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United Kingdom: Government frees up fracking rules, despite 99 per cent opposition
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on September 26th, 2014
BusinessGreen: The government is pressing ahead with plans to allow shale gas companies to drill under people's homes without their consent, despite 99 per cent of respondents opposing the consultation proposals.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) yesterday confirmed it would change the trespass laws for shale and geothermal developers, arguing the controversial underground drilling access regulations were necessary to accelerate the shift to a low carbon economy.
According to the response...
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Poland looks to link with UK to protect shale gas market
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on November 27th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Poland is seeking to ally with the UK to defend its right to explore shale gas against any possible EU sanctions, as the two countries attempt to ease fears around water contamination caused by fracking.
The country's new environment minister, Maciej Grabowski, told the newspaper Dziennik Gazeta Prawna yesterday that his first priority would be to accelerate the extraction of shale gas, by passing a new bill to help potential investors jump environmental hurdles.
He replaces Marcin Korolec...
United Kingdom: National Trust: We’re still opposed to fracking… for now
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on October 24th, 2013
BusinessGreen: The National Trust been forced to deny a U-turn on fracking, after its director general said the conservation charity was not necessarily opposed to shale gas exploration on its land.
Dame Helen Ghosh told The Times that the Trust was keeping "an open mind" on whether to allow fracking on its land or support planning applications nearby.
The former Defra permanent secretary said it would need to wait until studies had determined the full environmental impact of fracking activity before making...
Scientists: cut carbon or face consequence
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on September 27th, 2013
BusinessGreen: The world must drastically slash its annual emissions of greenhouse gases if it has half a chance of limiting global warming to below 2ºC, scientists have today warned in a landmark report on climate change.
The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) today unveiled the first part of its fifth assessment (AR5), which says scientists are more convinced than ever that climate change is caused by human activity.
The Summary of the Report for Policy Makers was being...
United Kingdom: Agriculture market stoking £5trn asset bubble, study warns
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on August 9th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Investors are facing fresh calls to build up the resilience of their agricultural portfolios, after a major new report showed $8trn (£5.2trn) worth of farming assets could become uninsurable owing to environmental risks linked to climate change. The report, released today by the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, aims to show the scale of the asset bubble faced by the agricultural sector, which could leave huge levels of capital exposed to the physical and economic...
Indonesia: Samsung digs up controversial tin mine links
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on April 23rd, 2013
BusinessGreen: Samsung has pledged to clean up its act after admitting using tin from Indonesia that has almost certainly been extracted using dangerous and environmentally damaging mining techniques. The electronics giant has written to customers to confirm some of the tin it uses for manufacturing products does originate from the area near Bangka Island, which is believed to be killing coral reefs, driving away fish and destroying rainforests. The email comes after months of pressure from Friends of the Earth...
Northern Ireland launches plastic bag levy
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on April 7th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Retailers in Northern Ireland will today start charging at least five pence for each carrier bag handed out to customers, as part of a drive across the province to reduce plastic waste.
The Northern Ireland Executive has introduced the Carrier Bag Levy, in a move designed to significantly reduce the 250 million carrier bags distributed in the country each year.
Northern Ireland follows in the footsteps of Wales, which introduced a similar charge in 2011 and subsequently cut handouts of bags...
United Kingdom: Cuadrilla delays fracking plans until 2014
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on March 14th, 2013
BusinessGreen: Cuadrilla Resources' controversial plans to extract potentially huge reserves of shale gas from underneath Lancashire have been pushed back by at least year, after the company withdrew its original planning application over environmental concerns. Cuadrilla had initially hoped to restart test drilling for shale gas reserves this year, after fracking was deemed safe by the government late last year. A temporary ban had been imposed in 2011 following two small earthquakes near Blackpool that were...
What has Nature Ever Done for Us? The answer is a hell of a lot
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on January 14th, 2013
BusinessGreen: The word "nature" isn't usually written with a capital letter, but for the Prince of Wales' introduction to Tony Juniper's new book, "Nature" becomes a proper noun.
From the $3.7tr that could be saved through carbon capture by halving the deforestation rate, to the $81bn worth of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, What has Nature Ever Done for Us? vividly reminds readers about the economic value of our natural resources, and what we stand to lose by ignoring and eradicating them.
Published...
Scottish Parliament rejects Trump’s anti-wind farm campaign
Posted by BusinessGreen: Jessica Shankleman on November 23rd, 2012
BusinessGreen: Scottish MSPs have dismissed claims by US tycoon Donald Trump that wind farms will destroy the country's tourism industry, following an inquiry into Scotland's renewable energy targets.
The Scottish government's Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, today reported on their findings, concluding Scotland can feasibly deliver 100 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
However, the report argues the goal can only be met if the government and industry overcome a series of barriers...