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?
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.
Is flooding in Northern Ireland getting worse?
Mike Childs11 Jan 2022
This briefing examines why so many more homes are threatened by flood water, where they are and what we can do to manage flood risk.
Environment Act won’t halt deforestation or protect human rights
Clare Oxborrow06 Jan 2022
Commodity supply chains are trashing forests and trampling human rights. Clare Oxborrow explains why the government’s new Environment Act will fail to protect communities and why it must take effective action to regulate UK companies.
The future of Drax: old, inefficient, damaging and expensive
09 Dec 2021
Drax power station in Selby, Yorkshire is old, inefficient, environmentally damaging and will need £billions of subsidies to survive. We argue it should start preparing for closure and its workers retrained for decent jobs elsewhere.
When will the government act to halt plastic pollution?
Camilla Zerr01 Dec 2021
Camilla Zerr, Plastics campaigner reflects on the current crisis and government’s slow progress in facing up to the plastics reduction challenge.
Tackling climate breakdown – how do government strategies measure up?
Mike Childs16 Nov 2021
In the run-up to and at the climate talks at COP26, there was an avalanche of pledges, promises and strategies – but do they add up? Mike Childs, Head of Science, Policy & Research, gives his verdict.
A dangerous distraction – the offsetting con
Mike Childs and Paul de Zylva22 Oct 2021
Carbon offsetting and nature offsetting are both worsening the climate and nature emergencies. They can’t be made to work, at least not at scale, and trying to do so is dangerous distraction from the real job at hand, cutting carbon emissions and restoring nature.
Global Britain? 6 ways the UK can protect and restore nature
Paul de Zylva04 Oct 2021
What can the government do to restore nature here and overseas?
Why a hasty trade deal may not be good for us – or for the environment
Kierra Box, Trade Campaigner19 Aug 2021
What precedent might be set by the new Australia trade deal and what could it tell us about the future for UK environmental standards?
20 actions parish and town councils can take on the climate and nature emergency
Mike Childs24 Jun 2021
Parish and town councils may not be as powerful as local authorities but they can be a force for change in addressing the climate and nature emergency.
2021 - A big year for climate, nature and poverty
Paul de Zylva03 Jun 2021
Will government and business leaders act on the triple emergency? Or will government and business-as-usual win?
Are England’s new plans for trees and peat fit for purpose?
Paul de Zylva20 May 2021
The government’s Peat and Trees Action Plans were expected, but are they worth the wait? Paul de Zylva picks the highs, the lows, and points to what comes next.
Three things the government must do to end the peat scandal
Paul de Zylva21 Apr 2021
If the government wants other nations to step up to the climate and ecological crises, it must show a clean pair of hands on peat.
Why the government is wrong to ever allow banned neonics on our fields
Sandra Bell25 Mar 2021
Documents revealed by Freedom of Information rules show that when the government gave temporary approval to lift the ban on bee-harming chemicals it went against the recommendation of its own advisors.