With the mainstream media filtering, misinterpreting, downplaying or even ignoring news about the environment, how much can we trust what we read in the papers?

Honest and full coverage of issues like climate change is never going to sit well with the interests of corporate media owners. Much reporting is not grounded in research or informed by facts; crucial evidence is largely ignored; and environmental activists and climate scientists are undermined or even pilloried.

Our next Cloud Café online discussion, on February 14 from 7.30 to 9pm, will explore the messages we receive though the mainstream outlets.

Our guest speaker, veteran environmental campaigner Dr Jonathan Fuller, founder of Climate Genocide Act Now, will discuss why the media takes the approach it does, and will talk about his ongoing Tell The Truth campaign to call the media out on their dishonesty.

His presentation will be followed by discussion, comment and debate from the online audience.

Everyone is welcome. To register, go to: https://actionnetwork.org/events/media-reporting-on-environmental-issues 

If you can’t watch on the night, register anyway and you will be sent a link to the recording to watch another time.

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The Green Party campaign to stop the government from scrapping vital water pollution rules has saved Stroud’s MP from having to choose between supporting her government or saving our rivers, says Pete Kennedy, Green parliamentary candidate for Stroud.

The Conservative government threatened to remove legislation (known as the nutrient neutrality rules) that protects waterways from pollution created by new home building. But the plan was defeated by the House of Lords last night (September 13) after a campaign by the Greens and other environmental groups.

The Slimbridge-based Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust had said the government’s “regressive” move would damage vulnerable wetlands and force taxpayers – instead of developers – to shoulder the cost of dealing with pollution. It described as “meaningless” the government’s earlier promises not to weaken legal protections for the environment.

Pete Kennedy, who has been working with campaigners and Greens in Parliament to protect Stroud’s rivers, said: “MP Siobhan Baillie has really dodged a bullet here. Had the Lords not overturned this latest attempt by the government to reduce environmental protections, the matter would have gone to a vote in the Commons and she would have been forced to choose between her allegiance to the WWT and her loyalty to Rishi Sunak’s government.

“Her public support for the WWT and her role as chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Wetlands are in direct conflict with her role as a Conservative MP. Her options would have been either to oppose the government and vote against the changes, or to betray the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust by toeing the party line and voting with the government.

“It’s wonderful that this latest threat to our rivers has been stopped. It shows the value of having Greens in Parliament pushing Labour and the Conservatives to do the right thing.”

Photo: Green Peers Natalie Bennett and Jenny Jones (front row) celebrate after the Lords defeated the government’s plans. Behind them is Pete Kennedy (centre) with campaigners.

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Stroud District Council is to introduce a raft of new measures to protect nature and biodiversity, thanks to a Green Party motion that aims to make the district and the wider county a better place for wildlife, as well as a greener and healthier place for residents.

The motion, unanimously approved at the full council meeting on Thursday July 20, was proposed by environment committee chair Cllr Chloe Turner (Green) and seconded by Cllr Robin Drury-Layfield (Community Independent).

It calls for biodiversity guidelines for developers, increased biodiversity on council-owned land, exploratory work on the introduction of unenclosed beavers to Gloucestershire, the promotion and delivery of the Wilder Frome project, improvements to air pollution monitoring, further reductions in pesticide use and litter, and better all-round environmental standards.

These measures will be undertaken in partnership with a range of organisations, including Climate Leadership Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, the Severn Vale Catchment Partnership, Pesticide Action Network UK and other councils.

In addition, the council will ask water companies what they are doing to stop sewage discharges into local rivers and how much they are investing in infrastructure improvements. It will also ask the county’s MPs to press the government on its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030 and to ensure that the 341 environmental EU laws due to be repealed this year will be replaced by equivalent or higher standards.

Cllr Turner (pictured) said: “Nature is in crisis, nationally and internationally, and the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, seeing an accelerated decline in the loss of plant and animal species, including pollinator insects.

“We have lost worryingly high numbers of ancient woodlands and wetland habitats, many protected, biodiversity-rich Sites of Special Scientific Interest are in an unhealthy state and all English rivers are polluted, with only 14% considered healthy for animals and plants.”

She added: “Despite these shocking facts, the government does not have a plan for how to meet its commitment under the 2021 Environment Act to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030. Neither has it said how it intends to replace the EU environmental protection laws that are due to be scrapped.

“The Conservative government may be unwilling to act, but Stroud District Council also has obligations under the Environment Act and we intend to meet them. We will champion nature more widely, and ensure that the protection and restoration of nature is enshrined in everything we do.”

The motion originated with the Climate Leadership Gloucestershire group, which brings together all the Gloucestershire councils, NHS, Police, Local Nature Partnership and Local Enterprise Partnership. 

The text of the motion can be seen at Item 7c here.

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That’s the question that will be explored at the next of Stroud District Green Party’s Cloud Café online debates, on Wednesday February 8 from 7.30pm to 9pm.

Elizabeth Lee, organiser of the event, held in conjunction with Hawkwood College, said: “We’re all only too familiar with how climate change is affecting vulnerable communities, but this aspect of the loss and harm confronting them is something we don’t hear so much about. This talk promises to be a fascinating insight into how creativity can document the challenges. ”

Following the talk there will be an opportunity for audience questions and debate.

Everyone is welcome to join this free online discussion and debate. Register here to attend or to receive a recording to watch another time.

The speaker

Sarah Queblatin’s work with climate-vulnerable communities in the Philippines involves revitalising cultural heritage through ‘storymapping’ and the recognition of indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge.

This process also protects and restores natural heritage through ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and adaptation. Weaving such relational tools with rational tools help scale solutions up, wide, and deep for resilient and regenerative futures.

Sarah works with artists and communities to shape ways to translate data into story through cultural memory and imagination, designing from the wisdom of past with the desired future in emergence.

Sarah is an inclusive regenerative design strategist passionate about transforming the narrative of Disaster Risk Reduction into “Design for Resilience and Regeneration.” With a background in mental health and psycho-social support, ecopsychology, and expressive arts, she applies a trauma-informed understanding of regenerative resilience in her work with climate and conflict vulnerable communities.

Sarah is a founding member of Permaculture for Refugees and has worked with the Global Ecovillage Network for its UN and Advocacy program and served as representative to the UN climate COPs. She founded Green Releaf Initiative in the Philippines, one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world, working with regenerative solutions for food sovereignty, regenerative livelihood, and ecosystem restoration.

Photo credit: Misbahul Aulia on Unsplash

The post Documenting losses and damages caused by climate change: free online talk appeared first on Stroud District Green Party.

Last Friday’s ‘mini-budget’ included plans for ‘investment zones’, which would make it easier to get planning permission, even when the proposed developments will destroy nature. The government has also published plans to abolish environmental protections introduced when the UK was in the EU – but has no plans to replace these protections with equally strong regulations.

In addition, reports have suggested that the planned Environmental Land Management Scheme is to be scrapped. This would mean landowners being paid just for owning land, rather than for growing food while enhancing nature.

Cllr Catherine Braun, Leader of Stroud District Council and of the council’s Green group, said: “Our local Conservative councillors represent many rural voters who will be up in arms about the government proposals. They should not feel duty-bound to back the government, because these plans are almost the direct opposite of manifesto promises and have never been put to the British people.

“We need all our local politicians, whichever party they come from, to stand up for nature, and to make plain that we can have robust local economies whilst also helping nature to recover. Local Conservatives have a special responsibility to say NO to their new leaders, on behalf of our community”.

She added: “We know how important nature is to Conservative councillors and we welcome their support for the Stroud District 2030 climate and nature strategy. So the recent concern from the RSPB, National Trust and Wildlife Trusts must be painful for many local Conservative councillors. We call on them to publicly distance themselves from these horrifying plans for environmental deregulation and rollback of support for nature recovery measures, for which the government has no mandate.”

Cllr Chloe Turner, chair of SDC’s environment committee, said she was “appalled and disgusted” by the government’s plans.

“Ripping up environmental protections introduced by the EU, without plans for replacement, would include scrapping the Habitat Regulations we are right now putting in place in our district to protect our precious Special Areas of Conservation (Rodborough Common, Cotswolds Beechwoods and the Severn Estuary),” she said.

“In the face of rampant development, and with these protections stripped away, these internationally important nature reserves will be irreparably damaged. We call on our Tory colleagues to put a stop to this grossly irresponsible attack on nature.” 

The letter to the Conservatives – from Cllr Catherine Braun on behalf of the council’s Green group (pictured) – reads as follows:

“This Government has today launched an attack on nature” ~ RSPB England

There is widespread anger in response to government plans to remove fundamental legal protections for our environment. Opposition has come from many organisations, ranging from the RSPB and National Trust through to the Wildlife Trusts and Friends of the Earth.

Alongside the reckless approach to the nation’s finances, the government seems intent on tearing up protection for nature. In a three-pronged assault on nature Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng plan to;

•  Scrap planning rules that protect nature in new ‘investment zones’ covering huge areas of the country.[1] [2]
• Rip up environmental protections introduced by the EU, without plans for replacement.[3]
• Withdraw plans to help farmers to protect nature [4], with reports suggesting the ‘Environmental Land Management Scheme’ (ELMS) has been ‘put on hold’ whilst a return to a Common Agricultural Policy type per acre payment is expected, which will break a specific manifesto pledge [5].

Of course, just before these announcements we also saw Jacob Rees-Mogg open the door to environmentally damaging fracking, a policy that is widely opposed, will do nothing to reduce energy bills and which the founder of Cuadrilla himself says is unviable [6].

The responses from those who care for nature have been overwhelming. Joan Edwards, director of policy for The Wildlife Trusts, says these policies will mean “polluters can get away with poisoning our rivers and countryside – even more than they are doing already.” [7] Hilary McGrady of the National Trust says “environmental protections are dismissed as ‘burdens’, while investment and growth are pitted against nature and climate action.”

These proposals come as part of a ‘dash for growth’ package which is also spooking markets and ruining government finances. There is no mandate for these measures: they actually reverse the direction of travel on the environment in your 2019 manifesto and have never been put to the British people.

Yet we know people’s livelihoods and local economies can be put on a sound footing with a three-pronged approach to investment: in nature recovery, in renewable energy and in home insulation to reduce energy bills. Research has shown that “Protection and use of environmental assets is key to evening out economic imbalances between metropolitan and rural areas” [8]. In other words, the recovery of nature and the revival of local living standards should and can go hand-in hand.

We ask for a public statement from you on your views about these policies. 

There is no case for staying silent, and every reason to stand up for your communities and for your local environment by making it plain that you will not support the tearing up of environmental protection and the reversal of attempts to help nature thrive.

With best wishes 

Catherine 

On behalf of the SDC Green Group

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-growth-plan-2022-factsheet-on-investment-zones/the-growth-plan-2022-investment-zones-factsheet

[2] Map of investment zones: https://twitter.com/RSPBEngland/status/1573366828222808064

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/23/uk-environment-laws-under-threat-in-deregulatory-free-for-all

[4] https://www.edie.net/reports-defra-set-to-scrap-plans-to-pay-farmers-for-nature-restoration-and-creation/

[5] ““in return for funding, [farmers] must farm in a way that protects and enhances our natural environment” https://www.conservatives.com/our-plan/conservative-party-manifesto-2019

[6] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/21/fracking-wont-work-uk-founder-chris-cornelius-cuadrilla 

[7] https://www.birdguides.com/news/uk-government-launches-all-out-assault-on-environment/

[8] https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_918714_en.html

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