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By Barry Gardiner MP

Barry Gardiner argues that more needs to be done to protect our biodiversity and account for our Natural Capital in the face of increased threat from invasive pests and diseases, as demonstrated by the current Ash dieback crisis.

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By Barry Gardiner MP

Barry Gardiner argues the case for a third runway at Heathrow.

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By Barry Gardiner MP

Barry Gardiner argues that the Chancellor’s crusade against onshore wind, whatever the merits with his own backbenchers, is economically ill-judged.

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By Barry Gardiner MP

The natural environment is fundamental to supporting the basis of all economic value; yet the way we currently measure growth continues to ignore its rapid decline. With Rio+20 less than two months away, Barry Gardiner MP sets out why we urgently need to redefine the way we understand and measure national and global economic progress.

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By Barry Gardiner MP

We’re still waiting for the draft Water Bill the Government promised to publish in early 2012 for pre-legislative scrutiny. Here Barry Gardiner MP sets out the five priorities that the legislation must address.

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MPs from across London have today written to Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State for Environment, warning her that Boris Johnson is putting public health at risk by deliberately hiding London’s air pollution.

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In his Autumn Statement last year George Osborne said that he was committed to ensuring that EU law such as the Habitats Directive didn’t place “ridiculous costs on British businesses.” A review was subsequently launched into the implementation of the Habitats and Wild Birds Directives with view to reducing these “costs.” The results have now been published and far from identifying “ridiculous costs” it concludes that the Directives are working well in the vast majority of cases.

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The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published its Environmental Outlook to 2050. The report looks forward to 2050 and assesses what demographic and economic trends might mean for the environment if the world does not adopt more ambitious green policies.

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Defra has announced the results of the Environment Theme of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge. The challenge was launched to review the effectiveness of 255 environmental regulations and the cost to business of compliance. Of 255 regulations reviewed, 132 will be improved, mainly through simplification or consolidation; 70 will be kept as they are; and 53 will be removed.

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For the second time in less than two years Poland has vetoed targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. On Friday, Poland was the only EU Member State to reject the European Commission’s Roadmap for Moving to a Competitive Low Carbon Economy in 2050, which outlined a series of milestones for reducing emissions by 2020, 2030, 2040 and 2050.

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