Environment News

2004-03-30T11:23:00.000+01:00

'Dead zones' in world's oceans are growing
The Independent (UK)
Marine "dead zones" - oxygen-starved areas of the oceans that are devoid of fish - are one of the greatest environmental problems facing the world, UN scientists warned yesterday.

Prescott urges cash boost for housing
The Guardian (UK)
John Prescott is pressing the chancellor for billions more in the forthcoming three-year spending review for a big housing programme.

Islanders offered £20 to save hedgehogs from extermination
The Independent (UK)
Hedgehogs facing government-controlled extermination on the Outer Hebrides could win a last-minute reprieve because of £20 bounties being offered to islanders for each animal snatched from death.

Warning over new housing policy
BBC (UK)
The Scottish Executive's commitment to tackle a shortage of affordable rural housing does not go far enough, the Chartered Institute of Housing warned.

Farmhouse lobby calls summit to talk up great outdoors
The Herald (UK)
Research into the impact of country sports on Scotland's economy is piecemeal, fragmented, politicised and often out of date, the Scottish Countryside Alliance said yesterday.

Britain may miss target on disposal of batteries
The Independent (UK)
Britain is in danger of missing a European Union target on the safe disposal of batteries and is throwing away so many that in their active state they would power a torch for more than a million years.

New ideas required to keep North Sea oil gushing
The Guardian (UK)
Urgent action is needed to prevent a slump in North Sea oil production as big companies switch investment in exploration to rival fields around the world, according to a report out today.

Plea over missing whale bones
BBC (UK)
Zoologists are seeking the public's help as they try to discover how two jawbones disappeared from a 56ft whale washed ashore on an island.

EU debates ways to handle stocks of toxic mercury
Reuters (UK)
The European Union, the world's top supplier of mercury, needs a strategy to cope with a huge stockpile of the highly toxic metal as its main industrial use slowly vanishes, the EU's environment chief said on Monday.

Italy villages fight for life
BBC (UK)
Perched on a hilltop in the glorious March sunshine, Vallinfreda, to the east of Rome, is a perfect example of picture postcard Italy.

Burma creates huge tiger reserve
BBC (UK)
The Burmese government has given the go-ahead for the creation of the world's largest tiger reserve.

Ancient apple orchards face bonfire
The Guardian (UK)
Growers plan to dig up rural treasures as payment scheme removes incentives.

Kenyan wins $100,000 for tree plantings in Africa
Reuters (UK)
Kenya's assistant environment minister won a $100,000 prize Monday for leading a campaign to combat deforestation by planting more than 25 million trees across Africa.

Two year extension in funding for community forests
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (United Kingdom)
Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael today announced an extra two years of funding for Community Forests.

Environmental conditions for farm payments unveiled
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (United Kingdom)
Proposals for more environmentally sensitive and sustainable farming under a simpler, less bureaucratic system of support in England are published today by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Rural funding streams: a new website
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
Defra wants to hear from people who are close to the ground - in local communities, in voluntary groups, from farmers and businesses and local councils - with ideas on how to simplify access to cash and grants.

2004-03-29T16:40:00.000+01:00

Revealed: UK zoos caught in rare wildlife trade with dealer
The Observer (UK)
British zoos are trading in some of the world's most endangered species with a controversial wildlife dealer who has been condemned by European animal welfare groups.

HMS 'Scylla' is sunk to create Europe's first artificial reef
The Independent (UK)
A grey ship on a calm grey sea against a grey sky would not ordinarily attract much attention. The monochrome setting off south-east Cornwall, however, was deceptive camouflaging as it hid one of the most historic and unusual maritime events to take place in UK waters: the creation of Europe's first artificial reef.

British warship sunk to make a home for sea life
Reuters (UK)
A decommissioned Royal Navy warship was sunk by controlled explosions off the coast of southwest England on Saturday to create Britain's first artificial diving reef.

Chicken factories accused of relabelling old meat for supermarkets
The Independent (UK)
An investigation has been launched by the Food Standards Agency into claims that three-week-old raw chicken may end up in supermarkets.

20-day-old chicken sold as 'fresh' in supermarkets
The Scotsman (UK)
Chicken labelled fresh and on sale in the country’s leading supermarkets could be up to three weeks old by the time it is bought, leading to a greater risk of bacteria, it has been claimed.

Lost UK butterfly thriving again
BBC (UK
The large blue butterfly, which went extinct in the UK in 1979, is making a dramatic comeback after the species was reintroduced by conservationists.

Uranium pond at Sellafield sparks court threat by EU
The Sunday Herald (UK)
The European Commission is threatening to take the British government to court for failing to account for hundreds of tonnes of dangerous radioactive waste at the Sellafield nuclear complex.

Poisoners sought after birds of prey found dead
The Herald (UK)
The remains of 25 protected birds of prey have been found on a country estate in what conservationists yesterday described as one of Scotland's worst wildlife crimes.

World getting 'literally greener'
BBC (UK)
The world seems to have begun to turn greener, in the strictly literal sense, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

Global warming spirals upwards
The Independent (UK)
Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have jumped abruptly, raising fears that global warming may be accelerating out of control.

Greenhouse gas output still growing

The Herald (UK)
Carbon emissions went up by 1.5% between 2002 and 2003, despite government efforts to cut levels of the gases blamed for global warming.

Soya-powered planes promise greener air travel
New Scientist (UK)
Soya oil is just the thing to give aviation fuel a greener future, believe a group of US biochemists.

Chemical industry urges Government action
Environment Times (UK)
The Chemical Industries Association (CIA) has highlighted the growing gap between the UK and other EU member states in the National Allocation Plans for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

New laws will fail to protect dolphins from net deaths
Greenpeace (UK)
Governments from around Europe have failed to agree laws that would give dolphins and porpoises adequate protection from drowning in fishing nets.

EU member states urged to reject genetically modified rice
Greenpeace (UK)
European governments are being urged to reject a genetically modified (GM) rice in order to prevent control of the world's most important staple food falling into the hands of multinational companies.

2004-03-25T00:04:00.000Z

BBC wildlife magazine editor quits in dumbing-down row
The Independent (UK)
The BBC was accused of sacrificing quality for cost-cutting yesterday after the resignation of the editor of one of its specialist magazines.

Sea change for tidal power
Nature (UK)
A British company has invented a simple tidal power system that is relatively easy to install and has little impact on its environment.

Gorilla study gives social clues
BBC (UK)
The western gorilla lives peacefully in human-like social groups, a study shows.

2004-03-24T23:23:00.000Z

Fresh fear over Scottish salmon
The Herald (UK)
Scientists who raised the alarm over Scottich farmed salmon earlier this year now claim that high level of cancer-causing chemicals, used as flame retardants, are also found in the fish.

Scottish reef wins EU protection
BBC (UK)
A unique area of cold water coral reefs off the north west coast of Scotland has been given permanent protection by EU fisheries ministers.

Fresh hope on haddock deal averts conflict with skippers
The Scotsman (UK)
Scottish skippers last night drew back from the threat of direct confrontation with the government after being offered fresh hope of a new deal on haddock quotas.

Fishing fleet set to win a u-turn
Daily Record (UK)
Scots fishermen believe they have won a U-turn over crippling Euro rules.

Planning system ‘lets developers break environmental promises’
The Sunday Herald (UK)
Developers across Scotland are getting away with breaking planning promises because local authorities are failing to check up on them.

Car makers secretly lobby EC to reduce air-pollution targets
The Sunday Herald (UK)
All major car manufacturers are secretly lobbying the European Commission (EC) to relax its target for cutting climate-wrecking pollution from exhausts, a leaked document has revealed.

2004-03-22T19:45:00.000Z

Rescuers struggle to free whale
BBC (UK)
Rescuers have failed in their latest attempt to rescue a 36-feet-long whale stranded off the Lincolnshire coast.

Back to the table for farm trade talks
BBC (UK)
It is six months since the World Trade Organisation meeting in Cancun in Mexico

Byers heads climate change task force
AOL News - UK (UK)
A new international task force aimed at tackling climate change is being launched.

Oceans need protection, MPs urge
BBC (UK)
Urgent government action is needed to protect the sea's environment, an all party committee of MPs has said.

Ministers 'failing to protect Britain's marine habitats'
The Independent (UK)
Rare sea life and ocean habitats around the British Isles are being destroyed because ministers are failing to protect the marine environment, an all-party committee of MPs has warned.

Coke recalls Dasani
Edinburgh Evening News (UK)
COCA-COLA is recalling its entire UK supply of bottled water Dasani.

EU eyes ending tobacco subsidies
BBC (UK)
European Union agriculture ministers are opening talks on plans to phase out subsidies to farmers growing tobacco.

Bushmeat trade spreads new virus
SciDev.net (UK)
The practice of hunting and eating bushmeat in Central Africa is infecting people with a new virus. While it has not caused illness, it has spread — and scientists are watching carefully.

Leaders debate global policies
BBC (UK)
The forward-thinking policies of the Welsh assembly will be outlined to hundreds of delegates at a high profile conference in Cardiff later.

Timely reminder on waste
Belfast Telegraph (UK)
Banbridge District Council has launched a new 2004 to 2005 Waste Collection calendar and Recycling Guilde which will be distributed to all households within the district.

''Extinct'' bird storms back
Belfast Telegraph (UK)
An ornithologist from Northern Ireland has been involved in the discovery of an ''extinct'' bird not seen for over 150 years and thought to be as dead as the proverbial Dodo.

London''s air a concern for Lib Dems
This is London (UK)
Levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air have risen dramatically in the capital - threatening an increase in asthma and lung damage, it has been claimed.

Bardsey celebrates another milestone
Countryside Council for Wales (UK)
Bardsey Island comes of age on March 24 as it celebrates 18 years as a National Nature Reserve providing a peaceful sanctuary for birds, marine animals and plants.

10 years of bus in the North York Moors
ANPA - Association of National Park Authorities (UK)
The North York Moors' highly-acclaimed Daffodil bus service is back on the road for the tenth year.

Spring clean for Gelligaer and Merthyr Common
Environment Agency (UK)
The first stage of a project to remove more than 100 tonnes of illegally tipped household rubbish, builders rubble, highly flammable gas bottles, drums, scrap car parts, tyres and hazardous wastes is due to start on 23 March 2004.

Green road driving plans not enough
ANPA - Association of National Park Authorities (UK)
Government proposals to tackle the problem of motorbikes and 4x4 vehicles in the countryside might have little impact in the Lake District National Park.

Joint approach to new access responsibilities
ANPA - Association of National Park Authorities (UK)
A joint working arrangement between the Lake District National Park Authority and Cumbria County Council is planned to ensure that the provisions of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) are implemented consistently throughout Cumbria.

2004-03-19T19:34:00.000Z

UK wildlife 'heading into crisis'
BBC (UK)
Two new studies of UK wildlife provide alarming evidence that many animal and plant species in Britain are in sharp decline due to human activity.

Disappearing butterflies may be signs of mass extinction
The Independent (UK)
A milestone study of British birds, butterflies and wild flowers has revealed the strongest evidence yet that we are on the verge of a mass extinction of global wildlife - the sixth mass extinction in the history of life on Earth.

Loss of birds and butterflies may be sign of global extinction
International Herald Tribune Europe (UK)
A detailed survey of birds and butterflies in Britain shows a population decline of 54 percent to 71 percent, a finding that suggests the world may be undergoing another major extinction.

Earth faces sixth mass extinction
New Scientist (UK)
The Earth may be on the brink of a sixth mass extinction on a par with the five others that have punctuated its history, suggests the strongest evidence yet.

Insect deaths add to extinction fears
Nature (UK)
Ecologists have unveiled strong evidence that huge numbers of the world's species are disappearing

Fresh studies support new mass extinction theory
Reuters (UK)
Fears that the earth is undergoing a mass species wipe-out similar to that which destroyed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago gained new ground on Thursday with the publication of two British studies.

Activists in raid to disrupt trade in rainforest timber
The Guardian (UK)
Illegal logging in Indonesia is driving tigers and orang-utans to the edge of extinction while EU governments do little to stop it.

Much ado about almost nothing
The Economist (UK)
The public outcry over genetically modified foods offers several lessons for those working and investing in nanotechnology.

Assembly springs to Welsh Garden's aid
The Guardian (UK)
A lifeline has been thrown to the National Botanic Garden of Wales, which has been facing closure since December.

Dounreay clean-up draws world interest
The Herald (UK)
The world's largest plant for the destruction of liquid metal has begun full operation at Dounreay at a cost of £17m and is attracting close interest from the international nuclear community.

Defra confirms Brucellosis on farm in Cornwall
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
Defra has imposed movement restrictions on seven neighbouring livestock holdings in South East Cornwall following an outbreak of brucellosis in a beef suckler herd.

Wave buoys network and database will help flood forecasters
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
Wave-measuring buoys which could help warn of an impending flood have been strategically placed around the UK coastline as part of a three-year monitoring project, Environment Minister Elliot Morley has announced.

GM crops: Single vote majority is ''No Clear Mandate''
Friends of the Earth- Scotland (UK)
Friends of the Earth Scotland responds to the debate in the Scottish Parliament in which the vote that would have prevented GM maize from being grown anywhere in the UK was lost by a single vote (59 votes to 60 votes).

Greenpeace calls on government to seize rainforest shipment
Greenpeace (UK)
Greenpeace is demanding that the UK Government seizes a huge cargo of illegal timber from Indonesia''s rainforests, where logging is threatening the survival of orang-utans and tigers.

Doorstep Recycling getting better, but still a long way to go
Friends of the Earth- England, Wales and N.Ireland. (UK)
Friends of the Earth''s survey is the first time that data has been gathered from all local collection authorities on the scale and type of recycling doorstep collections offered in England.

2004-03-11T11:53:00.000Z

Scientist urges US climate help
BBC (UK)
The US will have to help combat climate change if extreme weather events are to be avoided, the government's chief scientist has warned

Cultivating an ethical flower trade
BBC (UK)
A new fair trade system for flowers is due to begin later this year

Greenhouse gases threaten tree species in the Amazon
The Independent (UK)
Pristine parts of the Amazon rainforest that were thought to have escaped the effects of human encroachment have changed dramatically over the past 20 years, scientists have determined

Thirteen dams threatens China's 'Grand Canyon'
International Herald Tribune Europe (UK)
The highest villages in the mountains above the Nu River seem to hang in the air. Farmers grow cabbage and corn nearly a half kilometer up, as if cultivating ski slopes

African lions under threat from Aids
ITV (UK)
The decline in Africa's lion population has traditionally been blamed on hunting and loss of natural habitat, but scientists now believe they are also falling victim to a form of Aids

UK gardeners hear buzz of early spring
The Herald (UK)
Bumblebees are buzzing, daffodils are blooming and frogs spawning in Scotland before spring has officially sprung, according to the biggest survey of its kind into the effects of global warming.

Power warning
Daily Record (UK)
Former Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell yesterday dismissed reports that the electricity network faces meltdown.

Managing water resources in the Teifi
Environment Agency (UK)
Environment Agency Wales recently published a document explaining how the licensing of water taken from the River Teifi for drinking water, industrial or agricultural use will be managed for the next six years.

Communities and environmment win from the water price review
Environment Agency (UK)
"Communities, as well as the environment, will be winners from the current water price review", Dr. Charlie Pattinson, Director, Environment Agency Wales claimed, as Carwyn Jones, the Environment Minister for Wales, announced guidance on the scope and scale of environmental investments to be made by the water industry between 2005-10.

Fishkill costs company more than £6400
Environment Agency (UK)
On 10 March 2004 Copely Developments pleaded guilty at Leicester Magistrates to a charge of causing polluting matter, namely wash-water contaminated with a chlorine based cleaning agent, to enter the Melton Brook, Thurmaston.

Restaurant Owner Fined for Flytipping
Environment Agency (UK)
The owner of a Cornish restaurant was today ordered to pay £1,939 in fines and costs for tipping waste in a layby. The case was brought by the Environment Agency.

Agencies join to halt elver crime
Environment Agency (UK)
On Wednesday 10 March 2004 the Environment Agency, Gloucestershire Police, Gloucester City Council and British Waterways announce a new joint campaign to pool resources and information to combat the anti-social behaviour and lawlessness that gives the traditional activity of elver fishing a bad name.

First Cleansweep waste cheat in the dock
Environment Agency (UK)
Cleansweep, the city-wide multi-agency crackdown on illegal waste-carriers has had its first court result.

Enforcement notice served on coke plant
Environment Agency (UK)
The Environment Agency has served a Barnsley coke and chemical plant with an Enforcement Notice.

2004-03-10T23:01:00.000Z

Power cuts "could hit UK by 2006"
BBC (UK)
The UK could be hit by electricity supply problems within two years, an expert who advises the government on energy policy has said.

Europe publishes pollution data for 10,000 companies
Environment Times (UK)
The European Commission and the European Environment Agency have launched the first set of data for EPER, the new European Pollutant Emission Register.

Time to deliver
The Guardian (UK)
Ambitious targets to help the world's poor could be missed unless corruption and the failure to increase aid are tackled. Polly Ghazi on the lead Britain could give to G8 countries.

UK's tentative go-ahead for GMs
BBC (UK)
Five bitter years after the start of a national debate, UK ministers say GM crops can - on certain conditions - now be grown commercially in Britain.

Margaret Beckett''s statement on GM policy
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
The tool of GM has been used for at least 10 years across the world in the production of food and medicines - both human and animal.

Green 14 challenge law chief
Daily Record (UK)
Green activists are demanding Government law chief Lord Goldsmith reveal his advice on the Iraq war to a court.

Bradshaw actions to boost fisheries enforcement
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
A series of measures are being taken by the Fisheries Departments in the UK to strengthen fisheries monitoring, control and enforcement.

2004-03-08T18:14:00.000Z

Scientist ''gagged'' by No 10
The Independent (UK)
Downing Street tried to muzzle the Government's top scientific adviser after he warned that global warming was a more serious threat than international terrorism.

How chief scientist attracted heat from No 10
The Independent (UK)
When Sir David King, Tony Blair's chief scientist, wrote a guest editorial for the journal Science there was little doubt that his message was directed at the US government and in particular the advisers behind President George Bush who led America out of the Kyoto agreement to limit global warming.

Shocking new evidence of the dangers of GM crops
The Independent (UK)
More than two-thirds of conventional crops in the United States are now contaminated with genetically modified material - dooming organic agriculture and posing a severe future risk to health - a new report concludes.

GM: the closer it gets, the louder the protests
BBC (UK)
Government plans for the commercial planting of modified maize are facing tough opposition.

MPs revolt against GM plans
The Independent (UK)
Plans for the first commercial GM crops to be cultivated in Britain are irresponsible, MPs said yesterday in a Commons report which said more tests were needed before planting.

Scotland defies Blair and puts block on GM
The Sunday Herald (UK)
The Scottish Executive will defy the Blair government by rejecting genetically modified crops, which this week will get the go-ahead in England.

UK determined to stop Norway from dumping salmon
Food Ingredients First (UK)
The European Commission is investigating a complaint from Britain and Ireland that Norway is dumping salmon and driving down the price of the fish.

Computers must become greener
BBC (UK)
Worldwide efforts are needed to reduce the environmental damage caused by computer equipment, according to a United Nations research group.

PCs: the latest waste mountain
The Guardian (UK)
First it was the fridge mountain, then it was the tyre mountain. Now discarded computers have got environmentalists worried.

Powerful cyclone hits Madagascar
BBC (UK)
A powerful cyclone has hit northern Madagascar, leaving fears that as many as 50,000 people may have been made homeless, emergency officials say.

Many threatened birds need help
BBC (UK)
A third of the world''s most threatened bird species still need urgent action in order to survive, campaigners say.

One in eight of world's birds facing extinction
The Independent (UK)
One in eight of the world's birds - more than 1,200 species - faces extinction because of a crisis affecting habitats, according to a report today.

Study highlights global threats to bird population
Reuters (UK)
A new report by BirdLife international says more than a 1,000 of the world''s birds face extinction and that agricultural expansion and unsustainable forestry in the tropics pose great threats.

EU transport plan ''risk to birds''
BBC (UK)
Ambitious plans for improved transport links in many parts of Europe threaten invaluable wildlife areas and the rare species they harbour, campaigners say.

2003 summer hottest in 500 years
BBC (UK)
European researchers say last summer was the hottest of the continent for at least five centuries.

"Three-headed frog" leaves experts on the hop
The Independent (UK)
A mutant frog with three heads and six legs was on the run in Somerset yesterday after being photographed in the garden of a children's nursery.

Zoo rescues Bermuda snails facing extinction
The Independent (UK)
Their lush home amid the rainforests of Bermuda has been swapped for a plastic food container the size of a shoe box

Female birds can influence the sex of their offspring
The Herald (UK)
Female birds can influence the sex of their chicks, a team of biologists in Scotland have discovered.

Wolf attack map predicts danger areas
Nature (UK)
A new map may help predict where wild wolves are most likely to attack domestic animals.

A determined Prime Minister. Sound familiar?
The Independent (UK)
The decision to allow the planting of GM maize, which the Government is expected to take this week, does not have quite the drama of deciding to go to war, nor does it cause the immediate death and destruction.

Accessibility of natural spaces: crime and safety issues
English Nature (UK)
Improving the accessibility of woodlands and natural spaces is seen as a key issue for organisations such as the Forestry Commission, as these places can provide a wide range of benefits and people value them for a variety of different reasons.

UNEP Global Ministerial Environment Forum online debate
Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future (UK)
Welcome to an online debate hosted by Stakeholder Forum in partnership with the Global Programme of Action for the protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA).

Rainforest destruction in your shopping basket
Friends of the Earth- England, Wales and N. Ireland (UK)
One in three food products on our supermarket shelves are directly contributing to the destruction of the world''s rainforests, a new report by Friends of the Earth reveals today.

World Bank author visits London
Friends of the Earth- England, Wales and N.Ireland. (UK)
The "eminent person" leading the World Bank''s review of funding for oil and mining projects, Dr Emil Salim, is in London on Tuesday 9th March 2004 to discuss his recommendations to radically reform World Bank funding for the extractive industries with Government ministers.

Third of threatened birds still without help
BirdLife International (UK)
Roughly a third of the world's threatened bird species (around 400 species) are still waiting for conservation action, three years after BirdLife identified conservation measures to help all endangered bird species.

Tesco cleared for London stores takeover
Friends of the Earth- England, Wales and N.Ireland. (UK)
Friends of the Earth has criticised today's decision by the Office of Fair Trading not to refer Tesco's takeover of the London Adminstore chain to the Competition Commission.

City's birds booked
BirdLife International (UK)
The first ever photographic guide to the birds of Sгo Paulo, Brazil's largest city, was launched today in Brazil by the guide's author, Pedro Develey, and photographer, Edson Endrigo.

2004-03-05T11:32:00.000Z

Mayor announces partnership to London Energy Strategy
The Greater London Authority (UK)
Mayor Ken Livingstone today launched the Energy Strategy for London and announced up to £15 million of funding to help Londoners reduce their energy consumption.

Teignmouth Tidal Defence Scheme
Environment Agency (UK)
People in the seaside town of Teignmouth are invited to a special exhibition, next week, to see the latest tidal flood defence proposals for the town.

Domestic heating oil pollutes River Stour
Environment Agency (UK)
A leak from a domestic heating oil tank has polluted around 2km of the River Stour downstream from Great Bradley, near Haverhill.

Funding boost for Park Authority
ANPA - Association of National Park Authorities (UK)
The Welsh Assembly Government is to increase its grant to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority by Ј273,000 - 6.9 per cent - for 2004/05.

Environment Minister speaks on access to open country in Wales
Countryside Council for Wales (UK)
Environment Minister, Carwyn Jones AM will, this week, outline the progress being made towards giving people access to enjoy open country in Wales.

2004-03-04T15:54:00.000Z

Black mood as Peterhead runs out of white fish
The Herald (UK)
THE crisis in the white fish industry affected Peterhead harbour this week when, for the first time in at least 15 years, no white fish was landed.

Hydrogen could give clean power for Unst and for all
The Herald (UK)
UNST, the most northerly outpost of humanity in the UK, soon could be at the forefront of research into storing energy from the wind as hydrogen.

U-turn lifeline for four Scots harbours
The Scotsman (UK)
THE trustees of four of Scotland's most fragile fishing harbours were celebrating last night after being thrown a government lifeline which will enable the ports to continue to handle white fish landings.

Yorkshire Water fined for sewage pollution
Environment Agency (UK)
Yorkshire Water was fined £3,500 today (Wednesday) by Beverley Magistrates after a pollution incident killed thousands of fish.

Pond problems solved thanks to Agency
Environment Agency (UK)
Work carried out to overhaul a pond in Huddersfield has led to a better fishery for local anglers.

Protecting Water Supplies For The Future in Lincolnshire
Environment Agency (UK)
A new strategy to manage for the future the groundwater and waters of the River Witham and rivers that feed into it has been completed after more than two years of work.

Watts Leaves Shell With Green Pledges Unfulfilled
Friends of the Earth- England, Wales and N.Ireland.

2004-03-04T14:52:00.000Z

Tap water - it's the real thing
The Guardian (UK)
You are the largest soft drink manufacturer in the world. Sugary drinks are under attack and you need a healthy range.

Inquiry into Coke's tap water
The Independent (UK)
Trading standards officers have begun an investigation of Coca-Cola's marketing of its new bottled water Dasani.

Row as Coca-Cola sells bottles of purified tap water
The Herald (UK)
Del Boy did it with Peckham Spring - selling bottled water to fools and horses that had come straight from the tap.

Fish policy deal a ''charade''
BBC (UK)
Nationalist MP Alex Salmond said Britain should pull out of the EU fisheries deal because it is designed ''to rob fishermen of their birthright''.

Bid to halt barn owl decline
BBC (UK)
The barn owl, once a common bird, has all but disappeared. It is reckoned that fewer than 50 pairs now survive in Northern Ireland.

Battle to save diseased oak trees
BBC (UK)
Plants affected by ''sudden oak death'' in Cornwall are to be destroyed and parts of infected gardens cordoned off under new government measures.

Charity comes up with ''brilliant'' idea for seeing rare birds
Ananova.com (UK)
Nature-lovers are being given a chance to see once-rare reviving bird species by a leading wildlife campaign group.

Higher standards at wildlife centre
The Courier (UK)
Significant improvements have been made to Camperdown Wildlife Centre in Dundee over the last 10 months, according to independent inspectors.

Ecologists demand cull of koalas
The Scotsman (UK)
Conservationists in Australia have caused controversy after suggesting a koala cull, claiming the fast-breeding bears are threatening the ecosystem of an entire island by stripping it of vegetation.

Trading fair to make a world of difference
Banbury Guardian (UK)
SHOPS and businesses are being urged to help Third World producers get a better deal and make Banbury a Fairtrade Town.

Environmental plea to stop the flights
IC Coventry (UK)
Airport activists are demanding no-frill passenger flights from Baginton be cancelled until the impact of the expansion has been assessed.

Windfarms are a rare bird menace claims expert
IC Perthshire (UK)
A CRIEFF-based ornithologist yesterday claimed proposals for a wind farm at Abercairny pose a threat to rare birds.

£1m park revamp
IC South London (UK)
THE £1million restoration of a historic park was due to begin yesterday.

Residents' fury at new homes
Ilkeston Today (UK)
HOUSES are being built on a site containing wildlife in Ilkeston to the dismay and disgust of nearby residents.

Southampton to suspend expansion of fortnightly collections
LetsRecycle.com (UK)
Southampton City Council has suspended further expansion of its twin bin refuse and recycling collection service amid political opposition to fortnightly refuse collections.

Snowie Group slams Scottish waste planning policy
LetsRecycle.com (UK)
The Snowie Group has hit out at "inconsistency" in waste planning decisions at the Scottish Executive, which it says is resulting in "Scotland''s recycling failure".

Dead Fish Lead to Fine for Yorkshire Water
Web4Water (UK)
A breakdown at a Yorkshire Water treatment plant impacted on a nearby beck and caused fish deaths, Northallerton Magistrate’s Court heard last week.

Southern Water Services fined for Kent sewage pollution
Web4Water (UK)
Southern Water Services was fined £8,000 and was ordered to pay costs totalling £1,324 following a successful prosecution by the Environment Agency’s Southern Region.

BSE & Offspring cull compensation
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
A joint announcement by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the National Assembly for Wales.

New appointments to English Nature
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
An expert on landscape and rural business issues and a distinguished marine biologist have been appointed to the Council of English Nature, the Government''s nature conservation and wildlife protection adviser.

Airport campaigners stage sleep-in
Friends of the Earth- England, Wales and N.Ireland. (UK)
Campaigners staged a ''sleep-in'' outside a government conference on night flights at the launch of a Europe-wide campaign to ban night flights at all European airports.

Tetra Pak funds Scottish Birch Project
Tetra Pak (UK)
The humble silver birch, long regarded by British foresters as commercially insignificant, is set to have a new lease of life as an important timber tree.

2004-03-01T12:52:00.000Z

Rare duck may scupper plans for giant wind farm
The Independent (UK)
Britain''s largest ever offshore wind farm could be sunk before it is built - by a small but very rare black duck.

London among worst capitals in EU
The Guardian
London is among the worst capital cities in the European Union for quality of life, a survey revealed.

MoD comes under fire from scientists for windfarm bans
The Herald (UK)
Scientists have criticised the Ministry of Defence for blocking proposals for wind- farms because of their effect on military and radar installations.

Roadside emission testing begins
The Herald (UK)
Random roadside vehicle emission tests, with those exceeding limits facing ?60 fines, begin in Glasgow today in an attempt to reduce pollution.

£100m revolution in trade that is helping create a fairer world
The Herald (UK)
Fiona Sinclair has spent her life campaigning against the exploitation of workers in developing countries. Yet where once she travelled the world in an effort to make a difference, now she does it all from a small shop in Glasgow.

Thames Piranha
Channel 4 News (UK)
The Environment Agency has revealed that a deadly Piranha fish has been found on the Thames. The 10cm killer with razor sharp teeth was dropped on to the deck of a boat on the Thames by a seagull, it is believed.

Do a Little - Change a Lot
Scottish Executive (UK)
The latest phase of the Executive''s Do a Little, Change a Lot environmental awareness campaign begins today.

CCW Launches its Ten Year Vision
Countryside Council for Wales (UK)
Today, on St David's Day, we celebrate all that is wonderful about Wales, including its breathtaking scenery, magical marine life and spectacular wildlife.

2004-02-28T17:02:00.000Z

Pacific turtles 'gone in decade'
BBC(UK)
The steep decline of the Pacific Ocean leatherback turtle has gone so far the species could be extinct within no more than a decade, conservationists fear.

UK seeks ideas on recycling tyre mountain
The Guardian (UK)
What can you do with approximately 500 million used tyres? Answers please, urgently, to the Department of Trade and Industry, which fears that a massive rubber mountain will build up rapidly in the next three years as EU legislation demands that tyres are no longer dumped in landfill sites.

Tests urged for BSE variants
The Guardian (UK)
Scientific advisers to the government are pressing for further tests on cattle brains to establish whether there are different strains of BSE in cattle.

Women in cod protest
BBC (UK)
Two Fraserburgh women have chained themselves to the Scottish Parliament railings in a protest against the fishing deal agreed by the European Commission in December.

Giant 'slug' vies to be star of east
The Guardian (UK)
It may look like a giant slug, but a futuristic power station designed to run on anything from wood chippings and chicken droppings to household waste, could be a striking new landmark in the east of England.

Elgin wall to stop floods
The Scotsman (UK)
Moray councillors yesterday approved plans to build a massive flood-protection wall through the centre of Elgin as part of a £95 million scheme to prevent a repeat of the events which have devastated the town three times in the past seven years.

Government renewables pledge boosts energy targets
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
At least ten per cent of the electricity government uses will be from renewable sources within four years, Ministers pledged today.

Progress report on greener consumer products
DEFRA - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
Independent advisers say the government has made good progress in helping to reduce the environmental impacts of consumer goods and services but big challenges lie ahead.

Sustainable Scotland - Aye right
Friends of the Earth- Scotland (United Kingdom)
Increased recycling, use of renewables and more public transport projects will not be enough to make Scotland a sustainable country, Friends of the Earth has warned.

UK carbon dioxide emissions soared in 2004
Friends of the Earth- England, Wales and N.Ireland. (UK)
New Government figures released today indicate a big increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2003. The increase was caused by a rise in energy consumption and a return to coal burning.