In this month’s environment news round-up we’ve got the latest climate news including details of the United Nation’s prediction of a disastrous rise of 3.1°C above pre-industrial levels if emissions aren’t reduced. We’ll also cover the closure of the UK’s last coal-fired power station and an announcement of major government investment in carbon capture technology. We have the latest updates to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List and the Zoological Society of London’s Living Planet Index. There are also details of the RSPB’s recent bird crime report and a round-up of some recent good news stories. Look out for next month’s news round-up where we’ll cover both the recent UK budget and the Biodiversity COP16 in Colombia.
Climate Latest
October was bookended by devastating extreme weather events in the Americas, Asia and Europe. Early in the month, Hurricane Milton struck Florida, a state still dealing with the aftermath of September’s Hurricane Helene. World Weather Attribution (WWA) scientists said both hurricanes were made more likely and of greater intensity because of climate change. As the month drew to a close, meanwhile, more than 100 were killed in the Philippines by Tropical Storm Trami. Many more people have had to flee their homes as floods and landslides devastated the country. In Europe, more than a year’s worth of rain fell in parts of Spain over just eight hours. The resulting flash floods, the worst for generations, have so far killed at least 158 people. Scientists are attributing the floods’ severity to climate change.
There were also worrying, if less immediately devastating, signs from Japan at the end of the month. The nation’s iconic Mount Fuji has remained snow-free for the longest period since records began 130 years ago. Snow usually returns to the volcano in early October, but this year the weather remains too warm.
Against this backdrop, the UN announced this month that without a concerted effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we could be heading for temperatures of between 2.6 and 3.1°C above pre-industrial levels. Such a rise would have ‘catastrophic’ consequences, according to the body. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said there was a direct link between emissions and extreme climate events and urgent action is needed to reduce impacts on the most vulnerable regions. A new report from the body’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), meanwhile, found that 2023 was the driest 12 months for rivers around the world in 33 years due to extreme heat. In addition, the biggest ice loss for 50 years impacted the world’s glaciers. In separate findings, a team of researchers from around the globe found that the world’s terrestrial carbon sinks absorbed almost no carbon at all in 2023. While this breakdown could be temporary, scientists say that the results show the fragility of Earth’s vital systems.
UK Energy Round-up
At the very end of September, a milestone was reached in UK energy production as the last coal-fired power station closed down. Opened in 1968, the Ratcliffe-on-Soar station in Nottinghamshire will take two years to decommission. The UK has been using coal to produce electricity since 1882. The move to renewable sources of power was further boosted as a number of green energy firms, including Spanish-owned Scottish Power, pledged to invest over £24 billion in projects across the country. Investments are planned for a range of initiatives including wind and solar farms, production of car charging points and battery storage projects.
There was some opposition, however, to the announcement that the government would be pledging almost £22 billion to fund carbon capture initiatives. Carbon capture technology aims to trap carbon emissions from industry and power generation and store it underground so that it doesn’t enter the atmosphere. Critics, though, say that the technology is unproven and effectively gives energy firms, industry and government carte blanche to continue using fossil fuels when the emphasis should be firmly on switching to renewables. The government, however, says that carbon capture is an essential step towards decarbonisation and supporting industry.
In northern Scotland, meanwhile, SSEN Transmission will fund a minimum of 1,000 new homes, as well as some refurbishment of existing empty buildings, as part of a £20 billion infrastructure project. SSEN Transmission are part of SSE and are responsible for construction and maintenance of the grid in the region. The company hopes the house-building funds will help combat some of the opposition to their infrastructure plans. Locals cite the lack of financial benefits of hosting large SSE projects on their doorsteps, as well as the unsightly nature of the wind farms and new pylons needed to help the UK meet its green targets.
Worrying News for Biodiversity
Ahead of the United Nations Biodiversity COP at the end of October, which we’ll cover in next month’s round-up, two important wildlife assessment updates were published this month. Both paint a worrying picture for biodiversity. Earlier on in the month, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) published their latest Living Planet Index. Released every two years, the report measures the planet’s biodiversity by comparing vertebrate species population trends. This year’s index included some stark figures. Most shocking was the finding that the average decline in wildlife populations between 1970 and 2020 was a staggering 73%. The worst declines were recorded in Africa and the Latin American/Caribbean region. The assessment also found that 85% of freshwater species are in decline. Habitat loss and degradation, climate change, invasive species, pollution, disease and exploitation are flagged as the main drivers of population decline.
As the month drew to an end, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) released the latest update to their Red List of Threatened Species. The list assesses the conservation status of animal, plant and fungi species, dividing them into nine categories including Least Concern, Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered. The organisation releases updates to the list periodically as new information becomes available. The latest update included its first Global Tree Assessment which reveals that more than 30% of trees worldwide are threatened with extinction. Also concerning was a change in status for the Western European hedgehog, the species found in the UK. The ICUN has moved it from Least Concern to Near Threatened, and it is thought that the species’ numbers have declined in more than half the countries within its range. Four waders, grey plover, dunlin, curlew sandpiper and turnstone, also changed status due to population declines.
First Special Representative for Nature Appointed
In related news, the UK appointed the first ever Special Representative for Nature. Ruth Davis OBE, an expert in environmental policy, takes up the envoy role at the end of October after attending the Biodiversity COP alongside Environment Secretary, Steven Reed and the rest of the UK delegation. Crucially, Davis will work with both Defra and the Foreign Office as she seeks to work with other nations to halt environmental collapse and species declines. The government has created the role in recognition that ‘coordinated global action’ is needed to address the climate and biodiversity crises. Davis has over two decades of experience of environmental policy, having worked for various NGOs including the RSPB, Greenpeace and Plantlife.
Wildlife Crime in the News
This month, the RSPB launched their latest Birdcrime report, covering the period from 2009 to 2023. The report highlights the continuing threat that raptors, in particular, face from illegal persecution. The report shows that over the years covered, at least 1,344 birds of prey were persecuted. Of those, 75% were associated with the gamebird shooting industry. Birds were targeted in a number of ways, including shooting, poisoning and trapping. The charity says that these figures are likely just the tip of the iceberg, as well, with many crimes almost certainly going undetected. Revealing how far shooting interests will go to hide their activities, Channel 4 this month shared RSPB footage showing gamekeepers specifically targeting hen harrier targets without satellite trackers. The RSPB says that over the past two years, more hen harriers have disappeared in suspicious circumstances than ever before.
In more positive news, there were guilty verdicts in two separate wildlife crime court cases this month. In Scotland, construction firm Mactaggart and Mickel was found to have ignored information about a badger sett when bulldozing land. The house building firm had been made aware of the sett’s presence in 2019 and had been instructed to assess the situation before carrying out further work in its vicinity. Despite this, in 2023, and without further ecological surveys, bulldozers were sent into clear land resulting in sett damage and a blocked entrance. The firm was fined £4,500 after admitting breaches to the Protection of Badgers Act. Meanwhile, a member of Lincolnshire’s Burton Hunt was found guilty of fox hunting and fined £1,490. Footage from hunt saboteurs showed Neil Burton encouraging hounds as they pursued a fox. The defendant claimed he was attempting to call the hounds to heel but the court ruled otherwise.
October’s Good News Stories
Time for a round-up of some good news from the world of ecology and the environment. First up comes news that the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic has approved the creation of Europe’s largest Marine Protected Area network. The island group, part of Portugal, is an important location for a range of marine species, including blue and sperm whales, dolphins, rays, sharks and corals. Its location on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge also means that it includes some unique hydrothermal ecosystem features. The new legislation designates 15% of Azorean waters as fully protected and a further 15% as highly protected. As a result, fishing and other damaging processes will be either banned or restricted. The move was hailed as a wonderful example for other nations to follow in the run up to the Biodiversity COP.
California, meanwhile, has introduced the USA’s first law aimed at dealing with waste from the fashion and textile industry. Manufacturers will now be required to manage and fund textile recycling brought to collection hubs across the state. The law covers clothing, upholstery, towel and bedding producers. Although many textiles can feasibly be recycled, huge amounts of unwanted clothes and other textiles in the US end up in landfill. Not only can they then leach chemicals into groundwater sources and the soil, but as they rot they produce large amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
In the UK, the government confirmed a ban on the sale of disposable vapes in England first mooted by the previous administration. The ban will come into effect in June 2025 to give businesses time to sell remaining stock and adapt to the changes. Sales of single use vapes have soared over the last decade, with millions ending up in landfill or as litter each year. As well as tackling the environmental impact, the ban also aims to address the rising number of people, especially youngsters, using the products. Disposable vapes are more accessible and attractive to young users. There are increasing concerns about the health implications of the growing vape market. Although sometimes promoted as a way to help give up cigarettes, the number of people vaping who have never smoked before reveals how widespread vape use now is.
Devon Wildlife Trust announced this month that 15 pine martens were released at various locations around Dartmoor in September in a major conservation project to restore the mustelids to the region. Pine martens were once widespread across the UK, but persecution and habitat loss mean they disappeared from much of England by a century ago. The project is a collaboration between a number of stakeholders, including Forestry England and the Dartmoor and Exmoor National Park Authorities. Researchers will track the animals as they disperse to set up their own territories. Further animals will be released on Exmoor next year.
Research Round-up
New research by the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT) shows that spending just over £100 million annually for the next 3 years on restoring and creating new wetlands could lead to billions of pounds worth of benefits. The study, carried out in conjunction with consultancy eftec, found that actions such as putting meanders back into straightened rivers and restoring saltmarshes have a range of positive impacts. Improving flood defences, storing carbon and improving water quality are just a few of the benefits. Healthier wetlands can also aid human health and wellbeing by providing contact with nature. Sarah Fowler, WWT’s Chief Executive said that wetlands provide ‘up to £9 of benefit per £1 spent’, offering huge value for money.
Analysis of satellite imagery by scientists from the Universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire and the British Antarctic Survey reveals that vegetation cover is increasing dramatically in the Antarctic. Between 2016 and 2021, greening on the continent was particularly marked, with rates 30% higher than for the study period of 1986 to 2021 as a whole. Although most of Antarctica is still covered by snow and ice, the changes in vegetation, mostly of moss species, reveal that even this harsh environment is warming. As more plants grow, an increase in decaying matter will enable more soil creation which in turn may allow new species to survive, accelerating the spread even more. Green areas can absorb more heat, as well, countering the albedo, or reflective, effect of the surrounding ice. The authors say that more research is urgently needed to understand the vegetation spread and its potential impacts on the continent.
We finish with two pieces of research looking at plastics and marine life. Scientists examining air samples from bottlenose dolphins in the US have discovered the presence of microplastics in their breath. This is the first time that plastics have been detected in dolphin exhalations. Researchers say that all of the samples contained microplastics. The findings are a huge cause for concern. Dolphins take large breaths when coming up for air, meaning they could be inhaling dangerous amounts of plastic each time they surface. The impact on their lungs is as yet unknown.
Larger plastic articles, meanwhile, are impacting the dolphins’ deep-diving whale cousins. Species such as sperm and beaked whales use echolocation to find their squid prey in deep water where vision is near useless. Scientists have discovered, though, that many plastic items found in deceased whale stomachs have a similar acoustic signature to their prey items when blasted with echolocation clicks or pulses. Carrier bags, plastic bottles and balloons are just some of the larger items found increasingly in whale stomachs. While it has been understood that some marine animals, including turtles, mistake manmade objects for food due to a visual resemblance, scientists were not clear how species who don’t use sight were making the same mistake. The new study suggests that sound is making plastic pollution as dangerous for deep diving species as for those feeding in the upper reaches of our oceans.