News

• —26^th June 2008—
  A third of electricity to come from renewables.

• —18^th June 2008—
  Chip and Bin scheme axed.
  

• —13^th June 2008—
  Greater powers for tackling 'waste crime' proposed.
  

Environmental News - The Environment in your Pocket 2007

• The area of woodland in the UK has increased since the early 20th Century - approximately 5 per cent of the UK was covered by woodland in 1924: in 2006 almost 12 per cent of the UK was wooded.
• The long term central England temperature recordshows that eight out of the ten years warmest years have occurred since 1990 and that the period from May to September 2006 was warmer that any equivalent period since the central England record began in 1659;
• Total greenhouse gas emissions from the UK food chain are estimated to have been 116 million tonnes (CO2 equivalent) in 2004; over three-quarters of the emissions came from the food production and agriculture stages, the remainder came from net trade and household food use;
• Total emissions of particulates (PM10) to the air fell by 57 per cent (almost 200  thousand tonnes) between 1980 and 2005;
• In 2005/6 in the UK, the amount of household waste per person that was not recycled or composted was at its lowest level since estimates were first made in 1983/4 and just over a quarter of all household waste was recycled or composted;
• In 2004, 35 per cent of fish stocks around the UK were at full reproductive capacity and being harvested sustainably;
• In 2006, all but 2 of the 561 coastal bathing waters in the UK met the mandatory standards of the European Bathing Water Directive compared with two thirds of waters in 1988; over three quarters met the tougher guideline standards - one of the requirements for Blue Flag status - in 2006;
• Radioactive emissions to air in the UK fell by around 83 per cent between 1985 and 2005 and emissions to water fell by 87 per cent. At the same time, electricity production from nuclear sources increased by 40 per cent;