» Pollution



Greenpeace forces Waitrose to re-evaluate its commercial ties with Shell and Arctic oil exploration

After only 12 days of an intensive campaign, Waitrose has announced it has put its partnership with Arctic oil drillers Shell on ice. Following 40,000 emails, several store visits, one spoof video, hundreds of Facebook posts, a social media meltdown, and the appearance of a life-size polar bear at their Islington store, Waitrose has declared […]

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New Pembrokeshire power station to be investigated for impact on SAC

The European Commission has launched an investigation into the UK government’s approval of a £1bn gas-fired power station in Pembrokeshire. Pembroke Power Station, the largest of its type in Europe, opened last month and will power 3.5m homes. Following a complaint by Friends of the Earth, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has been […]

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Hawaii’s coral reefs are being seriously affected by disease

When compiling a list of places that may be described as paradise, Hanalei Bay on the rugged north shore of the island of Kauai surely qualifies. The perfect crescent bay, rimmed by palm trees, emerald cliffs and stretches of white sand, has always had a dreamy kind of appeal. It was on these shores that […]

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Mixed fortunes in Falkland Islands oil exploration

Exploration group Falkland Oil & Gas – one of four UK companies drilling for oil and gas around the islands – saw its shares halve in value after a disappointing update on its operations in the South Atlantic. Its AIM-listed shares fell to an all-time low of 32p after the company said that gas reservoirs […]

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IMO states that “ocean fertilisation” is illegal

IMO International Maritime Organisation Parties to the international treaties which regulate the dumping of wastes and other matter at sea have issued a statement of concern regarding the deliberate ocean fertilization activity that was recently reported to have been carried out in July of 2012 in waters off the west coast of Canada. The Contracting […]

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Oil companies going unpunished for thousands of North Sea spills

Oil companies operating in the North Sea have been fined for oil spills on just seven occasions since 2000, even though 4,123 separate spills were recorded over the same period, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) has confirmed. The disclosure came as Decc said on Thursday that the government had offered a “record-breaking” […]

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Innovative technology turns sewage into plastic

From Waterbriefing comes news of this excellent methodology of recycling. A ground breaking innovation will enable turning municipal sewage sludge into raw materials, to be used by paper and plastic industries around the world. The innovative technology developed by Israeli firm Applied Cleantech will enable turning the solids in municipal sewage systems into raw materials […]

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Victory at last for sewage pollution campaigners at Whitburn, Sunderland

Stephen Hughes, Labour MEP for the North East Region is celebrating the European Court of Justice’s decision against the UK government for non-compliance with EU environmental legislation in allowing sewage to be discharged into the North Sea from Whitburn (see full judgement here). Mr. Hughes pursued the problem of sewage in the sea as a […]

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Russia announces further delays in its Arctic drilling programme

Bellona news agency states:”The launch this year of drilling at Russian State gas monopoly Gazprom’s Prirazlomnoye field in the Pechora Sea off Russia’s northwest coast – one of the gas giant’s signature projects – has been put off until autumn of 2013, Russia media have reported. The announcement could signal a second blow to Gazprom’s […]

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Sunderland’s Roker promenade is experiencing seaborne sewage pollution

We record here a photograph submitted by marine pollution campaigner, Robert Latimer, of the evident seaborne sewage pollution that now affects Roker promenade, Sunderland. This follows on from our story ‘Blue Flag washed away’, posted 19th September 2012, about the recent loss of both Seaburn and Rokers Beach’s Blue Flags due to sewage pollution.

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IMO stands firm on ballast water and invasive species

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has called on governments and the shipping industry to take prompt and decisive action on a number of key issues.  In a keynote address to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Conference in London, 12th September 2012, Mr. Sekimizu told shipowners that they had the power to encourage their […]

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Shell halts Arctic drilling, but still defiantly optimistic about the safety of its operations

The man at the centre of Shell’s controversial drilling programme in the Arctic has said he is aware of the responsibility on his head but is convinced the Anglo-Dutch oil group is acting in a fully responsible and accountable way. Speaking after a huge ice floe forced drilling 70 miles off the north-west coast of […]

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Russia’s Gazprom halts Arctic oil drilling

Gazprom Neft has delayed the start of drilling operations at its offshore Prirazlomnoye oil field due to safety concerns, Reuters reported  The field is now expected to start producing oil in September or October of next year, a source at the company said. Earlier the company had said production would start this year.  “Work won’t start until the company can ensure complete safety,” a source close to the project […]

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Blue Flag washed away

The story of the loss of both Seaburn and Rokers Beach’s Blue Flags can be read from the Sunderland Echo’s website under the title ‘Water shame! Seaburn Beach loses coveted Blue Flag status’ at: www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/water-shame-seaburn-beach-loses-coveted-blue-flag-status-1-4920390 Keep Britain Tidy has also withdrawn the Blue Flag from 14 other beaches for the same reason, i.e. excessive levels […]

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Increased use of pesticides in Scottish fish farming is being challenged by a petition

The Care2petition website is carrying the following advice: “Fish farming is not always environmentally friendly, especially when it involves the use of large quantities of agricultural pesticides. In Scotland, intensive salmon farms use large quantities of pesticides to keep fish pests, notably sea lice under control. The sea lice are now developing resistance, and the […]

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Thames Tunnel opponents press for green alternative

From the newsletter of WaterBriefing dated Wednesday, 12th September 2012, we discover that opponents to Thames Water’s plans for a proposed super-sewer are continuing with their efforts to push for a green alternative to the Thames Tunnel and are urging that consideration to be given to the green solution as adopted by Philadelphia in the […]

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Unworthy of Worthing

WaterBriefing reports that for 14 hours on Sunday 2nd September many tonnes of untreated sewage was pumped into the sea at Worthing due to a “technical error”. According to Southern Water the pumps had become blocked the previous evening due to a build up of non-biodegradeable waste, so it was pumped to sea in order […]

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