Eco Chamber

Successive governments have tried to undermine the Habitat Regulations as red tape that needs to be cut.

Most recently, critics have pointed to attacks on the regulations made under the previous Starmer administration, including the Planning and Infrastructure Act and legislation set to be brought forward following the Fingleton Review.

Those who want to water down the legislation point to data on falling species abundance, arguing the regulations aren’t working anyway.

But in a new report published by The Wildlife Trusts, Matt Browne, head of public affairs, joins podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons to discuss why the charity is arguing for the regulations to be kept safe and what needs to happen next to do that.

ENDS Report senior journalist Shosha Adie also discusses the Conservative Party’s latest attacks on net zero and their attempts to repeal the Climate Change Act 2008.

PLUS
Dame Angela Eagle’s pushback against Reform UK’s climate denial.

The Kidlington “super waste dump” in Oxfordshire that has been cleared.

And the Government’s new air pollution alert system.

The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 20 July, Andy Burnham became prime minister alongside his newly appointed secretaries of state, including Dame Angela Eagle who took the reins at DEFRA.

In the days that followed, new DEFRA ministers were announced, but it’s taken until now for their briefs to be confirmed.

In this week’s episode, ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter explains what the department’s minister will need to contend with as they get across their portfolios.

The team also speaks with Sam Riggs, an environmental barrister at 25 Bedford Row, about the government’s latest crackdown on waste crime, fly-tipping and the boosted powers for the Environment Agency.

Riggs believes the new fiscal powers granted to the EA will have little impact on the ground. Speaking with podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons, Riggs explains what needs to be done if DEFRA actually wants to ‘crackdown’ on waste crime.

PLUS
The montagu’s harrier chicks hatched in a secret location of England.
Campaigners take the government to court over Special Administration Regime arrangements with water companies
And the new ‘call in’ planning powers mooted for mayors

The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Labour entered government it pushed for a “reset” within the water sector promising tougher enforcement and major reforms.

The idea of a “powerful” single water regulator for England was mooted, that would replace Ofwat, parts of the Environment Agency and Natural England, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).

The head of the DWI, Marcus Rink, this month sat down with ENDS Report’s senior reporter, Shosha Adie to discuss why the so-called super regulator may not be all that super.

Plus, this week ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons also discusses the potential environmental consequences of the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework with special guest Pamela Chesterman, an environmental lawyer at Irwin Mitchel LLP.

Chesterman is optimistic about the new national planning blueprint but has concerns that in the short-term current local plans could now be considered “outdated” with a flood of planning applications likely.

PLUS

Hinkley Point C is now open to environmental information requests.
Billions more have been raised on customers’ water bills.
The Office for Environmental Protection’s new agenda under an environment of “real-term cuts”.

The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past few weeks, environmentalists have been celebrating the release of six young sea eagles into Exmoor National Park.

Their release means more than 50 have now taken flight across England since their reintroduction on the Isle of Wight in 2019.

However, a recent investigation by the wildlife watchdog Natural England has found that some sea eagles, found dead, had ingested enough rat poison for it to have contributed towards their demise.

Dorset has been a particular hotspot for the poisoned birds.

On this week’s episode, podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons asks, why?

With special guest Bob Elliot, the CEO of the legal campaign outfit Wild Justice, the pair discuss the importance of raptor reintroductions and the reality of what it takes to launch a successful wildlife crime investigation.

Alongside sea eagles, ospreys in England are also making a comeback.

The RSPB Campfield Marsh reserve in Cumbria has become the latest home to a pair of breeding ospreys, marking an end to their century-long absence from the bird charity’s reserves.

Elliot explains why the return of large birds of prey is so crucial for England’s natural environment to recover.

The team also looks at recently released data giving an update on England’s ailing water bodies.

PLUS

The Clacton by-election

The UK’s ‘largest ever’ pollution legal claim…

And the airport runway, running away in the courts…

The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Environment Agency has declared droughts across half of England, as parts of the country are experiencing the longest dry period in 30 years.

At the same time, wildfires have raged across the UK. Most recently, this has included the Dunwich Heath wildfire in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths protected area, which saw more than 150 hectares of rare coastal lowland heath burned.

On this week’s episode, the National Trust’s senior national specialist on climate adaptation, Keith Jones, tells the Eco Chamber what’s been lost, and what needs to happen next.

Jones explains how the National Trust is taking action now, but as a nation, he doesn’t believe the UK has the capacity to respond to a catastrophic wildfire event such as those seen in Europe this summer.
The podcast team also gets to grips with the recently assigned portfolios of DEFRA’s new ministers.

PLUS

The deaths of England’s sea eagles tied to rat poison
The bat nightmare of Lochmaben
And the river Ouse’s new charter

The ECO Chamber is brought to you by the journalists of ENDS Report.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.