The Way to a Better World

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty where ‘no one gets left behind’, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. (The United Nations convened the SDG Summit on 18-19 September 2023).   

Halfway through the target plans, and it is predicted that the 2030 agenda will not be met. We need a GLOBAL RESCUE plan! 

A UN report has warned of a global water crisis and an imminent risk of shortages due to overconsumption and climate change. Ten percent of the global population continues to live in poverty. The global temperature has now risen by, ‘the safe limit’ of 1.5^oC – what’s next? 2-degree, 2.5-degree, 3-degree targets?  

What does this mean for our Earth?  Melting glaciers, raising sea levels, warmer oceans, ocean acidification, extreme weather to name a few.  Some impacts include flooding of coastal regions, damage to marine ecosystems, conflict and climate migrants, failure of crops and starvation, forest mortality and increased risk of fires, loss of biodiversity, damage to infrastructure and unpredictable weather (flash floods and heatwaves). 

So, why is our government backing for new oil and coal, airport expansion plans? 

Hundreds of new oil and gas licences will be granted in the UK (31 July) as the UK Government continues to back the North Sea oil and gas industry as part of a drive to make Britain more energy independent.  What about green energy? 

Approval for Rosebank, which could produce an estimated 300 million barrels of oil in its lifetime, is expected soon.

Cumbria is set to be the location for the UK’s first major coal mine in more than 40 years. Haig Colliery opened in 1916 and provided employment in Whitehaven. West Cumbria Mining now wants to build a deep shaft coal mine to dig out coking coal. It would be used to fire blast furnaces that make steel. The government’s advisory Climate Change Committee says 85% of the coal produced is likely to be exported. 

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), which is an independent environmental regulator established by the Environment Act 2021 to hold the government accountable after Brexit, has issued a warning about the proposed amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which aims to improve the housing supply provision in England, as they could reduce environmental protections currently set in law. The amendments include changes to the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations which would allow certain environmentally damaging activities to proceed without “appropriate assessment” of the impact of nutrients, which could result in a severe impact on protected wildlife sites.

The Government’s new analysis released in March has implied that the 2030 Paris Agreement target to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, is not set to be met, and notably The Climate Change Committee described government efforts to scale up climate action as “worryingly slow” and the report warned “continued delays in policy development and implementation” meant reaching any climate agreements were “increasingly challenging”. 

Powering Up Britain paper plans setting out how the government will enhance our country’s energy security, seize the economic opportunities of the transition, and deliver on our net-zero commitments.

The document includes:

• delivering Great British Nuclear, a programme to driving new nuclear projects in Great Britain
• delivering a hydrogen economy
• accelerating deployment of renewables
• reducing our reliance on fossil fuels to heat our buildings, with an ambition to phase out all new and replacement natural gas boilers by 2035
• decarbonising transport, with a final consultation on the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate
• making a world-leading commitment to Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage, which includes eight new projects

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a way to catch carbon and trap it beneath the earth. It is different to carbon dioxide removal (CDR) — where carbon is sucked out of the atmosphere — although some of the technologies overlap. The key difference is that CDR brings down the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, cooling the planet, while CCS in fossil fuel plants and factories prevents the gas from getting out in the first place.

Controversial:
• We need to push for options to avoid CO2 – not give fossil fuel giants gain access from policymakers a “social licence to operate”
• More weight on societal shifts — like cutting energy demand need to be prescribed
• CCS goes to capturing carbon when making electricity, BUT consider cleaner alternatives that work better, like wind turbines and solar panels
• A benefit to what fossil fuel companies call enhanced oil recovery — pumping carbon dioxide underground to push out more oil from drying wells

This year – COP28 on the Paris Agreement, Conference of the Parties to the Convention will be held in Expo City Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates during 30 November – 12 December.  The President-Designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber is also chief executive of ADNOC, the national oil and gas company of Abu Dhabi – How can this person (oil and gas tycoon) attempt to deliver humanity’s redemption from the climate crisis?   Dubai will welcome “over 140 heads of state, senior government leaders, over 70,000 participants and more than 5,000 media professionals.”

The government is delaying putting into effect new environmental laws forcing developers to improve countryside and wildlife habitats. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) was meant to become a mandatory part of the planning system in England (Environment Act 2021) but will not be introduced this year.  The rules are designed to ensure developers leave the natural environment in a measurably better state (a min of 10%) than it was beforehand.  Habitats and wildlife impacted by development would be given a biodiversity value using a government-developed metric ‘calculator’ (very difficult to find!).

The UK government has authorised the emergency use of a type of pesticide almost entirely banned in the EU because of the harm it can cause bees. Studies have shown that the group of pesticides (neonicotinoids) damage the nervous systems and navigational abilities of bees and other pollinators. The pesticides can also end up in streams and rivers and harm aquatic life and is persistent in the environment. Their outdoor use was banned in almost all EU countries in 2018. The environment secretary said at the time, the UK was in favour because it couldn’t “afford to put our pollinator populations at risk”.

In addition, Therese Coffey has indicated that glyphosate herbicide, which is the key ingredient in the weedkiller is necessary for farmers who are “desperate” to continue using it. The banned herbicide is “absolutely fine” to use and is “critical for regenerative farming, says environment secretary expressed her support for the weedkiller during an address to the National Farmers’ Union. “Like any chemical, it’s about a risk management process, and I think that is successful within farming”. 

Note: Glyphosate – Toxicity to fish LC50, Toxicity to aquatic invertebrates, Chronic toxicity to aquatic invertebrates, Toxicity to other organisms LD50 (Apis mellifera (bees) and earthworms.

The Prime Minister confirmed that Phase 2a of the HS2 scheme, the Birmingham–Manchester leg, has been cancelled.  However, ecosystems have already been permanently damaged. Irreplaceable habitats destroyed. Taxpayer’s money spent on habitat restoration wasted. Wildlife extinctions at a local level.  HS2 Ltd has not been held accountable for these miscalculations and nature is set to lose out. 

Following the ban in 2022 on single-use straws, stirrers and cotton buds containing plastic – from 1^st October, shops, takeaways, food vendors and other hospitality businesses will no longer be able to sell single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks, polystyrene cups, or food containers.  However, it is frustrating to know that supermarkets can continue using plastic plates, bowls and trays for pre-packaged food such as pre-filled salad bowls, ready meals, and snacks.  What happened to good old home-made packed lunches?  We continue to wage war on single use plastic! 

To read the 3rd and final part, State of Nature 2023, click here.