Category Archives: Development
Consultations launched on major proposals for Wales’ environmental policy
The Welsh government is seeking opinions on two major new proposals for the future of Wales’ environmental policy. Following the announcement of Welsh Environment Minister John Griffiths in November last year proposing the development of a single body to replace … Continue reading
Green Policy in the Debt Crisis
Rather than spelling disaster for environmental funding, the current debt crisis could provide an opportunity to create a win-win scenario for the environment and economic recovery – that was the message from an Aldersgate Group panel debate in December last … Continue reading
From ‘Sliding Doors’ to a paradigm shift – What’s needed in Rio+20?
The Rio +20 Earth Summit, taking place in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012, needs to build upon the momentum begun by the last round of UNFCCC climate change negotiations in Duban, South Africa. That was the message of an … Continue reading
Jonathon Porritt discusses “The Growth Fetish and the Death of Environmentalism”
Yesterday evening, Jonathon Porritt, founder of Forum for the Future and chair of the Sustainable Development Commission, spoke at the annual Burntwood lecture, hosted by Institution of Environmental Science. In a dynamic talk, Porritt described the so-called “growth fetish” of … Continue reading
New Guardian campaign highlights nature preservation, piece by piece
A new campaign by the Guardian newspaper seeks to challenge ‘ill-conceived’ developments on nationally and internationally important habitats, by highlighting local campaigns against them from around the country. By collating a catalogue of developments, from large national projects to small … Continue reading
Communication Vital to Stem Biodiversity Loss
David Dickson, Director of SciDev.net, has written a very interesting piece on the network’s website, discussing the importance of effective science communication in stemming the loss of biodiversity. He states that scientists and others working to tackle biodiversity loss and … Continue reading
Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Launches Formally
The Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation programme has launched formally, following the approval of the Department for International Development. The ESPA programme, a partnership between the NERC, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and DFID, was established in 2007 but … Continue reading
Using Science for Humanitarian Aims
The Policy Lunchbox network today heard an extremely interesting presentation from Dr Anu Devi, Projects Coordinator at Science for Humanity. Science for Humanity is a charity, registered in 2007 and based at the University of Oxford, which matches science capability … Continue reading
A FRESH look at ecosystem services
Yesterday the BES Policy Team attended a very interesting symposium at the Royal Geographical Society, London, organised by the University of Nottingham. Over two years, an interdisciplinary programme of seminars has been funded by NERC and ESRC, aiming to encourage … Continue reading
UK Government to Increase Support for GM Crop Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Observer yesterday reported that the UK Government is set to increase support for the development of GM crops in sub-Sarahan Africa to the tune of £100m. In a new White Paper, the Government proposes to spend £80m on the … Continue reading