The UK Labour Party is considering supporting clean air zones in cities, similar to London’s ULEZ, if it wins the election next year. Labour-controlled councils in Birmingham, Bristol and Bradford have introduced clean air zones, although smaller-scale than London’s, which can only be used by vehicles that meet local emissions requirements. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, plans to use the ULEZ as a universal clean air zone covering all 32 London boroughs from August, although five Conservative-led boroughs intend to challenge the move in the High Court in July.
The pressure on brands to provide customers with cheap, throwaway fashion is hurting the industry, said Topshop's former fashion director Gillian Ridley Whittle, who has launched her own ethical underwear brand Peachaus. "Fast fashion has become such a monster," she said. Ridley Whittle said her aim was to convince customers to buy fewer, higher-quality items than the single-use, landfill-bound clothing that currently dominates high street retailing. Her brand eschews Chinese-sourced production and actively promotes longer use of its underwear by offering laundry bags and discussing repair options with customers
The world must tackle plastic pollution by reducing the amount of plastic that enters rivers, according to Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup. Research by the group found that 80% of plastic entering the ocean does so via just 1% of rivers. Slat called for a targeted focus on these waterways, as well as increasing waste management in poorer countries, to tackle plastic pollution whilst accepting that an increase in plastic use was inevitable. The United Nations Environment Program will next week propose keeping plastics in circulation via reuse and recycling, although some experts call for cuts to production. The recent bans on single-use plastics such as cutlery by the EU and Canada will do little to dent consumption, however.
Recycled plastic may be even more hazardous to humans than non-recycled plastic, according to Greenpeace. Of the 8 billion tonnes of plastic produced globally, just 10% of it is recycled. Many different chemicals, including at least 13,000 used in production, can be hazardous. Such chemicals in food packaging or products for children are typically covered by regulations. However, recycled plastic comprises a range of chemicals, including those originating in product contact, as well as toxic waste products from recycling itself. Some chemicals in plastic can disrupt hormone functioning, leading to fertility or cancer issues.
The US Supreme Court has limited the scope of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) power over the country’s wetlands. The Clean Water Act of 1972 had previously allowed the EPA to regulate pollutants dumped into waters including lakes, rivers and oceans. However, the Court has now ruled that only wetlands which have a “continuous surface connection” with such waters may be subject to regulation. Environmental advocates have warned that the Court’s decision will lead to businesses being permitted to pollute water sources.
Labour Party shadow justice minister Ellie Reeves has called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to provide more support for low-income families affected by the expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). Under the scheme, all polluting vehicles face a daily charge of £12.50 ($16) to enter the centre of the UK capital. Reeves argued that the scheme would prevent pensioners on low incomes from seeing friends or shopping, and also harm care workers and people running small businesses. The ULEZ applies only to older cars, typically owned by poorer families.
Labour Party shadow justice minister Ellie Reeves has called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to provide more support for low-income families affected by the expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). Under the scheme, all polluting vehicles face a daily charge of £12.50 ($16) to enter the centre of the UK capital. Reeves argued that the scheme would prevent pensioners on low incomes from seeing friends or shopping, and also harm care workers and people running small businesses. The ULEZ applies only to older cars, typically owned by poorer families.
UK water companies have been discovered to have discharged 11bn litres of raw sewage from 30 wastewater plants in 2020. The volume — the equivalent of 4,352 Olympic pools — was estimated by Prof Peter Hammond who studied treatment works run by nine of the country's 10 water and sewerage companies. Companies are not legally required to disclose the volume of raw sewage that is discharged, only the number of such discharges. A target to reduce raw sewage releases to 20 per year by 2025 has been criticized as “not robust” due to the lack of data on such discharges. Only the Mogden sewage treatment works, serving an area with over two million people, had volume monitors fitted, revealing discharge levels equivalent to 2,768 Olympic pools. Hammond stressed that measuring the impact of such pollution on rivers was crucial: “Individual rivers receive direct simultaneous discharges of untreated sewage from multiple storm overflows on their journey from source to sea”.
Glasgow, which has some of the UK's lowest levels of car ownership, has almost 50 drive-through restaurants. Glasgow City Council faces objections to a proposed Starbucks drive-through in the central Gorbals area in the same week that the city's low emissions zone comes into force. Critics, including the church nearby the proposed site, highlight environmental concerns and the fact that the development is in a deprived area with lower than average car ownership, indicating that this development is unlikely to benefit locals. Since last year, the Scottish Greens have called for a total moratorium on all new drive-throughs in Glasgow.
Light pollution from LED lights and other forms of outdoor lighting is depriving children of vital stargazing opportunities, scientists have warned. A report by the all-party parliamentary group for dark skies has called for measures to be put in place to counter the increased use of artificial illumination, including limiting the direction and density of light, encouraging red and orange lights and the introduction of planning measures. The report also called for the appointment of a minister for dark skies and the creation of a commission for the issue. Light pollution has increased dramatically since 2016 and obscures up to a third of the planet’s population from seeing the Milky Way.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has said Boris Johnson rushed through low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) without considering the consequences. Speaking at the Hay Festival, Khan said councils had been incentivised to create LTNs due to government grants but that many poorly-implemented traffic schemes had caused traffic displacement and more congestion. The mayor suggested residents and business owners lobby their councils to remove LTNs that have not worked, adding that quality LTNs led to "less car use, no displacement, better air quality, better business for the shops on the roads, and more children walking to school."
Steve Coogan and Lee Mack have spoken out against sewage pollution in Windermere, England's largest lake, calling the issue a “national scandal”. The comedians said private water companies, including largest polluter United Utilities, must be held accountable for the pollution and remove sewage waste from the lake. Windermere Against Sewage Pollution gathered data which found United Utilities and other companies had released pollutants into the lake on 246 days last year. Environmental group Friends of the Lake District, which organised the comedians’ event, has campaigned to end all sewage discharge into lakes.
The European rollout of hydrogen planes would require €300bn ($363bn) of investment and taxes on traditional jet fuels, according to a report by non-profit group Transport & Environment. The study revealed that between €2025 and 2050, the costs of developing the hydrogen supply chain in Europe would reach €299bn and that green hydrogen production, liquefaction and distribution would account for much of this spending. Hydrogen-powered planes would cost 8% more to produce than planes fuelled with kerosene by 2035 if kerosene was not taxed, the report found. However, if the industry introduced a carbon emissions tax and a tax on kerosene, hydrogen planes could be 2% cheaper to operate. Airbus, the world’s largest plane maker, has set itself the goal of producing a hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions aircraft by 2035.
Patrick Hansen, chief executive of Luxembourg-based Luxaviation, claimed that pets pollute as much if not more than private jets, which have been criticised as prime greenhouse gas emitters. Hansen said that one of the firm’s customers produced about 2.1 tonnes of CO2 per year, about the same amount as three dogs, but a spokesperson later corrected his statement and said that he had meant dogs. Patrick Hansen also said that the industry was aware of the urgency to limit its carbon footprint.
UK water companies allegedly breached storm overflow permits on hundreds of thousands of occasions between 2018 and 2022, but only four firms were prosecuted by the Environment Agency and fined a total of just over £94m. Southern Water was fined £90m. Breaches in 2022 alone involved 10 water and sewerage companies releasing sewage into the sea and rivers on over 301,000 occasions. Critics argue the watchdog lacks resources to prosecute offenders, with companies passing on dividends of £1.4bn last year. Privatised utility Ofwat has fined just one company for sewage spills since regulations came into force almost 30 years ago.
France, which has set a goal of phasing out single-use plastic packaging within 20 years, hopes to reduce the amount of new single-use packaging by 20% by 2025 and eliminate all “unnecessary” packaging. The country comes in at 23% (recycling) of 4.8 million tonnes of plastic it uses annually, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition, of which some 2.2 million is plastic packaging, almost half of which becomes plastic waste. France is in Paris this week with 174 other countries for UN-sponsored talks aimed at developing the world’s first treaty on plastic pollution.
An Australian charity called No More Butts has called attention to the waste contributed by discarded cigarette butts, which contain non-biodegradable and highly-polluting plastic introduced by cellulose acetate - the same polymer that is used to make glasses frames and children's toys. Once broken down, those tiny fragments of microplastic reach the sea, food, and living creatures. Moreover, the filters absorb nicotine, chemicals, and heavy metals that ultimately leach into water and soil. Environmental and public health groups including Global Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance have asked national governments to ban filters alongside plastic bags, straws, and cutlery.
State-owned copper mining company Codelco has closed its Ventanas copper smelter in Chile after decades of polluting Quintero Bay and causing respiratory problems. Eight years ago, the Chilean government declared the three municipalities around the bay saturated with fine particulate matter. In a ceremony in Puchuncaví, images of the smelter's flames were shown until they were extinguished, marking the closure of the copper smelter 59 years after its founding. Codelco still has a refinery operating at the site. Pollution in the area decreased in 2019 following new regulations, but still affects more than 50,000 inhabitants.
Australian gas company, Jemena, is offering customers in New South Wales AUD 500 ($375) cashback when they replace electrical appliances with gas alternatives, including outdoor and indoor heating and even pool and spa heaters. However, the programme has been criticised for "locking in carbon pollution" and running counter to Australian policy regarding the focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "It is like propping up the tobacco industry by giving out free cigarettes", said Saul Griffith, an advocate for electrification of the grid, who has provided advice to federal and state governments as well as the Biden administration on decarbonisation.
Cuts to fossil fuel pollution may increase global temperatures in the short-term, according to recent studies. One study suggested that reductions in air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in global temperatures despite the evident decline in emissions. Carbon dioxide, which is a potent climate-warming gas, remained stubbornly high. Declines in concentrations of aerosols, which scatter light from the sun and help shade the earth, may cause a rapid rise in temperatures. Reductions in aerosols since the early 2000s may account for the recent rise in global temperatures, rather than greenhouse gases, according to another study's draft.
