Nature

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.”

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.