Eco Chamber

Last month, a Nature’s Rights Bill entered the House of Lords. Its aim is to make nature a legal subject, seeing nature’s rights “ represented and enforced in legal and administrative processes ”.  But Conservative peer Lord Frost said that taking the bill seriously would require every individual and organisation “to pay obeisance to nature and its rights, as if it were some kind of goddess”,...

Four years ago, Burnham was interviewed on a Green Alliance podcast wherein he lauded Ed Miliband, now-energy secretary, as a “visionary”, gave his emphatic support for net zero amid the war in Ukraine, rejected fracking outright, and praised onshore wind.  But that was 2022.  Today’s political mood-music seems a far-cry from that time, with Reform UK surging ahead in this year’s local e...

In the book, The Dirty Man of Europe , it was said that without pressure from Europe, it was difficult to see how the UK would have made any environmental progress in the 80s and 90s. Many in the environment sector feared that the UK’s vote to leave the EU in 2016 would herald a return to its position as the ‘Dirty Man of Europe’. We’re now a  decade on from the Brexit vote, which saw then pr...

This month marks a decade since the Brexit vote and five years since the inaugural ENDS Power List – when Boris Johnson was the prime minister.   A place on the final list has become one of the UK environmental profession’s most sought-after accolades. Three environmentalists who have made the draw five years running are: Richard Benwell, chief executive at the Wildlife and Countryside L...

On Thursday 18 June, the make-or-break Makerfield by-election will take place. Burnham is standing as the Labour candidate and is expected to launch a leadership challenge should he win. But where does he stand on environmental policy?  To find out, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons speaks with ENDS Report senior reporter Shosha Adie, and the CEO of the Lancashire, Manchester and North...

In the last week blog posts and essays have been published by the former Labour leader, Sir Tony Blair, and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer – along with potential contenders for the top job – over the future of Labour policy, including on net zero.  Blair has called for the government to shift to the “radical centre” and remove those parts of the net-zero agenda which “prioritise clean energy...

In the UK, no chemical company has ever been prosecuted for PFAS-related claims. But environmental law firm Leigh Day is currently investigating potential legal action against AGC Chemicals Ltd. on behalf of the residents in Thornton-Cleveleys.  Now, documents unearthed by ENDS can reveal that representatives on behalf of the company knew that since the year 2000, one chemical used in its man...

There are more than 21,000 historic landfills scattered across England and Wales. Of these almost 1,300 are categorised as containing hazardous waste. In Surrey, new documents unearthed by an ENDS investigation show how irresponsible waste practices carried out between the 50s, 60s and 70s, could be coming to haunt the present.  This week, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Repo...

On 7 May, Labour lost control of the Welsh Senedd for the first time in history.  In Scotland, it recorded its worst ever result at a Scottish Parliamentary election, and in England, Labour lost 1,496 councillors as Reform UK and the Green Party made huge gains.  As the government sets out its legislative agenda in the King’s Speech this week, we ask what the political upheaval might mea...

This week, the team takes stock of the resignation of South East Water’s non-executive chair, Chris Train, who resigned following a damning report over the company’s leadership by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee.  But the MPs are not finished yet.  On this week’s ECO Chamber, podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report senior reporter Shosha Adie sit down to dis...

This week, the team takes stock of the thousands of people challenging  the giant poultry processor Avara Foods Limited, its subsidiary Freemans of Newent Limited, and the water company Welsh Water over pollution in the rivers Wye, Lugg, Usk and related tributaries.  The Wye catchment area is home to 24 million chickens, and lawyers are set to argue that the problem revolves around pollu...

Ahead of elections on 7 May, ENDS Report presents a podcast politics special in addition to your usual ECO Chamber episode. With polls suggesting Labour is facing crushing defeats across the country, we hear from a power house of special guests on what the implications could be for green policy if what is predicted comes to pass:  Ben Goldsmith, co-founder of Nattergal and a former non-execut...

The government has confirmed potentially far-reaching changes to England’s biodiversity net gain (BNG) policy.  These include exemptions for development sites 0.2 hectare in size, targeted exemptions for residential brownfield development, and a delay to the inclusion of nationally important infrastructure under BNG’s remit. But what does it all mean in practice?  On this week’s ECO...

On this week’s ECO Chamber, special guest Frankie Mayo, policy analysis and research lead at the energy think tank Ember, joins host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report news editor Pippa Neill to discuss the conflict between solar power and Reform UK. Heading into May’s local elections, Reform UK looks set to sweep more than 1,000 seats across England’s councils.  Party deputy, Richard Tic...

The Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has attacked Labour’s manifesto commitment to end new oil and gas licences as “reckless” and "catastrophic" in the middle of the global energy crisis. But with only 10% of the North Sea’s original reserves estimated to still be available for extraction, can it really help steer the country towards a more energy secure future?  On this week’s ECO Chamber, special...

Bentham is home to firefighting foam factory, Angus Fire, and ENDS has previously exposed the sky-high PFAS levels in the soils and groundwater on its site. Now, first-of-its-kind blood testing carried out as part of the ITV Exposure documentary ‘In Our Blood: The Forever Chemicals Scandal’ has opened a new chapter in the story. On this week’s ECO Chamber, special guest Martha Elwell, director of...

Last year, a review into nuclear regulations recommended a “radical reset” to speed up the build out of new nuclear infrastructure, and proved controversial for some of its radical proposals for environmental regulation. With the government response now out, green groups have expressed relief that the government stepped back from the most extreme reforms, but some lawyers have warned that its prop...

The space race is on but scientists are worried for our ozone. As this new frontier looks to expand with new investors, how should the environment sector respond? Plus, an unprecedented recommendation from the Environment Agency concerning PFAS. Listen to the ECO Chamber to find out more.  Once only the domain of US and Russian governments, the cost of launching things into space has come dow...

The Green Party’s by-election win in Gorton and Denton could represent a new dawn for environmental policy – or simply be a protest against the political status quo. That’s according to Shaun Spiers – the former head of the Green Alliance think tank and environmental veteran – who joined podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report senior reporter, Shosha Adie, on this week’s ECO Chamber po...

On this week’s ECO Chamber, special guest Jo Morley – the head of campaigns and advocacy at Surfers Against Sewage – joins podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report’s senior reporter, Shosha Adie, to discuss the new docuseries on sewage pollution. Last year, 124,717 hours of sewage poured into England’s bathing waters with 1,236 people reporting sickness after using the water. Can greate...

On 15 February 1996, the Sea Empress oil tanker ran aground off the Welsh coastline. It released tens of thousands of tonnes of crude oil into the waterway and left an indelible mark on environmental action.  On this week’s ECO Chamber, special guest Jamie Bevan from the Natural Resources Wales watchdog, joins host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report deputy editor Tess Colley, to discuss w...

Following the update, the government must for the first time bed in the Environmental Principles Policy Statement when assessing the costs, benefits and risks of its policies and programmes across Whitehall.  On this week’s ECO Chamber, special guest Ellie Strike from the Office for Environmental Protection, joins host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report news editor Pippa Neill, to discuss...

PFAS are a group of around 10,000 man-made substances, often dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ because of how long they last in the environment, with some linked to certain cancers.  On this week’s ECO Chamber, special guest Dr. Shubhi Sharma, scientific researcher at the CHEM Trust joins host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report news editor Pippa Neill, to discuss why the plan has been called “a...

In November last year, the economist John Fingleton published his recommendations for a “ radical reset ” for the nuclear sector, which included  changes to the Habitats Regulations. In just three months’ time, the government will present its plan for how to  implement Fingleton’s controversial recommendations across the whole Industrial Strategy. But some of the report’s evidence base h...

The government wants to create a new super regulator, which it says will be more “ integrated and empowered” and “guided by clear objectives and flexible mechanisms with appropriate safeguards” . But what do we know of this new super power to be? And why are some environmentalists already worried about its ability to hold water companies to account?  On this week’s ECO Chamber, host James Agy...