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Lords to consider green Brexit amendment

23 April 2018 11:20 BST

The House of Lords will debate an amendment today intended to fill the environmental ‘governance gap’ in the EU (Withdrawal) Bill

Environmental Politics

Latest Articles

Mass raven cull licensed in Perthshire

23 April 2018 13:14 BST

The decision of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to permit the culling of 300 ravens has been criticised by conservationists

Land, Ecology & Development
China expands waste import ban to include stainless steel and more plastics

23 April 2018 13:05 BST

The Chinese government has announced that the import of a further 32 types of solid waste will be prohibited over the next two years, including stainless steel scraps and post-industrial plastics

Waste & Resources
Europe adopts new rules to prevent future ‘dieselgate’

23 April 2018 13:00 BST

The European Parliament has backed a new EU regulation to prevent the ‘dieselgate’ scandal happening again and to ensure that car manufacturers do not cheat emission tests and face fines if they do

Air Management
Marine pollution, acidification and overfishing investigation launched

23 April 2018 12:49 BST

MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) are set to investigate the impact of pollution, climate change, acidification and overfishing on the UK’s seas.

Environmental Politics
UK councils urged to exploit high ground with solar

23 April 2018 11:56 BST

Local authorities should exploit their market advantage to accelerate the deployment of solar photovoltaic technology, according to a new report

Energy
In brief: £71,000 in penalties for Ayrshire tyre recycler, extinction threat to birds

23 April 2018 12:40 BST

Also in the news, Ayrshire tyre recycler landed with penalties for storing 46,000 tyres on site without a permit, one-in-eight bird species facing extinction, 1,000-acre nature reserve for Suffolk and new regulations for offshore combustion plants

News
Seven things we learned about Gove’s environment plans

20 April 2018 13:34 BST

Seven things we learned from environment secretary Michael Gove’s appearance this week at the Environmental Audit Committee about progress on key environmental measures

Environmental Politics
Chemical regulators addressing chemical groups, says ECHA

20 April 2018 12:36 BST

EU member state chemicals authorities have moved to assess groups of structurally similar substances, ensuring that more chemicals are assessed for toxicity, says a report from the European Chemicals Agency

Products & Chemicals
Severn Trent fined £350,000 after chemical leak kills 30,000 fish

20 April 2018 12:22 BST

Utility firm Severn Trent Water has been ordered to pay out nearly £420,000 after a hazardous chemical leak from a treatment works killed an estimated 30,000 fish and damaged 5km of ecology along a Derbyshire river

Water Management
Analysis
What feasibility studies reveal about councils’ air quality ambitions

20 April 2018 10:09 BST

Draft council proposals for meeting nitrogen dioxide limits seen by ENDS indicate that potential public opposition to clean air measures is shaping the plans that are under consideration. Gareth Simkins reports

Air Management Analysis
Comment
Is the communities secretary's Druridge Bay decision a game changer?

20 April 2018 10:09 BST

Jamie Carpenter: It could be some time before it becomes clear whether the government’s decision to block plans for an open cast coal mine on climate grounds stands up to legal scrutiny

Land, Ecology & Development Comment
Analysis
How taskforce’s report would lead to green finance boom

20 April 2018 10:09 BST

The government-commissioned Green Finance Taskforce has called for a step-change in investment to achieve a low-carbon, sustainable economy, but how would this work in practice? Paul Hatchwell reports

Environmental Politics Analysis
Briefing: Are new biofuel rules on the right path?

20 April 2018 10:11 BST

Revised regulations brought into force on 15 April ratchet up the UK’s target for biofuel use in transport in 2020 and again in 2032. Claire Petricca-Riding examines the implications

Environmental Law Analysis
Comment
Real estate investors sharpen focus on green risk

20 April 2018 10:11 BST

Environmental, social and governance risk factors are increasingly being considered by real estate investors in their decisions about which investments are likely to be safe bets

Land, Ecology & Development Comment

More news & analysis

Big Issue

Brexit Update

Featured articles

What disclosures reveal about the environment sector’s gender pay gap

An analysis of the gender pay gap reports published by the UK’s biggest employers of environmental professionals exposes the extent of the pay differences between men and women in the sector. James Parsons reports
How a treatment plant operator overturned a permit refusal

The operator of an incinerator bottom ash facility successfully appealed an Environment Agency decision to refuse it a permit. James Parsons explores what was learned
Five reasons to attend the ENDS Natural Capital Conference

Five reasons to attend the ENDS Natural Capital Conference, including to hear best practice natural capital approaches from organisations that have pioneered the method
Why a coal mine refusal represents a planning first

Experts agree that a secretary of state decision to block an application for an open cast coal mine on climate grounds marks a planning first. Catherine Early examines what it will mean for other similar applications
Renaissance man: interview with Lord Deben

Lord Deben, chair of the Committee on Climate Change, is astounded by an increasingly irrational world. He talks to Rachel Salvidge about clean growth, the 25-Year Environment Plan, natural capital, Brexit and why Michael Gove could soon come unstuck
Separation anxiety: what does the Brexit transition period mean for environmental policy?

Negotiations on a Brexit transition period is gathering pace. Catherine Early investigates what it could mean for environmental policy and regulation
How devolution adds complexity to post-Brexit green policy

Environmental policies and powers are among 24 devolved areas where the UK government wants to temporarily retain control after Brexit. Catherine Early reports on the implications
Calculator shows natural capital approach is going mainstream

Jamie Carpenter: The launch of a natural capital calculator to ‘monetise’ the impact of water pollution incidents underlines how the approach is moving from policy into practice, but also demonstrates that its practical application may not prove straightforward
Plugging the low-carbon finance gap is now urgent

With government’s decarbonisation drive high on ambition but low on funds, new investment models are needed to ensure the UK can meet its low-carbon commitments beyond 2020
What the circular economy package means for the UK

DEFRA has boasted that it is backing the EU’s circular economy package, despite leaked documents revealing it lobbied for lower targets just three months ago. What are the implications of this change of heart, asks Conor McGlone

Document Watch

Higher Tier: Countryside Stewardship

16 April 2018 10:03 BST
Environment Agency: MCERTS: competency standard for MCERTS inspectors and assistant inspectors - effluent flow monitoring

12 April 2018 11:15 BST
Land Use Policy Group report: Transitions to Agroecological Systems: Farmers’ Experience

11 April 2018 10:54 BST
Planning Inspectorate advice note: Transboundary Impacts and Process

11 April 2018 10:53 BST
DEFRA and Welsh government consultation: Environmental permitting: amending flood risk exclusions and exemptions

11 April 2018 10:51 BST
DEFRA consultation: Litter and refuse: updating enforcement guidance

10 April 2018 12:53 BST
Environment Agency report: Accounting for adaptive capacity Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management options appraisal

6 April 2018 15:07 BST
European Commission consultation: Evaluation of the EU framework for taxation of energy products and electricity

6 April 2018 15:06 BST
European Commission consultation: Ecodesign requirements for standby, networked standby and off mode electric power consumption

6 April 2018 15:06 BST

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Special Reports

Environmental consultancy market review 2017

26 June 2017

Big infrastructure, Brexit and changes to regulations were some of the hot topics at this year’s ENDS Report roundtable of environmental consultants
ENDS Environmental Impact Awards 2017

4 May 2017

ENDS inaugural Environmental Impact Awards recognised the achievements of 11 winners and several highly commended projects and teams
UK environmental law on the way to Brexit

29 March 2017

A guide for environmental professionals on key issues in UK environmental law and compliance during the Brexit negotiations, highlighting four ways in which the legal relationship between UK and EU law could begin to loosen even before the final date of departure.
An environmental union?

26 April 2016

The EU has a big influence in British environmental policy and standards, making environmental professionals relatively well informed about its workings. Does the UK environmental profession respect the EU and want Britain to remain, or has familiarity bred contempt? In association with Society for the Environment ENDS surveyed the profession to find out.