CMS News Archive
A £1.2 million artificial reef financed by TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's production company could be built off the South Devon. The scheme, which has been given conditional approval by Torbay Council's harbour committee, would see up to 1,000 concrete balls placed on the seabed off Torquay. Thousands of 6ft wide concrete reef balls could be placed on the seabed in an environmental project backed by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall. Four areas have been earmarked as potential sites. Rick Parker, a charter boat owner and expert diver, is behind the environmental project. He told the harbour committee the idea was to create pockets of protected wildlife around Tor Bay. He said the artificial reef, if approved by planners, would be the first of its kind in the UK.
Mr Parker said: "I want to give something back and help marine wildlife flourish in the Bay. I want to do something right." Mr Parker said he has the backing of TV celebrity and eco-campaigner Mr Fernley-Whittingstall and his TV production company KIO Films. He said Mr Fernley-Whittingstall would put money into the project and would film the installation and progress of the reef balls as part his latest Fish Fight Channel Four programme. To read more click on the link:
This new publication covers Frequently Asked Questions about links between the MSFD and the implementation of the Habitat and Birds Directive (resp. 92/43/EEC and 2009/147/EC). The document aims to identify and clarify, interactions, synergies, differences and potential areas for greater co-ordination between these instruments concerning the conservation of marine biodiversity. It has benefitted from the joint input of Member States dealing with the implementation of the directives.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/publications/index_en.htm
Defra have published this document details the proposed changes, including consultation dates resulting from the Red Tape Challenge Environment Theme. The Environment Theme opened for comment on the Cabinet Office website in April 2011, with a ‘spotlight’ period in September 2011. Of 255 regulations, 132 will be improved, mainly through simplification or consolidation; 70 will be kept as they are, to uphold important environmental protections; and 53 obsolete regulations will be removed. There will also be a new drive to introduce smarter implementation on the ground.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/2012/09/14/pb13819-red-tape-environment/
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is undertaking a consultation exercise on a proposal to merge two of its centres: the National Oceanography Centre and the British Antarctic Survey. Details of the proposal are contained in a consultation document that is available below. NERC staff and the wider science community are invited to contribute comments on this proposal.
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/about/consult/bas-noc.asp?cookieConsent=A
This issue of the newsletter has 15 + articles covering a wide range of projects and initiatives including the Mainstreaming of Sustainable Development in Government – The TEEB handbooks on Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity – the social impacts of climate change – the success of the UK’s Green Economy and much more.
This is a 21 point summary of Government’s views on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee's report on the Water White Paper. This provides a useful snapshot of current Government thinking. The following link provides the full response
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmenvfru/602/60204.htm
This initiative sets out a range of post Rio steps that will see the UN trying to build on Law of the Sea to set a stronger international framework for ocean management. (Source IPS) - As the three-month-long international exhibition Expo 2012 came to a close in the South Korean coastal town of Yeosu last week, the United Nations announced the launch of an “Oceans Compact” aimed at the preservation of marine resources worldwide. The announcement was viewed as a successful offshoot from Expo 2012, whose primary theme was the protection of the world’s fast-degrading oceans, including overfishing, chemical pollution and warming oceans. The new Compact, “Healthy Oceans for Prosperity”, described as an initiative of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is expected to marshal the resources of the entire U.N. system to improve the coordination and effectiveness of the work of the United Nations on oceans.
http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/08/u-n-launches-new-oceans-compact-following-expo-2012/
There have been further changes in Defra Ministers Richard Benyon stays – two newcomers – will the portfolios change.
This consultation is about the approach to delivering flood risk management plans which are a requirement of the Flood Risk Regulations which implement the European Floods Directive. The Environment Agency has to produce flood risk management plans for rivers, the sea and reservoirs for all of England and Wales. Only Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) in Flood Risk Areas have to produce flood risk management plans. Flood Risk Areas are areas where the risk of flooding from local flood risk sources is significant as defined in Preliminary Flood Risk Assessments (PFRAs) in accordance with a method and criteria determined by Government.
The aim of the consultation is to:
• ask LLFAs in Flood Risk Areas their views on alternative approaches to delivering flood risk management plans.
• give other LLFAs (not in Flood Risk Areas), risk management authorities and other interested stakeholders an opportunity to provide views on alternative approaches
• ask LLFAs, risk management authorities and other stakeholders for their views on implementation of future cycles of the Flood Risk Regulations, including co-ordination with river basin management planning.
To read more go to:
https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/flood/plans/approach
As Japan abandons nuclear power, Toshiba, Hitachi and other partners have set up a consortium to invest £962m in offshore wind power. Toshiba Corp, Hitachi Zosen Corp, JFE Steel Corp, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Toa Corp and Toyo Construction Co. Ltd. together plan to invest 120bn yen (£962m) over ten years. Japan faces a bill of at least 50 trillion yen (£401bn) to install sufficient renewable energy infrastructure by 2030 if it decides to completely phase out nuclear power, the Japanese government estimated on Tuesday. Potential sites for the wind farms are off the coast of the Kyushu region in southern Japan, where they could generate around 300 MW. Pilot installations with a capacity of 7.5 MW will be constructed first, by 2016. The rest will be erected over the remaining six years. The firms will raise the investment funds by setting up a special-purpose company and project financing. Japan hopes to begin building commercial offshore wind farms, copying countries in Europe, especially Britain, following the post-Fukushima government decision to reduce reliance on nuclear power in favour of natural gas and renewable energy.
The CCC have recently written to Ed Davey expressing concern over recent Government statements on unabated gas-fired generation, and recommending that a carbon intensity target should be set for the power sector. This has very strong backing and is another example of Lord Deben (John Gummer) the new CCC Chair highlighting key issues of concern in Government policy. See the News Section
Fish stocks are an essential public resource facing potentially irreversible damage. Years of overexploitation have left nearly half of all North East Atlantic stocks over-fished, significantly worse than the global average. Tens of thousands of jobs and millions of tonnes of food supplies have already been lost to overfishing, with more at risk if the damage caused by over-fishing becomes terminal – already, the fishing industry has become dependent on subsidies to survive. Halting overfishing would allow fish stocks to recover. But this would need to overcome short-term costs to fishing revenues and unemployment. In this paper, we assess these short-term costs against the potential benefits of a restored and sustainable fishing industry. We find the short-term costs, while concentrated in the fishing industry, can be overcome affordably with a relatively small investment. Moreover, the investment will pay compensation for the entire foregone income of all fishermen affected, meaning there will be no unemployment. In sum, restoring fish stocks offers enormous positive net economic returns to European Union (EU) citizens. We argue that the costs resulting from temporary cessation of fisheries should come from private funds; with public funding targeted towards creating a favourable context for this investment to happen. This will require eliminating subsidies that contribute to overfishing; and using them to restore and maintain fish stocks at their optimal level. To read more click on the link
EU Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has launched a Green paper Consultation (29th August – 15th December) on Marine Knowledge. The oceans and seas that surround Europe offer new opportunities to meet the Europe 2020 goals. To realise this potential, we need to make it easier for
companies to invest. We need to lower costs, reduce risks and stimulate innovation.
And we need to ensure that this expansion of the blue economy is sustainable. The
resources are large but not infinite. To ensure that the expansion of the blue economy
happens, that it is sustainable and that Europe's seas will achieve good environmental
status we need to know what the state of the sea is now, how it was in the past and
how it might change in the future. The Commission aims to work together with
Member States to bring together available resources and mechanisms to deliver that
knowledge for the benefit of industry, public authorities, researchers and society.
This will include a flagship project to prepare a seamless multi-resolution digital
seabed map of European waters by 2020. To read more go to .....
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/maritimeaffairs_fisheries/consultations/marine-knowledge-2020/index_en.htm
The Welsh Government has launched an eight week consultation on a new body to replace the Environment Agency Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Forestry Commission for Wales. The aim of the new body, which is due to start on 1 April 2013, will be to ensure the most sustainable and effective management of Wales’ natural resources. The consultation is seeking views on specific aspects of the powers and functions of the new body.
The consultation is available from:
http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/environmentandcountryside/2012/120813haveyoursay/?lang=en
OCEAN DRIFTERS describes how the PLANKTON underpins the marine food web, created our oil and gas, and shaped the landscape around us. Today, this secret world of life still creates 50% of the oxygen in the air we breathe, the clouds in the sky, and the smell of the seaside. Using remarkable imagery, Ocean Drifters reveals the central role these creatures play in the global carbon cycle, shaping life on Earth and influencing our lives in ways most of us never imagine. Now, rising sea temperatures due to climate change are altering the abundance, distribution, and seasonality of these remarkable creatures with ensuing ramifications for the marine food chain, commercial fisheries, human health, and the ecology of our entire planet. Ocean Drifters is 16 minutes long and is accompanied by a clear narrative that describes the diversity, behaviours and adaptations of the plankton along with their role in the marine food web. Using photographs of the landscape around us that include the white chalk cliffs of the South Downs, Dartmoor's granite tors, and an erupting Icelandic volcano, the film also illustrates the role of the plankton in the global carbon cycle. The narration also introduces current topics in marine science, including ocean acidification and climate change. This web site provides some additional background material to support some of the scientific topics covered by the film. Further information can be found in the book, Ocean Drifters, a secret world beneath the waves.
Christopher Booker of the Telegraph provides a different spin on the new Secretary of State.
‘Congratulations to all those green campaigners who were quick to spot what could turn out to be the most significant of all the new appointments in last week’s ministerial reshuffle. While media attention was largely focused elsewhere, all the usual suspects, from the BBC to The Guardian, were seething with indignation over David Cameron’s surprising choice of Owen Paterson, the “unknown Cabinet minister”, to head the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As the greenies noted that Paterson had been outspokenly critical of wind farms and renewable energy subsidies, and equally keen to speak up for shale gas, GM crops and badger culling, The Guardian’s George Monbiot, at his moonbattiest, decreed that his promotion was “a declaration of war on the environment”.
As usual, however, the greenies missed the wider picture. The reason why for years Paterson has been off the political radar is that he was tucked away in Northern Ireland, where, as a trenchant Eurosceptic, he was kept quiet with a brief as unconnected with the EU as possible. But his new ministry is at the opposite extreme. In almost all it does, from agriculture and fisheries to waste management and water, Defra has long been little more than a front office for Brussels....’ To read more
The Front Page Observer Headline provided very clear evidence of the turn away from the Green Agenda by the Coalition Government. George Osborne's attempt to backtrack on green policies by supporting a new "dash for gas" ran into trouble after the incoming head of the government's climate change committee said future economic growth would be impossible without more renewable energy. The comments from John Gummer, who has been chosen to chair the independent climate change committee, came amid growing signs that the chancellor is leading a headlong government retreat from David Cameron's much-vaunted commitment to lead "the greenest government ever". Too read more:
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2203993/john-gummer-warns-dont-dump-green-agenda
The MCCIP Newsletter often has interesting articles on climate change. In this months the Australian Report card illustrating climate change impacts on oceans and ecosystems and further information on the record changes in this years Arctic ice melt.
Damian Carrington of the Guardian has produced an assessment of the new environment secretary .... But the most important issue is far broader: the fate of David Cameron's pledge to make his government the "greenest ever". As the economy has tanked, the Tory right has looked to bury that pledge in the name of growth at any cost. But environmental campaigners should prepare for deep disappointment: despite listing "trees" as an interest, Paterson is no treehugger. In May, he reportedly told the Cabinet that it should end all energy subsidies, such as those for wind and solar power, and fast-track shale gas exploitation. He also urged more aviation capacity, which seems far more likely now Justine Greening - implacably opposed to a third runway at Heathrow has been removed. As MP for North Shropshire, Paterson has spoken against wind farms and the new pylons needed to carry their power to the national grid.
His appointment marks a sharp lurch away from the green-minded policies which sheltered in the environment department and a significant weakening of the green voice at the Cabinet table.
His predecessor, Caroline Spelman, presided over the disastrous attempt to sell-off England's publicly owned forests and woodlands. But she spoke convincingly, if quietly, about the value of the nation's natural environment and the false economy of despoiling it in the desperate search for a quick fix to the recession. The responsibility for guarding the nation's natural capital now lies in Paterson's hands. To read the article in full:
This study was undertaken just as the UK Government increased its commitment to the adaptation agenda – at the same time as public-sector funding cuts reduced the scope and scale of climate change activities at the local level. The findings are relevant for all bodies operating at this level whose climate change adaptation activities affect vulnerable communities.
The study provides insight into how social justice can be incorporated into adaptation planning.
http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/socially-just-adaptation-climate-change
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