Case Studies Category
-
Bids invited for shale gas exploration
The Government has opened the bidding process for companies seeking licences to explore for shale gas. The licences won't give absolute agreement to drill beyond the exploratory stage, as any further drilling will require planning permission plus permits from the Environment Agency and a sign-off from the Health and Safety Executive. In addition, some specific planning guidance has been prepared for: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; World Heritage Sites; National Parks; and The Broads The Department of Energy & Climate Change will ...
-
Britain’s recycling stalls
British recycling is stalling: recycling rates rose just 0.2% between 2012 and 2013, partly because of the disjointed way recycling is organised across the UK. A new report from environmental think-tank, Green Alliance, claims the UK's recycling market isn’t working too well, to the extent that we are losing an estimated £1.7 billion in material and reuse value each year. Outdated policy means that a plastic bottle discarded at home is treated differently across the UK’s 376 ...
-
Policy strengthening required to meet UK carbon budgets
A new report from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) concludes that the UK's carbon budgets can be met but only if the Government strengthens its key policies. The CCC’s latest progress report to Parliament says that the first carbon budget has been met but partly as a consequence of the recession. There has been strong progress in improving the fuel efficiency of new cars and the foundations have been laid for the electric vehicle market and ...
-
“Modest” amount of gas and oil in Scotland’s Midland Valley
The British Geological Survey’s report on gas and oil in the Midland Valley, Scotland, suggests only "modest" amounts of both are in place. The central estimate of shale gas in place is 80 trillion cubic feet; the central estimate for shale oil in place is six billion barrels; but exploratory drilling is needed to determine how much of the gas and oil can be technically and commercially recovered. Amounts are expected to be substantially lower than the ...
-
Renewable electricity generation up 43%
Government figures out today show the progress made against the UK’s 15% target under the 2009 EU Renewable Directive. Provisional calculations show that 5.2% of final energy consumption in 2013 came from renewable sources; up from 4.2% in 2012. There was significant growth in the contribution of renewable electricity, up 30%; whilst renewable heating and renewable transport contributions also rose. In addition, renewables share of electricity generation (hydro, wind and other renewables) increased from 12.4% in 2013 Q1 ...
-
Renewable energy seals sale of one of Scotland’s largest estates
Knight Frank has revealed that it has acted in the sale of one of the largest Scottish estates which had an £11 million price tag on account of significant income potential from generating hydro-electricity. The 28,300-acre Auch & Invermearan Estate in Argyllshire and Perthshire has the potential for 15 hydro-electric schemes, one of which has already been commissioned, generating a gross income of £245,000 in its first year of operation. According to the firm, the estate also ...
-
Go-ahead for East Anglia offshore wind farm
The East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm has been given development consent by the Department for Energy and Climate Change. The installation will comprise up to 240 wind turbine generators with a capacity of 1200MW, to be located 43km from the Suffolk coast. It is expected to support almost 2,900 jobs and bring over £520 million of investment into the UK’s economy.
-
Economic risks of climate change get bigger
The economic risks from unchecked climate change are bigger than previously estimated, according to a new paper by Professor Lord Stern, chair of the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, and Simon Dietz, who is a co-director. The study warns that the standard DICE model, used in a wide range of economic studies of the potential impacts of climate change, does not reflect the full extent of the risks because it "embodies a false assumption ...
-
New measures to strengthen bovine TB controls
In a new consultation, the Government is proposing further measures to strengthen the UK's bovine TB cattle controls, as follows: The removal of pre-movement exemptions for cattle moving between several holdings under the same farm ownership, known as Sole Occupancy Authorities. This will remove the possibility of some cattle keepers in the high risk and edge areas moving their animals over long distances without any TB testing. There will still be the ability to move cattle ...
-
Cash to promote and inform on EU agricultural produce
Trade organisations representing UK agricultural sectors have a fresh chance to apply to the Rural Payments Agency for EU funding towards promotion and information programmes for agricultural products. Producers of one or more of the products listed below can apply for up to half the cost of marketing their goods abroad in a scheme designed to raise awareness and increase sales of EU food products. The application process for the two schemes, one for internal markets (EU ...
