Environment

There has been some sobering news for the majority of people who are struggling to get on the housing ladder or simply want to live in decent accommodation. New figures show that only just over 32,000 “affordable homes” were built in the year leading up to March 2016, a worrying 24-year low. In the previous year 66,600 cheaper homes were constructed, double the following year. The figures were supplied by the DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) and the...

Britain, for almost six full days last quarter, was completely coal free – the first instance Britain burnt no coal to produce its electricity since 1881. These findings are more positive renewable energy news for the UK, which follows on from Scotland’s ability to power itself, using only green energy. Also in the third quarter of 2016 the UK was able to produce over half of its electricity from low-carbon sources. In period between July and September biomass, nuclear, wind,...

A petition has been launched to reverse a decision to block a Greenpeace ship from berthing at Leith Docks. The Esperanza, a former Soviet navy ship, arrived in the Firth of Forth on Wednesday and is expected to stay for a week.The Esperanza is the largest vessel in the Greenpeace fleet. Forth Ports told the group it could not dock as the port is full, but they agreed a compromise letting the vessel moor off Granton Harbour. Greenpeace is visiting...

The poverty crisis in the UK has now been highlighted in Wales, as a new report has highlighted the levels of depravation in the country. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, who carried out the study, also worry that the situation could deteriorate further as the UK withdraws from the EU. The Government's austerity measures have also exacerbated the problems. It is feared that leaving the EU will increase poverty in Wales, which will eat into the annual budget that already uses...

A trip to the beach in the UK today is now the healthiest time to go for 250 YEARS. They are now the cleanest our coastal areas have been since before he industrial revolution began. The EA (Environmental Agency) carried out a series of tests on UK beaches and discovered that almost 94 per cent of bathing beaches and lakes have the highest cleanliness ratings. Shockingly, back in 1990 only 28 per cent of these places were at the highest...

The savage cuts that have blighted the UK’s poor and lower middle class have “systematically violated the rights of disabled people,” concludes a UN study. The highly critical report, published in Geneva on Monday afternoon makes 11 recommendations to improve the circumstances of people with disabilities across the UK. The Conservative Government immediately rejected the claims. However, the level of cuts prompted many Tories to raise serious concerns about the impact it would have on the less well off in society....

We have been able to access pictures of a new footbridge that it is hoped will be built at Tintagel Castle, North Cornwall. English Heritage want to build the breathtaking bridge at the world famous site, the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. The remains of the ancient castle at the moment can bee seen on both the mainland and headland that were at one point connected by a strip of land. This new bridge which will be constructed slate, oak...

More good renewable news from north of the border as Scotland produced 87 per cent of the electrical energy for its household, using wind power, in October. The data, supplied by WWF Scotland, showed that the power of the wind created almost 40 per cent of Scotland’s entire electricity requirement last month. It is hoped that this positive renewable news will encourage politicians to continue to push for investment in the renewable sector. the news could persuade politicians to push...

Global wildlife populations have fallen by 58 per cent over the past 40 years, according to a report by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and WWF. The worrying research has concluded that if the trends continues the decline could reach two-thirds among vertebrates by 2020, with animals living in lakes, rivers and wetlands suffering the biggest losses. It found that for freshwater species alone, the decline stands at 81 per cent since 1970. Human activity is chiefly to blame, causing habitat...