Latest news with #FriendsOfTheEarth
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
PM urged to publish new climate plan with 100 days until legal deadline
PM urged to publish new climate plan with 100 days until legal deadline The Prime Minister is being urged to publish the Government's climate action plan ahead of a legal deadline in 100 days. The plea comes in an open letter co-ordinated by Friends of the Earth and signed by more than 50 businesses, unions and campaign groups. The Government is legally obliged to publish a new climate plan by the end of October after it lost a legal challenge last year over the current carbon budget delivery plan, introduced by then-prime minister Sir Rishi Sunak. Former prime minister Sir Rishi Sunak (Jack Taylor/The Times) The plan, which outlines how the UK will meet its targets to cut planet-heating emissions, was found to be unlawful for reasons including the Government providing too little detail on how it would ensure delivery of it policies or would address any shortfalls. ADVERTISEMENT In the letter, the groups argued a 'bold and fair' plan could bring huge economic opportunities that could help ministers deliver their mission for growth – as well as cheap reliable energy, warm homes, clean air, thriving nature, and widespread public transport. It said: 'Boldness in this plan includes clear steps for delivering policy that ensures the UK meets all of its domestic carbon budgets and international climate commitments. 'Boldness will also enable your government to be the global climate leader that you and your ministers have said it will be. 'Fairness means making sure that everyone benefits from the net zero transition, and that no-one is left behind. Marginalised communities are already disproportionately impacted by climate change. 'Fairness in climate policy is also essential so that the long-standing public mandate for action can be maintained.' ADVERTISEMENT Some of the signatories include the British Medical Association, ClientEarth, Faith in Nature, Greenpeace, RSPB, Refugee Action, the Co-operative Bank, University & Collage Union and the Women's Institute. The PA news agency has contacted the Energy Department for comment.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
PM urged to publish new climate plan with 100 days until legal deadline
The Prime Minister is being urged to publish the Government's climate action plan ahead of a legal deadline in 100 days. The plea comes in an open letter co-ordinated by Friends of the Earth and signed by more than 50 businesses, unions and campaign groups. The Government is legally obliged to publish a new climate plan by the end of October after it lost a legal challenge last year over the current carbon budget delivery plan, introduced by then-prime minister Sir Rishi Sunak. The plan, which outlines how the UK will meet its targets to cut planet-heating emissions, was found to be unlawful for reasons including the Government providing too little detail on how it would ensure delivery of it policies or would address any shortfalls. In the letter, the groups argued a 'bold and fair' plan could bring huge economic opportunities that could help ministers deliver their mission for growth – as well as cheap reliable energy, warm homes, clean air, thriving nature, and widespread public transport. It said: 'Boldness in this plan includes clear steps for delivering policy that ensures the UK meets all of its domestic carbon budgets and international climate commitments. 'Boldness will also enable your government to be the global climate leader that you and your ministers have said it will be. ' Fairness means making sure that everyone benefits from the net zero transition, and that no-one is left behind. Marginalised communities are already disproportionately impacted by climate change. 'Fairness in climate policy is also essential so that the long-standing public mandate for action can be maintained.' Some of the signatories include the British Medical Association, ClientEarth, Faith in Nature, Greenpeace, RSPB, Refugee Action, the Co-operative Bank, University & Collage Union and the Women's Institute.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Scarborough gas rig plans opposed by local council
Plans for a new gas-drilling rig near a seaside town have been unanimously opposed by local decision-makers. The planning application to North Yorkshire Council has proposed using a controversial "proppant squeeze" method to extract the gas in Burniston, near Scarborough, and installing a 98ft (30m) drilling rig on the site. But Reform-run Scarborough Town Council said during consultation that it had concerns about light and noise pollution, lorry traffic and water contamination and gave its "full and unwavering support" to local residents, who also opposed the plan. Europa Oil & Gas said its scheme would be positive for the local economy and "no one is going to notice" its presence. Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume and David Skaith, elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, have also objected to the proppant squeeze technique has been described as "small-scale fracking" and has been accused by some of being a loophole in the UK's moratorium on the fossil fuel extraction of the Earth wrote to North Yorkshire Council notifying it of the legal opinion it had obtained that said that proppant squeeze qualifies as fracking under relevant planning policy, and that it must be considered as such when the council considers Europa's application for planning permission. Proppant squeeze procedures have been regularly used in the UK for several years, and industry experts consider the technique low volume, unlike the process formally termed 'hydraulic fracturing', according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Friends of the Earth lawyers also wrote to Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy, urging him to close a loophole in the current fracking moratorium "as a matter of urgency".The environmental group said that having different definitions for fracking is creating confusion, and that the moratorium must be widened to cover all types of fracking, regardless of the volume of the injected has maintained that "it is a misconception that there is a loophole" in the fracking application is currently under consideration by North Yorkshire Council, with consultee responses awaited. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Three savvy ways to save cash by cutting food waste
BUSY lives and the demands of running a household can make it easy to lose track of what is in our fridge. Yet, the average UK family bins around £470-worth of food every year, according to charity Friends Of The Earth. If you're looking to save some cash, try cutting down on food waste with some of these tips. . . USE-UP DAY: Try allocating one day of the week to using up food that's in your fridge. Ideally you should pick the day just before you do a weekly shop and an evening that you're usually at home. Pick out the food that needs to be used and team it with food from your freezer or cupboards. Make it fun by setting a challenge and getting your kids or partner involved too. Set the challenge of who can come up with the most creative dish? Tesco has a recipe-finder tool where you can enter three ingredients that need using up and it will match them with a dish to make. PLAN MEALS: Work out what you're going to eat before you shop for the week, so you don't buy food that you don't need or won't have time to eat. Try buying fruit and veg loose to avoid buying more than needed. For example, a handful of potatoes or carrots for the meal you planned rather than the big bag that you don't need. Forget bubble and squeak I make the best left over roast dinner pie- Make sure you're storing your fresh food to keep it at its best for longer, giving you more time to eat it. Popping most fruit and veg in the fridge, except bananas, will make them last longer. FREEZER FRIENDS: If you cook more food than needed, consider popping it in the freezer for another day. Make sure all cooked food is cool before you freeze it and divide it into portions. Label and date food when you put it in the freezer, so you know how long it's been in there. It's not just leftovers that can be frozen — any food that you haven't got around to eating such as bread, milk and bananas can also go in the freezer. All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability. 7 Deal of the day 7 GIVE your outdoor space a lift with this arch bench, down from £129.99 to £99.99 at Wilko. SAVE: £30 Cheap treat SLIP your feet into these flatform flip flops. Choose from three styles, £4 a pair at Primark. Top swap HAVE an easy hair day with help from this satin knot headband, £12 from Accessorize. Or get this similar look from New Look, for £5.99. Shop & save YOUR skin will shimmer when you use this vitamin E body lotion from Superdrug. It's down from £4.99 to £3.32. PLAY NOW TO WIN £200 7 JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle. Every month we're giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers - whether you're saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered. Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit accusing a US development bank of providing an 'unlawful' near-$5 billion loan to a fossil fuel project in southern Africa. Friends of the Earth US, Mozambican environmental charity Justiça Ambiental, and EarthRights International are accusing the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM) - which uses US public money to support US investments abroad - of not conducting sufficient due diligence around the re-approval of the $4.6bn loan to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique. In March, under President Donald Trump, EXIM announced the re-approval of the loan, which had been paused after the project ran into difficulties related to an ongoing Islamic Insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region where the project is based in 2021. The groups allege EXIM 'rushed through approval' without conducting required environmental reviews, economic assessment, or complying with the procedural requirements mandated by Congress. The lawsuit also claims that EXIM failed to follow neither its own Charter nor federal law, setting a dangerous precedent for future decisions. The Independent has previously reported on the numerous human rights and environmental concerns that surround the project. "There are legal procedures and processes in place to ensure the U.S. Export-Import Bank does not waste taxpayer dollars on risky projects plagued by violent insurgencies,' said Kate DeAngelis, deputy director for economic policy at Friends of the Earth US. 'Yet EXIM – like the rest of the Trump Administration – believes that it can operate outside the law. We will not stand by while the Trump Administration cuts health care and disaster aid so that it can give handouts to fossil fuel companies.' Richard Herz, of EarthRights International, added: 'EXIM's Board's illegal decision to subsidize this project, without even considering the risks to local people, let alone the serious allegations that project security committed a massacre at the project site, is beyond reckless. 'EXIM needs to do its job and actually consider the harms this project will inflict on local people.' The long-delayed LNG project has displaced thousands of local people. In 2021, French oil giant TotalEnergies, which is spearheading the project, was forced to halt operations after Islamist insurgents killed dozens of workers near the company's main site in the Cabo Delgado region. The ongoing insurgency – and a 'force majeure' declaration around the project – also means that TotalEnergies has been unable to resume operations. Signs of discontent can be found in villagers claiming that they have not been sufficiently compensated for giving up land that most rely on for subsistence farming, according to evidence collected by local NGO Justica Ambiental, after Mozambique LNG was given rights to 6,625 hectares of land to build its liquefaction terminal. A spokesperson for TotalEnergies previously told The Independent that prior to the force majeure announcement, 89 per cent of compensation payments had been paid within six months of the signing of compensation agreements, and 66 per cent were paid within 90 days. 'The Force Majeure situation has prevented the full implementation of the relocation and compensation process and has slowed down the exercise,' they said. A spokesperson for Justiça Ambiental said: 'To continue financing gas projects in Cabo Delgado would be a betrayal of Mozambique and humanity. 'It would ignore the voices of the families who are bearing the heaviest burdens – who have lost their land, access to the sea, and their livelihoods. It would show a lack of commitment to national laws, international standards, and any efforts to deal with the climate crisis.' An EXIM spokesperson said: 'The Export-Import Bank of the United States is aware of recent reports and inquiries regarding ongoing legal proceedings. As a matter of longstanding policy, EXIM does not comment on pending litigation. 'EXIM remains committed to its mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating the export of U.S. goods and services. The Bank continues to operate in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.'
