Eco Chamber

As legally-binding nature targets loom in the years ahead, some campaigners say the government is at risk of being the first to ‘break nature law’. And that’s because according to the OEP this week, the chance to make a change on these targets before 2030 has ‘largely passed’.  On this week’s ECO Chamber, host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report senior reporter Shosha Adie speak with the O...

The global market in artificial intelligence is projected to hit $4.8 trillion by 2033, according to the UN’s latest analysis, and it seems all that anyone can talk about. But with its drain on water resources, and high energy demands, the technology could pose serious environmental risks.  As AI’s deployment in the environmental space gathers pace, how are the UK’s green professionals squari...

The government has announced that the flagship nature policy, biodiversity net gain, is set to see substantial revisions in 2026 with development sites up to 0.2 hectares in size to be exempt from the requirement.  Labour has also revised England’s national planning policy blueprint – the National Planning Policy Framework.  On this week’s ECO Chamber, host James Agyepong-Parsons sp...

In this episode, we investigate the representation of working class voices in the UK’s environment sector, reveal exclusive ENDS analysis on the industry’s make-up and hear from those trying to break glass ceilings. New ENDS analysis shows that of more than 260 environmental professionals surveyed, more than two-thirds of respondents felt that working class individuals are either significantly or...

The economist John Fingleton has published his recommendations to streamline planning laws for the development of UK nuclear power – and they could have implications far beyond the nuclear industry. The prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has endorsed all of Fingleton’s recommendations and in a speech last week, promised to go further citing “ well-intentioned, but fundamentally misguided, environment...

This week the government published its long-awaited Environmental Improvement plan. The report is intended to lay out how the government will deliver on the Environment Act 2021’s legally-binding targets. The reception has been mixed – but why has the prime minister’s words on the day sparked debate? On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber host, James Agyepong-Parsons, and ENDS Report deputy editor, T...

Climate negotiations at COP30 in Belém, Brazil have come to an end.  On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber special guest Dr Timo Leiter from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and a veteran of eight international climate conferences, shares his insights on the latest summit.   The ENDS Report team discusses the progress made – or not made – on trade...

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is nearing the end of its controversial passage in the House of Lords, with NGO lobby groups trying to come up with a compromise in a last minute huddle. Will they succeed? At the same time, a High Court challenge and a new report from the Environmental Audit Committee has added more fuel to the fire. The team also discusses the significance of an Oxfordshire p...

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is nearing the end of its controversial passage in the House of Lords, but a new last-minute amendment has caused fresh consternation among environmental experts.   On this week’s ECO Chamber, deputy editor Tess Colley and podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons get to grips with the bill’s latest changes alongside special guest Ben Kite, policy chair at...

Waste crime costs England's economy around £1 billion a year in damages, but a new inquiry has levelled accusations of “incompetency” at the Environment Agency in dealing with it. But the news has gone without comment from the regulator chief… In this week’s episode, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS editor Jamie Carpenter discuss the story with Dr Anna Willetts – an environmental w...

For years, a battle over nutrient neutrality has been raging in the courts.  This came to a head in the Supreme Court this month.  On this week’s podcast, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and deputy editor Tess Colley speak with lawyer Estelle Dehon KC from Cornerstone Barristers about the potential impacts of the ruling.  The trio also discuss the latest amendments to the co...

In May, Reform UK took control of Lincolnshire County Council - a region set to become home to  the UK’s largest solar farm..  With local opposition sounding the alarm over the project, the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice has warned that the project would “devastate thousands of acres of productive farmland and countryside in Lincolnshire”. This week, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-P...

The government wants to ‘build, baby, build’ 1.5 million homes before the turn of the decade but could flooding scupper its ambitions? Listen to the ECO Chamber to find out more…  Flooding is the UK’s most frequent natural disaster, affecting people, properties, businesses and places in the short-, medium-, and long-term, destroying critical infrastructure. This week, author and journalist Ka...

This week, ENDS Report’s news editor Pippa Neill speaks with ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons from the Conservative Party’s conference in Manchester with the lowdown on its plans to scrap the Climate Change Act, streamline nature regulators and abolish “carbon taxes”. In the studio ENDS senior reporter Shosha Adie also discusses the key takehomes of the Green Party’s Bournemouth conference,...

The government says it wants to “streamline planning rules” to kickstart the building of three “new towns” and a new environment secretary has promised to make DEFRA a department of growth. So is nature getting squeezed out?  ENDS Report’s deputy editor Tess Colley reveals her key takehomes from the Labour Party conference in Liverpool with Eco Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons. The team al...

Every week, the ENDS team enters the ECO Chamber to discuss the UK’s biggest green news stories and bring you up to speed on the latest developments in environmental policy. This week, ENDS Report’s deputy editor Tess Colley speaks with news editor Pippa Neil.  After obtaining never-before-seen documents, ENDS Report can reveal that the chemical manufacturer, AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd, is maki...

Every week, the ENDS team enters the ECO Chamber to discuss the UK’s biggest green news stories and bring you up to speed on the latest developments in environmental policy. This week, in a departure from business as usual, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons sits down with the creators of Boy Wasted – a Smoke Trail production for ENDS Report and De Groene Amsterdammer, developed with the supp...

In this finale episode, the team asks a disturbing question: what if there is not just one body, but  hundreds?  As the team join the dots between Britain and Turkey, they begin to uncover the awful scale of deaths, lies and secrets that are buried in our recycling. Boy Wasted is the thrilling three-part environmental true crime investigation, presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Ta...

It's a case that doesn’t make any sense: a boy's body found shredded in a bale of plastic, kept entirely secret. The team begin investigating the people who know about the death. When an eye witness comes forward, the allegations get even bigger.  Boy Wasted is the thrilling three-part environmental true crime investigation, presented by Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, and brought to you by ENDS R...

When a mystery body of a boy is found in a bale of recycled plastic in Turkey, a team of investigative journalists decide to work out what happened. They go looking for answers in industrial yards and dodgy offices, but the story gets more risky. Tensions explode in Istanbul and one of their team is arrested. But they have to know: who was the boy? And could it be linked to Britain? Boy Wasted is...

Every week, the ENDS team enters the ECO Chamber to discuss the UK’s biggest green news stories and bring you up to speed on the latest developments in environmental policy. This week, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with editor Jamie Carpenter about Reform UK’s party conference hosted at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham over the weekend.  With prominent fringe even...

There's a concrete yard with piles of plastic, and lying on the ground is the body of a boy - grotesquely ripped apart.   Who was he? And what really happened to him? A team of award-winning investigative journalists set out to find out. You can listen to all three episodes of Boy Wasted on the Eco Chamber podcast feed from 16 September 2025. A Smoke Trail production for ENDS Report and De Groene...

Every week, the ENDS team enters the ECO Chamber to discuss the UK’s biggest green news stories and bring you up to speed on the latest developments in environmental policy. This week, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with deputy editor Tess Colley about the chemicals industry’s attempts to influence UK politicians on regulating forever chemicals. But some experts have warned that th...

Every week, the ENDS team enters the ECO Chamber to discuss the UK’s biggest green news stories and bring you up to speed on the latest developments in environmental policy. This week, Eco Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with senior reporter Shosha Adie about a proposed golf course in the Scottish Highlands which one watchdog says has habitat-killing potential. The proposed Couls Link G...

Every week, the ENDS team enters the ECO Chamber to discuss the UK’s biggest green news stories and bring you up to speed on the latest developments in environmental policy. For today’s episode we bring you an ENDS exclusive on the levels of toxic forever chemicals detected at English airports described as “alarmingly” high by experts. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of 10,...