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Published by Environmental Data Services (ENDS)
Every week, the ENDS team runs down the biggest green news stories, shines a spotlight on some pretty nasty chemicals, and takes a forensic look at one of the more deep-rooted environmental issues facing us today. Read more on the issues covered at <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.endsreport.com</a> or follow us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/theendsreport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@TheENDSReport</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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<p>On this week’s podcast, Martin Baxter, the deputy chief executive of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) discusses the risks and rewards of AI adoption within the environmental profession. </p><br><p>On Tuesday, ISEP published <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1970022/environmental-professionals-use-ai-responsibly-says-membership-body" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a new advice note</a> on the responsible use and application of AI by sustainability and environmental professionals. </p><p>Baxter believes the negative impacts of AI adoptions needs to be better understood by the profession. </p><br><p>His warning comes at a time when top AI safety researchers are warning of potential human annihilation within a decade, and the heads of AI companies are pleading for greater regulation from lawmakers. </p><br><p>The team also discusses comments made to ENDS by the Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, on the aspects of biodiversity net gain policy he thinks are increasing social inequality.</p><p> </p><p><strong>PLUS</strong></p><ul><li>A <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1969664/welcome-change-praise-change-government-tone-following-nature-minister-speech" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">welcomed rhetoric</a> from the new nature minister.</li><li>DEFRA’s plans to <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1969773/defra-tighten-limits-forever-chemical-pfos-persistent-organic-pollutants" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tighten limits</a> on PFOS.</li><li>And <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1969466/investment-englands-protected-sites-needs-almost-double-meet-nature-targets-say-researchers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a new assessment</a> on the money England needs to reach its nature targets.</li></ul> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>The Labour Party promised a major water reset when it was elected, and Andy Burnham’s government shows no sign of reversing that direction. </p><br><p>New powers have been granted to regulators like the Environment Agency under the Water Special Measures Act, a major review of the sector was carried out by Sir John Cunliffe to ascertain how a more joined-up approach to regulation could be achieved, and a new Clean Water Bill was announced in the King's Speech earlier this year. </p><br><p>On top of that, the prime minister himself has signalled that <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1969052/water-privatisation-very-difficult-reverse-not-off-table-says-burnham" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the renationalisation of the water sector</a> isn’t off the table. </p><br><p>For this ECO Chamber podcast bonus episode, the ENDS Report team travelled to Henley-on-Thames on 4 September to find out what’s at stake for the water sector. </p><br><p>Backstage, the team spoke with policy-makers, watchdog leaders and environmentalists, including: </p><br><p><br></p><ul><li>Natalie Prosser, the chief executive of the Office for Environment Protection about the funding pressures her organisation is facing.</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>Helen Wakeham, the Environment Agency’s director for water on her organisation’s priorities.</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>And Yuan Yang, an economist and Labour MP for Earley and Woodley, on the risks and rewards of her government renationalising the water sector. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>The podcast also includes extracts from an expert panel hosted by ENDS’ senior journalist Shosha Adie with Wakeham, the chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link, Richard Benwell, and Ofwat’s senior director of communications and engagement, Mark Wiltsher. </p><br><p>The panel discussed the pros and cons of a slated new super regulator, the sector at large, the challenges ahead for policymakers, and more.</p><br><p>The Eco Chamber is brought to you by the journalists at ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>On this week’s podcast, ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter discusses his key takehomes from Reform UK’s second annual conference in Birmingham. </p><br><p>The party’s leadership has been keen to emphasise drastic reductions in the size of the civil service – a 13% cut or 68,500 full-time equivalent roles – should it form the next government. </p><br><p>Reform UK politicians like Robert Jenrick have also called for the complete defunding of regulators like Natural England within the first 100 days of taking over government. </p><br><p>Other nature policies would also be weakened and amended under recent Reform proposals, including the Habitats Regulatons and biodiversity net gain. </p><br><p>But hostile nature policies could be “a real electoral Achilles heel” for Reform UK, according to new polling from More in Common. Andrew Fowler, the pollster’s engagement and research associate, speaks to the Eco Chamber this week about why 80% of Reform voters' support of nature is at odds with its leadership.</p><br><p> <strong>PLUS</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Natural England chiefs champion growth alongside the regulator’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1968970/new-natural-england-chief-understand-nature-give-us-services-says-outgoing-boss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nature remit</a>. </li><li>The <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1968841/parliament-returns-30+-green-policy-moments-watch-first-autumn-burnham-era" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">policy agenda</a> set for parliament this Autumn.</li><li>And <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1968926/scotland-create-single-national-environmental-body-part-regulator-reforms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scotland’s plans</a> for an all-in-one environmental watchdog. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>The Eco Chamber is brought to you by the journalists at ENDS Report. </p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>Successive governments have tried to undermine the Habitat Regulations as red tape that needs to be cut. </p><br><p>Most recently, critics have pointed to <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1903903/government-confirms-timeline-major-planning-bill-set-amend-habitats-regulations" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attacks on the regulations</a> made under the previous Starmer administration, including the Planning and Infrastructure Act and legislation set to be brought forward following the Fingleton Review. </p><br><p>Those who want to water down the legislation point to data on <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1838956/extinction-declines-hope-10-key-trends-highlighted-landmark-state-nature-report" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">falling species abundance</a>, arguing the regulations aren’t working anyway. </p><br><p>But in a new report published by The Wildlife Trusts, Matt Browne, head of public affairs, joins podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons to discuss why the charity is arguing for the regulations to be kept safe and what needs to happen next to do that. </p><br><p>ENDS Report senior journalist Shosha Adie also discusses the Conservative Party’s latest attacks on net zero and their attempts to repeal the Climate Change Act 2008. </p><br><p><strong>PLUS</strong></p><ul><li>Dame Angela Eagle’s pushback against Reform UK’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1968640/reform-uk-response-climate-change-fuelled-heatwaves-insulting-says-eagle" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">climate denial</a>. </li><li><br></li><li>The Kidlington “<a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1968635/kidlington-22000-tonne-mountain-waste-cleared" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">super waste dump</a>” in Oxfordshire that has been cleared. </li><li><br></li><li>And the Government’s new <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1968500/less-sticking-plaster-defra-launches-new-air-pollution-text-alerts-service" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">air pollution</a> alert system. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.</p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>On 20 July, Andy Burnham became prime minister alongside his newly appointed secretaries of state, including Dame Angela Eagle who took the reins at DEFRA. </p><br><p>In the days that followed, new DEFRA ministers were announced, but it’s taken until now for their briefs to be confirmed. </p><br><p>In this week’s episode, ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter explains what the department’s minister will need to contend with as they get across their portfolios. </p><br><p>The team also speaks with Sam Riggs, an environmental barrister at 25 Bedford Row, about the government’s latest crackdown on waste crime, fly-tipping and the boosted powers for the Environment Agency. </p><br><p>Riggs believes the new fiscal powers granted to the EA will have little impact on the ground. Speaking with podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons, Riggs explains what needs to be done if DEFRA actually wants to ‘crackdown’ on waste crime. </p><br><p><strong>PLUS</strong></p><ul><li>The montagu’s harrier chicks hatched in a <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1968086/delighted-uks-rarest-bird-raises-chicks-second-year-running" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">secret location</a> of England.</li><li>Campaigners take the government to court over <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1967983/government-faces-court-battle-water-company-special-administration-policy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Special Administration Regime</a> arrangements with water companies</li><li>And the new ‘<a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1968151/eia-development-exempted-proposed-extension-mayoral-planning-powers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">call in</a>’ planning powers mooted for mayors</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.</p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>When Labour entered government it pushed for a “reset” within the water sector promising tougher enforcement and major reforms. </p><br><p>The idea of a “powerful” single water regulator for England was mooted, that would replace Ofwat, parts of the Environment Agency and Natural England, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). </p><br><p>The head of the DWI, Marcus Rink, this month sat down with ENDS Report’s senior reporter, Shosha Adie to discuss why the so-called super regulator may not be all that super. </p><br><p>Plus, this week ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons also discusses the potential environmental consequences of the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework with special guest Pamela Chesterman, an environmental lawyer at Irwin Mitchel LLP. </p><br><p>Chesterman is optimistic about the new national planning blueprint but has concerns that in the short-term current local plans could now be considered “outdated” with a flood of planning applications likely.</p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Hinkley Point C is <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1967001/court-rules-hinkley-developer-subject-environmental-transparency-rules-public-bodies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">now open</a> to environmental information requests.</li><li>Billions more have been raised on customers’ <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1967316/water-companies-raise-further-511m-bills-unlock-housebuilding-data-centres-tackle-pfas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">water bills</a>.</li><li>The Office for Environmental Protection’s new agenda under an environment of “<a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1967340/prioritisation-choices-oep-reveals-areas-will-do-less" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">real-term cuts</a>”.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>Over the past few weeks, environmentalists have been celebrating the release of six young sea eagles into Exmoor National Park. </p><br><p>Their release means more than 50 have now taken flight across England since their reintroduction on the Isle of Wight in 2019. </p><br><p>However, a recent investigation by the wildlife watchdog Natural England has found that some sea eagles, found dead, had ingested enough rat poison for it to have contributed towards their demise. </p><br><p>Dorset has been a particular hotspot for the poisoned birds. </p><br><p>On this week’s episode, podcast host <a href="mailto:jamesagyepongparsons@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Agyepong-Parsons</a> asks, why?</p><br><p>With special guest Bob Elliot, the CEO of the legal campaign outfit Wild Justice, the pair discuss the importance of raptor reintroductions and the reality of what it takes to launch a successful wildlife crime investigation. </p><br><p>Alongside sea eagles, ospreys in England are also making a comeback. </p><br><p>The RSPB Campfield Marsh reserve in Cumbria has become the latest home to a pair of breeding ospreys, marking an end to their century-long absence from the bird charity’s reserves.</p><br><p>Elliot explains why the return of large birds of prey is so crucial for England’s natural environment to recover. </p><br><p>The team also looks at recently released data giving an update on England’s ailing water bodies. </p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>The Clacton by-election</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>The UK’s ‘<a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1966631/uks-largest-ever-pollution-legal-claim-passes-5000-clients" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">largest ever</a>’ pollution legal claim…</li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>And the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1966704/government-wins-gatwick-challenge-despite-judges-saying-runway-may-not-fully-compatible-uk-net-zero" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">airport runway</a>, running away in the courts…</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>The Environment Agency has declared <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/drought-declared-in-half-of-england" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">droughts across half of England</a>, as parts of the country are experiencing the longest dry period in 30 years.</p><br><p>At the same time, wildfires have raged across the UK. Most recently, this has included the Dunwich Heath wildfire in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths protected area, which saw more than 150 hectares of rare coastal lowland heath burned. </p><br><p>On this week’s episode, the National Trust’s senior national specialist on climate adaptation, Keith Jones, tells the Eco Chamber what’s been lost, and what needs to happen next. </p><br><p>Jones explains how the National Trust is taking action now, but as a nation, he doesn’t believe the UK has the capacity to respond to a catastrophic wildfire event such as those seen in Europe this summer. </p><p>The podcast team also gets to grips with the recently assigned portfolios of DEFRA’s new ministers.</p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>The deaths of <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1966254/total-failure-relaxation-rodenticide-rules-blamed-death-sea-eagles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">England’s sea eagles</a> tied to rat poison </li><li>The <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965910/construction-firm-fined-17000-death-150-bats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bat nightmare</a> of Lochmaben </li><li>And the river Ouse’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965877/east-sussex-council-signs-river-ouse-charter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new charter</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.</p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>Since taking office as prime minister, Andy Burnham has made a swathe of ministerial changes across Westminster, including within DEFRA. </p><br><p>Dame Angela Eagle has succeeded Emma Reynolds as the new environment secretary and new faces have entered the department’s fold.</p><br><p>They include Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, who has joined DEFRA as a junior minister and water industry veteran Lee Pitcher, the Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme MP. </p><br><p>Pitcher is one of more than 50 new parliamentary private secretaries appointed across government.</p><br><p>But one name absent from DEFRA’s ranks is Mary Creagh, the MP for Coventry East and the first nature minister who served under both environment secretaries Emma Reynolds and Steve Reed. </p><br><p>Across her career, Creagh has acted as both shadow secretary for DEFRA and later as chair for the Environmental Audit Committee. </p><br><p>On this week’s episode, the team discusses what her absence could mean for the department and asks why Natural England is worried about the implications of a recent High Court ruling on gamebirds. </p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>The Environment Agency’s campaign to <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965636/we-coming-you-ea-enters-new-phase-crackdown-waste-crime" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clamp down</a> on waste crime</li><li>The <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965759/defra-held-exceptionally-poor-regard-say-mps-sea-use-framework-call-shot-down" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sea Use Framework</a> sunk by the government.</li><li>And the former Southern Water chief executive charged with ‘<a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1965342/former-southern-water-chief-face-alleged-conspiracy-defraud-charge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">conspiracy to defraud</a>’ </li></ul> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>After weeks of political machinations, Sir Keir Starmer is out and Andy Burnham is in at No.10 Downing Street. While details have remained elusive on the former Manchester mayor’s environmental policies, as he picks his cabinet we can start to understand what type of government he intends to run.</p><br><p>Dame Angela Eagle, the new DEFRA secretary, is not new to the department, having served as farming minister from September 2025 to June this year. But how green is she beyond that? Ed Miliband has been moved from his post as energy secretary to head up the Foreign Office, leaving Burnham “policy guru” Miatta Fahnbulleh heading up the government’s net zero policy. Where might that leave the controversial decision sitting on the DESNZ desk over oil and gas extraction in the North Sea?</p><br><p>On this week’s ECO Chamber, podcast<strong> </strong>host Tess Colley and ENDS Report’s senior reporter Shosha Adie, come together to get to grips with these questions.</p><br><p><strong>PLUS:</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Why nature campaigners in Dartmoor have said the government has ‘caved into conspiracy theories’ over pony grazing controls</li><li>Who is Natural England’s new chief executive?</li><li>And news that Thames Water creditors are battling to prevent nationalisation as Burnham arrives in No.10</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>Newly-elected Labour MP for Makerfield Andy Burnham is expected to be confirmed as the UK’s next prime minister in the coming days, having secured enough backing from Labour MPs to make it mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him for the leadership of the Labour Party.</p><br><p>The former mayor of Manchester is expected to reshuffle his cabinet once he has the keys to Number 10, which would trigger sweeping changes in personnel in Westminster – both on the frontbenches and on the backbenches. There’s much interest in particular in the fate of current energy secretary Ed Miliband, who is tipped as a potential chancellor in Burnham’s administration.</p><br><p>But what actually happens inside a Whitehall department when a new secretary of state is appointed after a reshuffle? What are the very first decisions that land on a new minister's desk? And how quickly do new special advisers (SpAds) embed themselves into Whitehall?</p><br><p>To find out, ECO Chamber host Tess Colley and ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter are joined by special guest Isabella Gornall, the founder of the communications agency Seahorse Environmental and former environmental advisor to Zac Goldsmith.</p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Why a long-awaited delivery plan to restore nature by 2030 has been <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1964325/completely-insufficient-long-awaited-30by30-nature-plan-met-scorn-charities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">met with scorn</a> by environmental charities. </li><li>The <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1964420/inquiry-launch-death-boy-lived-near-flooded-historic-landfill" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inquiry</a> set to be held into the death of boy who lived near a flooded historic landfill</li><li>And news of the UK chemical factory at the centre of a PFAS scandal which has announced plans to <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1964469/uk-chemical-factory-centre-pfas-scandal-announces-plans-cease-production" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘cease production’</a>. </li></ul> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>Last month, a Nature’s Rights Bill entered the House of Lords.</p><br><p>Its aim is to make nature a legal subject, seeing nature’s rights “<em>represented and enforced in legal and administrative processes</em>”. </p><br><p>But Conservative peer Lord Frost said that taking the bill seriously would require every individual and organisation “to pay obeisance to nature and its rights, as if it were some kind of goddess”, which he called a “pagan vision”.</p><br><p>Although the private members’ bill, proposed by Green Party peer Baroness Bennett, is unlikely to make it into law, it sparked debate in its second reading last week. </p><br><p>Although the government does not support the bill in and of itself, it has said it was<em> ‘open in principle’ </em>to the idea of supporting new environmental rights in line with the EU.</p><br><p>On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report’s senior reporter Shosha Adie find out what that means. </p><br><p>The duo also discuss how more than 18,000 homes have reportedly been “unlocked” across some of the most-water stressed areas of East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the Home Counties.</p><br><p><br></p><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><br><p><br></p><ul><li>The biodiversity net gain market’s move to <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1963363/bng-market-developing-at-pace-annual-value-close-100m-says-research" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">maturity</a>.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><ul><li>The budgets squeezed in Starmer’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1963493/defence-investment-plan-whitehall-budgets-squeezed-projects-axed-further-cuts-planned" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">defence plan</a>.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><ul><li>And the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1963229/a-scientific-breakthrough-uk-researchers-uncover-simple-technique-boost-woodland-carbon-sequestration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scientific breakthrough</a> improving carbon sequestration. </li></ul><p><br></p><br><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>Four years ago, Burnham was interviewed on a Green Alliance <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/whats-the-role-of-city-regions-in-reaching-net/id1391032216?i=1000559813307" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcast</a> wherein he lauded Ed Miliband, now-energy secretary, as a “visionary”, gave his emphatic support for net zero amid the war in Ukraine, rejected fracking outright, and praised onshore wind. </p><br><p>But that was 2022. </p><br><p>Today’s political mood-music seems a far-cry from that time, with Reform UK surging ahead in this year’s local elections on an anti-net zero platform. </p><br><p>What’s more, Labour Unions Unite and GMB have accused Burnham’s rumoured choice of chancellor, Miliband, of prioritising environmental goals over protecting oil and gas jobs in the North Sea. </p><br><p>In his latest speech given in Manchester, Burnham promised “<em>the biggest rebalancing of power in our country,” </em>advocating for regional devolution, local reindustrialization and regeneration.</p><br><p>On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report’s senior reporter Shosha Adie speak with RSK Wilding’s legal counsel Alexa Culva about what it could mean for environmental policy. </p><br><p>The team also looks at what Burnham’s in-tray on environmental policy looks like should he become the next prime minister. </p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Government plans to align with <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962677/defra-announces-plan-align-eu-deforestation-rules-consultation-long-overdue-regulation-open" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EU deforestation rules</a> gain traction. </li><li><a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962473/post-brexit-green-deregulation-making-uk-greyer-less-healthy-says-report" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Post-Brexit deregulation</a> is weakening environmental protections, an environmental charity report warns. </li><li>And the new <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962933/former-defra-minister-co-chair-first-taskforce-climate-nature-threats-security" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">taskforce</a> focusing on climate and nature threats to national security. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>In the book, <em>The Dirty Man of Europe</em>, it was said that without pressure from Europe, it was difficult to see how the UK would have made any environmental progress in the 80s and 90s. Many in the environment sector feared that the UK’s vote to leave the EU in 2016 would herald a return to its position as the ‘Dirty Man of Europe’.</p><br><p>We’re now a decade on from the Brexit vote, which saw then prime minister David Cameron resign swiftly, followed over the years by four other Conservative prime ministers.</p><br><p>In the last week, Labour prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced that he too will be standing down following two years at the helm that saw a rise in anti-nature rhetoric, and a rise in support for right-wing politics in the form of Reform UK. </p><br><p>Across the Channel, the EU too is witnessing its own surge in right-wing politics with key environmental policies now being unpicked. </p><br><p>So is the UK still the dirty man of Europe ten years on? </p><br><p>On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons is joined by ENDS Europe’s deputy editor Simon Pickstone and two special guests: </p><p><br></p><ul><li>Ben Reynolds, the director of the <a href="https://ieep.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Institute for European Environmental Policy UK</a>.</li><li>And Dr Viviane Gravey, an environmental policy specialist from Queen's University Belfast.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Sir Keir Starmer <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962385/starmer-resigns-6-green-policy-areas-limbo-ahead-looming-leadership-election" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stands down</a> as prime minister</li><li>Andy Burnham’s <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962229/burnham-victory-lauded-potential-win-nature-blow-fracking-loving-populist-right" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">by-election win</a> in Makerfield sets him on course for the keys to No.10</li><li>And MPs are <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1962135/mps-demand-unabridged-version-leaked-national-security-biodiversity-report-repeated-requests-denied" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">demanding full access</a> to the government’s national security biodiversity report.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>This month marks a decade since the Brexit vote and five years since the inaugural ENDS Power List – when Boris Johnson was the prime minister. </p><br><p>A place on the final list has become one of the UK environmental profession’s most sought-after accolades.</p><br><p>Three environmentalists who have made the draw five years running are:</p><br><p><br></p><ul><li>Richard Benwell, chief executive at the Wildlife and Countryside Link</li><li>Ruth Chambers, senior fellow at Green Alliance </li><li>Estelle Dehon KC, environmental lawyer at Cornerstone Barristers </li></ul><p><br></p><p>All three heavyweights spoke with ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons on 29 May to take stock of Brexit’s impacts 10 years on, the issues at stake for environmental policy today and where the debate goes from here.</p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>The King’s Birthday Honours List</li><li>The departure of DEFRA minister Angela Eagle</li><li>And the legal challenge on chemicals laws against the government. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>On Thursday 18 June, the make-or-break Makerfield by-election will take place. Burnham is standing as the Labour candidate and is expected to launch a leadership challenge should he win.</p><br><p>But where does he stand on environmental policy? </p><br><p>To find out, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with ENDS Report senior reporter Shosha Adie, and the CEO of the Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside Wildlife Trust, Dr Tom Burditt. </p><br><p>The team also discusses the NGO concerns over how “loopholes” in the government’s biodiversity net gain policy are exacerbating unequal access to nature.</p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>The RSPB announces <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1960457/external-pressures-rspb-announces-staff-redundancy-plans" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">staff redundancy</a> plans</li><li>The home of the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1960351/englands-finest-limestone-grasslands-declared-national-nature-reserve" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Devil’s Chimney</a> becomes a national nature reserve.</li><li>And the latest spread of <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1960462/mapped-spread-uk-solar-power-%E2%80%93-political-constituency" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UK solar power</a> across the UK.</li></ul> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>In the last week blog posts and essays have been published by the former Labour leader, Sir Tony Blair, and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer – along with potential contenders for the top job – over the future of Labour policy, including on net zero. </p><br><p>Blair has called for the government to shift to the “radical centre” and remove those parts of the net-zero agenda which “prioritise clean energy over cheaper energy”.</p><br><p>Meanwhile, Reform UK has also been publishing detail on its own plans for government – including what it thinks of arm’s-length bodies like Natural England.</p><br><p>In this week’s ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with ENDS Report deputy editor Tess Colley to find out how the prime minister responded to Blair’s intervention, what’s at stake in this battle of the blogs – and what you need to know from Reform UK’s policy documents. </p><br><p><strong>PLUS </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>The ‘hundreds’ of dead sharks found on <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1959739/hundreds-dead-sharks-found-welsh-beaches-most-likely-due-ghost-nets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Welsh beaches</a></li><li>A new charter signed to protect the <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1959395/councils-sign-charter-protect-wye-catchment" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wye catchment</a></li><li>And the Scottish salmon farm fined <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1959632/salmon-farm-fined-70000-breaching-f-gas-regulations" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">£70,000</a> over F-gas regulations</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report.</p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>In the UK, no chemical company has ever been prosecuted for PFAS-related claims. But environmental law firm Leigh Day is <a href="https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/events/agc-chemicals-and-pfas-meeting-on-potential-legal-action/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">currently investigating</a> potential legal action against AGC Chemicals Ltd. on behalf of the residents in Thornton-Cleveleys. </p><br><p>Now, documents unearthed by ENDS can reveal that representatives on behalf of the company knew that since the year 2000, one chemical used in its manufacturing – PFOA – caused lesions and decreases in cognitive and motor functions in long-tailed macaques that ultimately lead to their deaths. </p><br><p>To find out more, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks to ENDS Report news editor Pippa about what six scientists meeting in a Scottish castle in 2000 has to do with the health impacts of PFAS forever chemicals on the residents of Thornton-Cleveleys now.</p><br><p><strong>Plus </strong></p><ul><li>DEFRA’s £30m wildlife-farming fund</li><li>Scottish Forestry’s flawed environmental impact assessment over the northern brown argus butterfly </li><li>And a new study linking moorland burning<strong> </strong>to air pollution impacting millions of people.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>There are more than 21,000 historic landfills scattered across England and Wales. Of these almost 1,300 are categorised as containing hazardous waste.</p><br><p>In Surrey, new documents unearthed by an ENDS investigation show how irresponsible waste practices carried out between the 50s, 60s and 70s, could be coming to haunt the present. </p><br><p>This week, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report deputy editor Tess Colley speak with the journalist behind this latest ENDS investigation, Joe Sanderson Clarke, on why contaminated land campaigners are pushing for changes to the law.</p><br><p>The team also discusses the King’s Speech as prime minister Sir Keir Starmer stands on shaky political ground. </p><br><p><strong>Plus </strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>The Dogger Bank offshore windfarms <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1958391/dogger-bank-offshore-wind-farms-green-lit-despite-nature-concerns" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">green-lit</a>, despite nature concerns</li><li>The 13 new official <a href="about:blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bathing sites</a>, which includes a site in London</li><li>And news that <a href="https://www.endsreport.com/article/1958108/one-third-regulated-waste-sites-england-may-not-compliant-finds-oep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">one third</a> of regulated waste sites in England may not be compliant</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
<p>On 7 May, Labour lost control of the Welsh Senedd for the first time in history. </p><br><p>In Scotland, it recorded its worst ever result at a Scottish Parliamentary election, and in England, Labour lost 1,496 councillors as Reform UK and the Green Party made huge gains. </p><br><p>As the government sets out its legislative agenda in the King’s Speech this week, we ask what the political upheaval might mean for environmental policy.</p><br><p>With resignations from Labour MPs and ministers including, Miatta Fahnbulleh the housing minister, Jess Phillips the safeguarding minister, Alex Davies-Jones the victims' minister, health minister Zubir Ahmed, and Tom Rutland, the parliamentary private secretary to DEFRA secretary Emma Reynolds, pressure is mounting on the prime minister to resign. </p><br><p>If he does, could we see environmental policy zombified as the government tries to get to grips with the in-fighting?</p><br><p>To find out, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter speak with special guest Isabella Gornall, the founder of the communications and lobbying agency Seahorse Environmental and former environmental advisor to Zac Goldsmith.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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