Environment

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Actor Mark Ruffalo, who recently starred in feature film Spotlight, has told the PM to abandon plans for fracking and to leave fossil fuels in the ground. Ruffalo is a vocal opponent of this method of extraction in the US and told the PM he was making "a legacy mistake" in his championing of the controversial process. His remarks were made in an interview with environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth. Ruffalo said: “Mr...

By Harold Stone Thousands of people have been flooded out of their homes in the last few months, as they were in 2014, 2013, 2012, 2009 and 2007. Two weeks ago our MPs launched a flooding inquiry, and they invited George Monbiot to explain the situation. This is what happened. Streamlining floods Floods happen when there is too much water, and this water submerges the dry land. The way to prevent floods, Mr Monbiot began by explaining, was to slow...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor An offshore windfarm, capable of powering over a million UK homes, has been given the green light. It will be the world’s largest and will be situated off the Yorkshire coast. DONG Energy has just made the final investment decision to ensure the 1.2 gigawatt (GW) scheme will come into fruition. The windfarm will be based 75 miles off the Yorkshire coast and will span a huge 160 square miles, five times the size of...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Today, 28th January, is young carers day, a time to raise awareness and praise the selfless work of children as young as five who look after a loved one. In every classroom in the UK, it is thought there are two young carers, spending the majority of their time looking after a parent or close family member. Instead of enjoying their childhood like their class mates, they tend to others. 13,000 of these people care...

By Fabian French, Chief Executive UK Community Foundation Blow, winds and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!* Recurring flooding shows that we need to have high quality plans in place to deal with natural disasters. UK Community Foundations need to take the lead in crisis planning for our communities rather than playing catch-up. Community Foundations in flood areas have demonstrated how quickly their adaptable and flexible procedures can be executed so that immediate and effective responses are made to alleviate the worst...

By Natasha Benjamin - Founder & Managing Director www.freeyourmindcic.com Domestic Violence in Childhood is a major problem of our times, effecting 1.8 million children across the UK and even more alarmingly 1 in 3 will have a mental illness as a result. Since launching Free Your Mind in 2013, I have worked to create better awareness of this issue and to create a support system for children affected after realising that there was no specific service for them, only finding that...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Building work has already begun on a new refugee camp in northern France, which should accommodate 2,500 people, currently living in squalor at an ad hoc site in Grande Synthe, near Dunkirk Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) the medical humanitarian organisation have been given permission to build the camp, work started on January 11th and it is expected to take four weeks to finish. Vickie Hawkins, MSF UK executive director said: “Conditions in Grande Synthe are some of...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Conservative MPs have voted against a proposed rule that would have ensured landlords made their properties fit to live in. Labour MP Teresa Pearce had asked for new amendments to the Housing Bill which would ensure properties were safe and kept at a decent standard. Teresa Pearce called for the new rules to be added to the housing bill forcing private sector landlords to make their properties safe.  The Housing Bill is being pushed through...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The boss of the Environment Agency Sir Philip Dilley, has resigned. He faced a great deal of criticism during the flood crisis, which wasn't helped by the fact he was holidaying in Barbados as people in the UK lost everything as the water levels rose. Dilley claimed he had found the media scrutiny "unacceptable". He will leave his £100,000-a-year, three-day-a-week at the end of the month. There have been claims that the Environment Agency misled...