burning of upland peatUrgently bring forward the long-promised ban on the use of peat for horticultural purposesEmbed climate and nature objectives in agricultural support schemesEnsure that the UK’s protected sites network is big enough and managed so that it protects habitats, species, environments and the carbon stored in themIncrease protection for the marine environment to harness its carbon-storing potentialRaise targets for tree cover in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change CommitteeMake it obligatory for climate risks and hazards to be taken into account in all public decision-makingThe eco charities also want farmers to be paid for taking action to tackle the nature and climate crises.It’s claimed that these pledges would ensure the government can reach net zero carbon emissions and halt the catastrophic decline in nature.Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said: “2022 needs to be the year when the government steps up with renewed commitments and investment.“There’s still a huge gulf between rhetoric and reality to tackle climate change.“We urgently need to cut carbon emissions deeper and faster, and ensure nature recovers across 30 per cent of land and sea by the end of the decade.“The UK needs to ban new coal mines, set an end date for oil and gas exploration and production, put greater investment in nature restoration, and ensure agricultural and fishing industries are supported so that they can help solve – rather than worsen – the nature and climate crises.”Last month the government announced a consultation on a ban on the sale of peat for use in domestic horticulture in England and Wales from 2024, and for professional use by 2028.And a year ago ministers unveiled a partial ban on the burning of grouse moor peatlands in England. They have also promised eco-incentives for farmers in a new “agricultural roadmap” along with a major tree-planting push. But the letter urges them to go further and more quickly, saying: “November 2021 was a key moment in the global effort to keep 1.5 degrees alive, and an opportunity to set the bar higher in terms of recognising the vital importance of nature for addressing and adapting to climate change.”Beccy Speight, chief executive of the RSPB, said two-thirds of the UK’s high-carbon, wildlife-rich places were unprotected and slowly being destroyed, adding: “The UK government needs to turn its rhetoric on the global stage into reality for our countryside.”A government spokesperson said: “We are absolutely committed to tackling climate change, with the UK having cut emissions faster than any G7 country over the past three decades.“We are taking action to limit rising temperatures with new pledges to cut carbon and methane emissions, end deforestation, phase out coal, and provide more finance to countries most vulnerable to climate change.“Our Sustainable Farming Incentive will reward farmers and land managers for using more environmentally friendly farming practices. We are also consulting on plans to phase out the use of peat in the horticulture sector, and are promoting sustainable management practices on all peat habitats.” More

A plan by Boris Johnson’s government to change the regulation of chemicals after Brexit risks making the UK a “dumping ground” for harmful substances, experts and campaigners have warned.Environmentalists responded with alarm to the government’s policy paper setting out how the UK’s new, post-Brexit chemical safety regime will diverge from the EU’s REACH system.It showed that of ten potentially hazardous chemicals added to Brussels’ list of “substances of very high concern” this year, only four would be added to the UK’s list.Zoe Avison, policy analyst at the Green Alliance campaign group, warned that the government’s proposals “will almost certainly see hazardous substances falling through the cracks”.On Thursday, the Green Alliance wrote to MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and the Environmental Audit Committee urging them to “urgently investigate” the government’s plan.Campaigners told The Independent in March about the risk the UK could be a “dumping ground” for dangerous substances after Mr Johnson ditched Theresa May’s plan for “associate membership” of EU agencies, including the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and its database known as REACH.Thalie Martini, chief executive of Breast Cancer UK, said the published proposals amounted to a “major weakening” of safety regulation – warning that the British public would be less well-protected from chemicals linked to breast cancer than before Brexit.She said that the proposed system “lacks public scrutiny, undermines the consumer’s right to know and could lead to years of regulatory delays that result in the UK becoming a dumping ground for hazardous chemicals”.Experts are worried that the government proposals will see a new UK regulator relying on voluntary data submitted by chemical companies to assess the level of risk, and will be slower to take action against them.Dr Michael Warhurst, executive director of CHEM Trust, said the government was putting in “unnecessary layers of information requirements” from firms – warning that it will lead to “regulatory inaction on a range of harmful substances”.The expert added: “This will open the door to consumers and the environment having greater exposure to harmful chemicals than in the EU, and a second-rate system for regulating chemicals post-Brexit.”A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) denied the new regime could put consumers or the environment at risk.They said: “We are committed to maintaining an effective regulatory system for the management and control of chemicals, which safeguards human health and the environment and can respond to emerging risks.”The spokesperson added: “We have published our interim approach to the Candidate List in UK REACH. This approach aims to ensure we have a single, coherent approach to nominating substances for the Candidate List in UK REACH.”In October, the government bowed to pressure to introduce tougher action against water companies dumping untreated sewage following outrage over plans to weaken legislation aimed at protecting Britain’s rivers and seas. More

Shell has scrapped its plans to develop the Cambo North Sea oilfield, throwing the future of the controversial project firmly opposed by climate activists into doubt.The oil giant said it had concluded the economic case for investment in the project off the Shetland Isles is “not strong enough” and also cited the potential for delays in a surprise statement on Thursday.Private equity-backed energy firm Siccar Point – which owns a majority stake in the field – confirmed that Shell had “taken the decision to not progress its investment at this stage”.The Cambo project has been at the centre of political debate on whether the UK should develop new fossil fuel resources, as Boris Johnson’s government seeks to cut carbon emissions to meet net zero targets in the decades ahead.While Shell’s move to pull out does not necessarily mean the end of oil development in the field off the coat of Shetland, Greenpeace hailed the news as a potential “deathblow” for the project.Philip Evans, oil campaigner at the environmental campaign group, said: “This really should be the deathblow for Cambo. With yet another key player turning its back on the scheme the government is cutting an increasingly lonely figure with their continued support for the oil field.”Calling on the UK government to reject the drilling license, the Greenpeace campaigner added: “Anything else would be a disaster for our climate and would leave the UK consumer vulnerable to volatile fossil fuel markets.”Shell has owned 30 per cent in the Cambo project, while Siccar Point, which operates it, holds the remaining 70 per cent. “Cambo remains critical to the UK’s energy security and economy,” Siccar Point’s chief executive, Jonathan Roger, said in a statement.“While we are disappointed at Shell’s change of position … we will continue to engage with the UK government and wider stakeholders on the future development of Cambo,” he added.Despite Siccar Point’s insistence that the project could still go ahead, Labour said it was a “significant moment in the fight against the Cambo oil field”.Ed Miliband, shadow secretary for climate change, said: “It makes no environmental sense and now Shell are accepting it doesn’t make economic sense.”Urging the government to reject drilling license, the Labour frontbencher said: “Shell have woken up to the fact that Cambo is the wrong choice. It’s long past time for the government to do so.”Mr Miliband added: “Ploughing on with business as usual on fossil fuels will kill off our chances of keeping 1.5 degrees alive and carries huge risks for investors as it is simply an unsustainable choice.”Mr Johnson and his ministers have faced intense pressure to rule out support for the planned Cambo development. If approved, the project would produce up to 170 million barrels of oil between 2025 and 2050.If the Cambo license is approved by the UK’s Oil and Gas Authority, drilling could start as early as next year. Mr Johnson’s Scottish secretary Alister Jack recently told the BBC we should “100 per cent we should open the Cambo oil field”.Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has also come under to pressure to oppose the fossil fuel project, although she has pointed out that the decision on licenses sits with UK authorities.Having previously only called for the drilling application to be “reassessed”, the SNP leader made clear last month that she believed the proposed oil field off Shetland “should not get the green light”. More

Climate agreements reached in Glasgow this month could come under legal attack from polluting multinationals unless the UK takes urgent action to reform global trade rules at an upcoming summit, ministers have been warned.A coalition of environmental campaign groups, development charities and unions are urging the government to use its clout as host of the Cop26 climate change summit to drive through change at next week’s crucial World Trade Organisation meeting.The UK must use its “unique opportunity” to take bold action to align world trade rules with the internationally-agreed imperative to keep global warming beneath 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the group said.In a letter to Cop26 president Alok Sharma and international trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, seen by The Independent, they called on the UK to put pressure on the WTO to agree a “climate waiver” which would prohibit countries from using the global body to challenge one another’s climate policies.Rules should be changed to ensure they do not “slow down, constrict, raise the cost of or otherwise interfere with climate action”, the letter said.Current WTO rules can deter countries from introducing measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because of fear of costly arbitration of cases brought by companies which lose out from the change.The letter highlighted the case of the Netherlands being sued by energy company RWE over efforts to phase out coal-fired power stations.And it warned that the UK could face similar action from investors with a stake in around £120bn worth of fossil fuel infrastructure.The EU has previously been challenged at the WTO on competition ground by China over its renewable energy schemes.And Indonesia and Malaysia recently launched a challenge to EU policy on limiting the proportion of palm oil – seen as a major cause of deforestation – in biofuels.Malaysia – a leading voice in the CPTPP Pacific trade partnership which Britain is seeking to join – has said that the UK would have to revise its approach to palm oil to get a trade deal.Meanwhile, a possible ministerial statement on trade and the environment expected to be agreed at the WTO’s MC12 summit in Geneva is thought unlikely to commit members to any binding action. And a UK-backed fossil fuel subsidy statement appears to be limited to an agreement on “capacity-building and exchange of information and experience”.And WTO rules can hamper the transfer of climate change technology to developing countries while fostering increases in unsustainable production and deforestation.“International trade rules are standing in the way of action on climate change,” warned the letter, signed by 12 groups including the Trade Justice Movement, Friends of the Earth, Traidcraft, Global Justice Now and Unison.“Whilst making some important steps in the right direction, the climate conference did not live up to expectations. Extreme weather events are already devastating communities around the world, and the risk of catastrophic climate change is growing. We must use all the tools available to stand the best chance of averting this.”Calling on Ms Trevelyan and Mr Sharma publicly to confirm the UK’s commitment to ensuring trade will be aligned with climate goals, the letter said: “Your government has a unique opportunity to take bold action on trade policy.”Trade Justice Movement senior adviser Ruth Bergan told The Independent: “The problem with the environment initiatives at the WTO is that most of them are not binding, and currently appear to be mostly talks about setting up talks about cooperation and information exchange.“There is little evidence that they are looking in depth at WTO rules and considering how best they could be rewritten to be aligned with climate goals, at a pace that is commensurate to the challenge we face.”The Glasgow summit accepted the United Nations assessment that a “very rapid” phase-out of fossil fuels is needed, with emissions slashed by 45 per cent by 2030 and net zero achieved by around the middle of the century, said Ms Bergan.And she added: “The WTO needs to send a clear signal that it won’t stand in the way of measures to achieve this.“The phase-out comes hand in hand with a need to quickly build up renewable energy infrastructure, yet governments across the world have faced WTO challenges when they have tried to do this.“Technology transfer will be key to allowing countries to adopt new climate-friendly means of production but the WTO currently favours long patent terms that can prevent this from happening.“The UK is in a unique position to do something about this. The ministerial meeting starting next week will be its first as an independent member and it holds the COP presidency until the end of 2022.“We should use this moment to generate much more collaboration on and urgency regarding the need for the trade regime to properly align with climate goals. Voluntary, non-binding statements are simply not enough. At minimum, the UK should call for a moratorium on WTO challenges to climate measures.”A government spokesperson said: “The UK is a global leader in environment and climate change and was the first major economy to pass new laws for net zero emissions by 2050. Tackling climate change is the government’s top international priority, and trade is part of the solution.“Change at the multilateral level requires consensus, and that is why the UK is using our platform as president of Cop26 and voice at the WTO to push for ambitious international action at MC12 and beyond, promoting trade and investment that will help protect the planet for generations to come.” More

Boris Johnson has defended the pact agreed at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow following a furious backlash from campaigners and vulnerable countries appalled by the “weak” and watered-down deal.The prime minister hailed the agreement, and dismissed criticism over the dramatic change, forced by India and China, that meant that the commitment was to “phase down” rather than “phase out” coal power.Mr Johnson insisted that the Glasgow Climate Pact “sounded the death knell for coal power” and claimed that it didn’t matter that the wording of the agreement had been changed at the last minute.“Whether the language is ‘phase down’ or ‘phase out’ doesn’t seem to me, as a speaker of English, to make that much of a difference – the direction of travel is pretty much the same,” he told a Downing Street press conference on Sunday.Mr Johnson welcomed the outcome of the Cop26 conference, describing the agreement as “game-changing” – but admitted that his own feelings at the end of the summit were “tinged with disappointment”.In a pointed message to China and India, he said: “We can lobby, we can cajole, we can encourage, but we cannot force sovereign nations to do what they do not wish to do. It’s ultimately their decision to make and they must stand by it.”Cop26 president Alok Sharma denied climate campaigners’ claims that the pact agreed by world leaders was a failure, and defended the commitment to reduce coal dependence. But he also sought to push the blame for the weakened language onto India and China.“This is the first time we have got language about coal in these [Cop] agreements – that really is historic,” he said. “That means countries have to collectively reduce their use of coal. In terms of China and India, they will have to explain themselves to developing countries.”Many of the poorer countries most vulnerable to climate change were angered over the behind-the-scenes change, and that a proposed funding deal to pay for loss and damage from extreme weather events was kicked into the long grass.The final agreement was condemned as “an utter betrayal” by the Cop26 coalition, an international group of environmental organisations. Spokesperson Asad Rehman attacked the UK government’s “greenwash and PR”, adding: “This Cop has failed to keep 1.5C alive.”Activist Greta Thunberg dismissed the Cop26 climate summit as more “blah, blah, blah” that would fail to see the “immediate” and “drastic” emissions cut needed. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai also said that the Cop26 summit had not lived up to campaigners’ expectations.Shauna Aminath, the Maldives’ environment minister, said: “We are deeply disappointed with the outcome in here. There’s a lot of work for us to do because really the difference between 1.5C and 2C for us is a death sentence. Our islands are eroding.”The UN’s climate change chief Patricia Espinosa called the pact a “good compromise” and said the goal of limiting temperature rises to 1.5C was “definitely alive” after Glasgow. “I think this is a very positive result in the sense that it gives us very clear guidance on what we need to do in the coming years,” she said.But the UN conceded that the deal had failed to achieve the goals of cutting world carbon dioxide emissions by about half, or of making good on a 12-year-old promise for $100bn a year of support for developing countries.The US climate envoy, John Kerry, also focused on progress, arguing that the summit had been a success despite the “imperfect” pact. “We are in fact closer than we have ever been before to avoiding climate chaos and securing cleaner air, safer water and a healthier planet,” said the Biden administration official.Labour said the target of keeping global warming within 1.5C was in “intensive care” following the agreement reached by world leaders at the end of the Glasgow conference.The opposition accused Mr Johnson of leaving the Cop26 president in a weakened position at the summit because of the UK government’s own overseas aid budget cut and the failure to stop fossil-fuel projects across Britain.Writing for The Independent, shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband said the government must “learn the lessons of what we didn’t succeed in doing in Glasgow”. He added: “It’s time finally to say no to the proposed new coal mine in Cumbria and end the plan for the new Cambo oil field [in Shetland].”Chris Stark, head of the government’s independent advisory body the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said that both the UK and Scottish governments should now set a timetable for ending oil and gas exploration.“It’s clearly useful and helpful to name a date, and then build the public support for that date behind it, and crucially get commercial response that’s behind it,” he told The Herald on Sunday.After a fortnight of negotiations in Glasgow, the Cop26 conference saw a series of deals by countries and businesses on cutting methane emissions, curbing deforestation, switching to electric cars, and driving investment in clean technology, as well as phasing out coal power.Top climate scientist Michael Mann warned against despondency among activists and policymakers after the summit. He tweeted: “Real progress was made [at Cop26], but much more work to be done.” More

Cop26 president Alok Sharma has denied the climate pact agreed by world leaders was a failure and defended the “historic” language on a commitment to reduce coal dependence.In a dramatic last-minute intervention at the Glasgow summit, India and China were able to change the wording of the final deal so coal power generation would be “phased down” rather than “phased out”.Mr Sharma – who appeared to break down briefly as he apologised to delegates and campaigners for the late change – claimed on Sunday that the weakened deal still represented progress.“This is the first time ever that we have got language about coal in a Cop decision – I think that is absolutely historic,” the UK minister told BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show.Asked if the pact amounted to a failure to meet ambitions, Mr Sharma said: “I wouldn’t described what we did yesterday as a failure. It’s a historic achievement. We kept 1.5 in reach.”Asked about his emotional apology in Glasgow, Mr Sharma said: “On a personal level, I have invested enormous amounts of the last two years into this … I’d had about six hours sleep in 72 hours previously, so it was an emotional moment.”However, the Cop26 president did condemn China and India – saying they would have to “explain themselves” to countries most at risk from the climate emergency.Mr Sharma said: “There were certain countries that did not want coal language in this compact. We had interventions from China and India in terms of changing the wording … China and India are going to explain themselves to the most climate vulnerable countries in the world.”Defending his role in the late, behind-the-scenes language change on coal, Mr Sharma explained: “My job was to build consensus. At the end of the day, the reason we were able to get this over the line is because over two years my team and I have built trust among countries around the world.”Meanwhile, many of the countries most vulnerable to climate were angry that a proposed funding facility to pay for loss and damage from extreme weather events floods was kicked into the long grass.UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said the “compromise” deal had failed to achieve many of the Cop26 goals – including ending fossil fuel subsidies, putting a price on carbon, and making good on a long-standing promise for $100bn a year of support for developing countries.“Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread,” said Mr Guterres following the end of the summit. “We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe.”But Mr Sharma insisted the final pact was “historic” and said the Glasgow climate summit had achieved its goal of keeping global warming within 1.5C “within reach”.“I can tell you that I have had lots of messages since last night from ministers in many of those [climate vulnerable] countries, thanking us for what the UK has done,” he told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme. “For the fact we’ve closed off the Paris rulebook, for the fact that there is more money on the table to support them,” he added.“This is a start. We’ve got one year of our presidency, we need to make it count and that means we need to hold countries to account for the commitments that we were made and those commitments have to be translated into action.”The UN’s climate change chief Patricia Espinosa said on Sunday that 1.5C target was still “definitely alive” after the conference in Glasgow.She told the BBC: “We are very far from that goal, but we did manage to get together this big package of different decisions that … gives us very, very specific direction on what we need to work on in order to get there.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the two-week summit was a “missed opportunity”, claiming the prime minister was partly to blame for its limited achievements.Mr Johnson and Mr Sharma will be grilled over the climate deal agreed in Glasgow at a press conference later on Sunday. The pair will be answering questions about the global pact at Downing Street at 5pm. More