Key Quotes - Environment

A world perspective in bite-size chunks
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Last update: Wednesday 25th March
 
Almost half a million potentially dangerous dishwashers are still being used in households because the machines' owners cannot be traced. A batch of faulty Bosch dishwashers, made over a seven-year period, are at risk of catching fire. But just one in four has been traced. Over the past few years there have been hundreds of fires involving the products, with more than a dozen blazes being deemed "serious". Authorities last night warned households to be aware of the hazards. Owners were urged to use the machines only under controlled situations and not to leave them unattended.
EnvironmentDaily Telegraph 16 March 2013
 
Councils that dish out spot fines for feeding the ducks or putting up lost cat posters were accused last night of using the public as a 'cash cow'. Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles launched a ferocious attack on town halls for milking residents after a report revealed a five¬fold increase in town halls' use of penalty notices in a decade. Nearly 1,400 fines are handed out every week for petty 'offences' such as handing out leaflets without a licence, dropping a cigarette butt in your own garden and overfilling rubbish bins, the study found. Residents have been fined up to £85 for feeding the ducks, putting up a 'lost cat' poster and walking a dog in a banned zone.
EnvironmentDaily Mail 14 March 2013
 
According to RSPCA figures, at least 100 pets are dumped by their owners every day. Reasons cited include the expense of looking after an animal; the owners find that they are too time consuming; or they gave birth to an unexpected litter. During its lifetime, a dog or cat could cost up to £10,000 for food, care and medical treatment.
EnvironmentPets4Homes.co.uk
 
The decision to remove a temporary ban on hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) in the UK has been criticised by the Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, Convenor of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council. Fracking is a technique in which high pressure liquid is injected into rock, causing fractures which enable the extraction of natural gas. It was halted in the UK in 2011, after it was blamed for minor earthquakes near test wells in the north west of England. Opponents are also concerned about the possibility of water pollution from the chemicals used.
Ms Foster-Fulton said her concern was that fracking would merely prolong the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, instead of investing in renewables.
EnvironmentLife And Work, February 2013
 
Nearly 100 more pieces of the Staffordshire Hoard have been discovered – in the same field as the original find. Archaeologists uncovered the Anglo-Saxon gold and silver after returning to the field at Hammerwich, near Lichfield, once it had been ploughed.
EnvironmentThe Sentinel, December 18, 2012
 
The RSPCA has admitted killing healthy animals, saying too many cats and dogs are being bred. More than 3,400 animals were put down last year for non-medical reasons - including 1,676 dogs and cats that were destroyed for legal reasons or because they might suffer for other reasons - and 1,767 wild, exotic or farm animals. The total number "euthanised" last year was 53,183. The other 49,740 were destroyed for medical reasons. However, the RSPCA denied claims by one of its former inspectors that it killed more healthy animals than necessary.
EnvironmentThe Daily Telegraph Dec 31 2012
 
A nursery forced to destroy 50,000 ash trees after a fungal disease was found is considering taking legal action against the Government for failing to block imports sooner. Simon Ellis of Crowders in Lincolnshire said ash dieback was found in 15 trees in June but officials issued a notice preventing the firm from taking action. Ministers said the import ban was brought in as soon as it was practical. The disease has now been confirmed at 82 locations in England and Scotland.
EnvironmentThe Sentinel, November 6, 2012
 
Nine million drivers have thrown litter from their cars in the past year, research from green flag breakdown service has revealed. More than 20 million cigarette butts, 17.4 million food items and 6.2 million drink bottles and cans were thrown from vehicle windows during that time. The research also showed that 11 million pieces of fruit and 4.5 million sweet wrappers were hurled from car windows.
EnvironmentThe War cry – 18th August 2012
 
Town hall bosses have been forcing taxi drivers to record all conversations in their cabs, it emerged last night. In an alarming extension of the Big Brother state, CCTV and microphones had been installed in all cabs under the control of Southampton City Council - but yesterday the Information Commissioner ordered it to end the policy, claiming that its official snooping had 'gone too far'. Southampton began forcing local taxi drivers to record conversations between themselves and passengers in 2009, claiming it would provide greater safety for both parties. Embarrassing footage is certain to have been captured of passengers’ worse for wear or making intimate phone calls. Southampton officials said they may challenge the decision. If successful, it would raise the prospect of passengers being snooped upon across the country. The watchdog also revealed a similar scheme in Oxford would have breached the Data Protection Act, and that the local authority has now suspended the policy.
EnvironmentThe Daily Mail July 26 2012
 
Researchers found that families who stayed here instead of flying off to warmer climes were more likely to arrive relaxed and ready to enjoy their holiday. "Staycationers" also found it easier to unwind without the worries of passports and visas, the language barrier and bugs and insects. The survey of 2,000 people found that almost half of families who had been on both types of break believed that a foreign jaunt was the more stressful of the two, with just 20 per cent saying the same about a camping trip.
EnvironmentThe Daily Telegraph July 25 2012
 
Conservative ministers have backed down on big cuts in subsidies for wind farms in exchange for another review next year and the prospect of a bigger role for gas in Britain's future energy mix. The Coalition will today announce that subsidies for onshore wind turbines will be cut by 10% this year, as proposed by Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary. That will disappoint Conservative backbenchers, many of whom had called for much larger cuts in subsidy, with some Tories backing a 25 per cent reduction.
EnvironmentThe Daily Telegraph July 25 2012
 
The Government had pledged not to sell England’s public forests, in a move hailed as an ‘incredible victory’ for campaigners who fought plans for a sell-off. Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman pledged that “our forests will stay in public hands’, more than a year after she was forced into a U-turn on a bid to privatise England’s forests following public outrage. The commitment comes after Independent Panel on Forestry, set up to guide policy on woodlands after the outcry over Government plans, said the estate should remain publicly owned as land held in trust for the nation.
EnvironmentThe Sentinel – 2nd July 2012
 
Wangari Maathai who died two weeks ago founded the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, which organises women in poor communities to plant trees. This stops forest loss, restores their source of fuel for cooking and prevents soil erosion. The movement, which has spread to other African countries, has planted over 40 million trees. Professor Maathai inspired an extraordinary United Nations Environment Programme campaign, the Billion Tree Campaign launched in 2006. It got thousands of people across the world to plant trees for their communities and their planet. To date, an astonishing 11 billion trees have been planted. That’s getting on for two each for every person on earth.
EnvironmentThe Sentinel - 12th October 2011
 
A Christian bookshop caught up in the riots near Clapham Junction in August has reported a ‘blessing’ following the horrific events which took place there. Ulrika Warner director of the Cornerstone Christian bookshop in Lavender Hill said she has seen business grow after the riots. She said: “The Lord protected us – not one single book or Bible has been touched. “Someone started a fire here but he was convicted of having done wrong and came back to put it out.” She added, “Business has increased as people have bought more Bibles than usual.”
EnvironmentChristian Marketplace – October 2011
 
North Staffordshire has the third worst postal service in mainland Britain. Latest Royal Mail figures show just 85.9 per cent of first-class mail was delivered the next day across the ST postcode area between April and June. That is below the 91.5 per cent area target and the national average of 93.1 per cent.
EnvironmentThe Sentinel, August 30, 2011
 
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