Environment

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...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Thousands of new homes in the ‘fast track’ UK Government’s housing development zones are in flood zones. This means that these homes could be become uninsurable and in the event of flooding, uninhabitable. These building schemes could become even more unsafe as Government funding for flood controls are uncertain. According to the National Audit Office funding for the Environment Agency fell 10% in real terms during the last government. A Greenpeace investigation used a Freedom...

By Tayler Groom, Groundwork London Groundwork London and the London Community Resource Network (LCRN) have launched innovative new reuse hubs across five London housing estates. Known locally as ‘The Loops’, the hubs will collect, refurbish and redistribute unwanted furniture and household goods, reducing the number of re-useable items going to landfill. Fly-tipping across the capital is increasing every year, costing tax payers an estimated £20 million in 2015 (according to data analysis from UBRS). The aim of the new reuse...

Callum Towler, Stephen Adams and Owen Black chat about the the outcome of the Paris climate summit, exploring the inability for a lot of people to care about something so seemingly far into the future, how we consume and whether the prevailing political model can ever achieve sustainability.

By Rose Taylor As the waters recede and families begin to count the cost of the floods that killed more than 300 people, injured over 1,000 and destroyed countless properties in Tamil Nadu, for one woman it has heralded the start of a better life. NagammaNagammal was discovered drenched and starving in a partially destroyed goat shed where she had been living for 17 years, after being abandoned by her husband – because she had leprosy. “No one came to...

By Oliver Ward Last weekend’s gruelling late night talks concluded in La Bourget and Paris was finally able to celebrate something as COP21 talks resulted in an agreement signed by 195 nations. Politicians linked hands, people were hugging and standing on desks. Like a work Christmas party, all that was missing was François Hollande with his tie round his head dragging everyone to the middle of the dance floor to boogie to Come on Eileen. There was much to celebrate;...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A Blackburn based muslim charity that usually deal with victims of natural catastrophes in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan has arrived in Cumbria to help flood victims. The Al-Imdaad Foundation is usually on the other side of the world, but felt it was necessary to drive only a couple of hours north to help out with the relief effort. Four volunteers have arrived in the flood hit area with another 60 expected to join the...