A lack of “suitable areas” for onshore wind in local plans
18 Aug 2022
Onshore wind is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy, but the UK's national planning policy still doesn't facilitate new onshore wind projects. Read our report to find out more.
Why 2020-30 is a make-or-break decade for climate and nature
Paul de Zylva20 Jul 2022
We face a climate emergency and nature is in crisis – what will it take for our leaders to do the right thing?
Ever-decreasing circles: 5 major warnings of nature’s catastrophic decline
Paul de Zylva20 Jul 2022
“The essential, interconnected web of life on Earth is getting smaller and increasingly frayed.”
Using planning policies to prevent future fossil fuel projects
14 Jul 2022
In early 2022, Friends of the Earth’s Planning Team secured some key policy amendments to mineral plans in North Yorkshire and Northumberland which will hopefully discourage new fossil fuel projects in those areas. Planner Magnus Gallie explains.
Who suffers most from heatwaves in the UK?
13 Jul 2022
New research identifies the communities most vulnerable to the health impacts of heatwaves.
Environmental priorities for the Conservative Party's new leader
08 Jul 2022
As Prime Minister how did Boris Johnson do on the global challenges of climate change and nature? And what environmental commitments should those seeking to succeed him make as they launch their leadership campaigns?
Why we need more trees in the UK
Mike Childs, Paul de Zylva and Nick Rau22 Jun 20226.52 MB PDF file
More trees are needed to cool our cities, to make farming resilient, to restore nature, and to replace the UK's imports of timber which are having a devastating impact on wildlife-rich forests overseas. Can it be done, and done fairly? And how many more trees are needed?
5 government plans to watch in 2022
20 May 2022External link
In mid-May Prince Charles presented the Queen's Speech to Parliament, formally setting out the government’s vision for the year ahead. Find out which of their proposals worry us most and what we're planning to do about them.
Is the government's levelling up plan any good?
Sandra Bell10 May 2022
The UK government has made levelling up a priority. Senior Sustainability Analyst Sandra Bell sets out 5 tests to assess the strength of the government’s approach and whether it will help the poorest communities. As the government's programme progresses, including draft legislation following the Queen’s Speech, Friends of the Earth will use these tests to report on progress.
Justice moves centre-stage in IPCC climate report
Mike Childs24 Mar 2022
Latest IPCC report shows equity and justice are essential to successful climate action
Energy NPS Consultation response
Rebecca Murray24 Mar 2022246 kB PDF file
Read Friends of the Earth's consultation response to Draft National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure.
NSIP Reform Consultation December 2021
Rebecca Murray24 Mar 2022297 kB PDF file
Read Friends of the Earth's consultation responses to the National Significant Infrastructure Planning (NSIP) process and its interactions.
Government's latest changes to planning rules are far from reassuring
Rebecca Murray21 Mar 2022
Read the latest update on planning reforms from Rebecca Murray our Senior Planner. While it’s a small victory that government has agreed to drop plans for a complete overhaul of the planning system, they have failed again to bring planning reforms in line with the country's climate and nature goals. The government should provide the right legal framework and national guidance to make our climate and nature commitments a reality.
Friends of the Earth vs UK Export Finance: Litigation Briefing
17 Mar 2022
Read the legal briefing on the divisional court judgement for Friends of the Earth versus UK Export Finance (and others).
The future of heating
Mike Childs21 Feb 2022
Meeting climate targets through electric heating backed by renewably-produced hydrogen.