Environment
Over 1,000 old UK landfill sites pose pollution risk due to coastal erosion
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Strong storms and an expected sea level rise might break-up aged rubbish dumps across the British Isles. A study has shown that this problem could possibly release toxic waste. In total there are over a thousand old landfill sites in coastal areas. As the land erodes the chances are some or all will be breached, which could pose serious dangers to wildlife and bather alike. Before the 1990s there were little or no regulations on...
Birds: Do We Really Understand How Intelligent They Are?
They have often been thought of as one of the smartest creatures on the planet. Experiments dating back thousands of years explain how crows would put stones into containers in order to raise the water level and get a drink that would be otherwise unreachable. More recent studies at Cambridge University support this behaviour. They have been observed using sticks as tools for various practices. They are ten a penny in almost every corner of the UK, but do we...
Worrying number of pupils starting school underweight
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A shocking number of children in England began school underweight in the previous year according to figures reported MPs. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Hunger said the increasing numbers of children do not get the right amount to eat. The group said: "For a minority of children, the school lunchtime represents the only chance each day to eat something substantial." To deal with this worry rise, the group asked that income from the new...
23% of under-18s are turned away by mental health services
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor It has come to light that almost a quarter of children and young people who come to them for assistance are not given any help. The report by CentreForum a liberal thinktank indicate that 23 per cent of under-18s who are referred to them by GPs, teachers, concerned parents are refused help. Some services even deny support to those with an eating disorder unless their BMI is under a certain weight threshold. Their work has...
Lights go out on Solar power after government cuts
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The Government recently announced a 65 per cent cut to subsidies to household solar power instillations, but the reduction in new take-up makes poor reading for green campaigners. Household solar power installations in the previous two months have slumped by 75 per cent, which will reduce the clean energy hopes of many in the UK. The figures came from the energy regulator who indicated that there was 21 megawatts (MW) of small solar installed in...
Sea level to increase over a metre during next century
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Worrying news has emerged from a new piece of research; sea levels are now forecast to rise over a metre during the upcoming century. This is more than double the previous estimate, and will need drastic action to prevent a global catastrophe caused by the increased water levels. The research was carried out by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Pennsylvania State University. The news will be terrifying to low laying islands, such...
Prison converting single cells into doubles prompting fears of overcrowding
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor HMP Oakwood near Wolverhampton, and it operated by G4S, is making single rooms into doubles to attempt to accommodate an increase in prisoners, but it has raised fears of serious overcrowding. The prison, the UK’s largest privately-run jail are to start sharing cells this summer, after it was told by the Government to cram in another 500 prisoners this July. This move has worried campaigners who see this move as a recipe for overcrowding and...
Tories sneak in Land Registry sell-off just before Easter hols
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The Conservative Party sneakily announced their plans to sell-off the Land Registry just before Parliament shut down for the Easter Holidays, at 5pm last Thursday. The Chancellor has been trying to off load the agency for several years. The Land Registry is responsible for controlling all property transactions in England and Wales. During the coalition years a plan to privatise the agency was blocked by the Liberal Democrats. However, George Osborne resurrected the idea in...
Coal & gas investment globally less than half of clean energy
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor 2015 was a record year for renewables, which also saw investment by developing countries overtake that of the developed world. It was the first time that renewable energy made up a majority of all the new electricity generation capacity under construction around the globe. This can only bring hope that we can begin to successfully tackle the dangers of climate change. $286bn (£200bn) was invested globally in renewable energy in 2015, more than the previous...