Campaigners demand answers to why Cuadrilla has stopped fracking. Neighbours of Cuadrilla’s shale gas site in Lancashire are living in an “information vacuum”, campaigners said today after an apparent pause in fracking for three weeks. Frack Free Lancashire accused the company of “refusing to engage” with the media and said local representatives who sought information about the Preston New Road site were being “fobbed off”. Cuadrilla said it had provided updates, where asked, to local people and the media. The company also said it was analysing data and taking advice on how to “optimise” the fracking programme within what it called “the very rigorous operating boundaries” of the regulations. Fracking began at Preston New Road on 15 October 2018 but it appears to have stopped after nearly three weeks on 2 November.
Drill or Drop 22nd Nov 2018 read more »
A proposal to allow “exploratory” shale gas drilling to go ahead without planning permission has been opposed by a number of councils. Concerns were voiced in a consultation over whether to allow exploration under “permitted development” rules, the same rules that cover small conservatories. Lancashire, Bolton, Brighton and Surrey are among the councils who have opposed the proposed change. In Bury, the proposals have been branded an “affront to democracy”. Fracking restarted at Little Plumpton, Lancashire, in mid-October but has since been halted three times because of earth tremors that exceeded guidelines.
BBC 23rd Nov 2018 read more »
As levels of greenhouse gases reach a new record, concerns are growing about the role of China in global warming. For years, the increase in the number of Chinese coal-fired power stations has been criticised. Now environmental groups say China is also backing dozens of coal projects far beyond its borders. Coal is the most damaging of the fossil fuels because of the quantity of carbon dioxide it releases when it’s burned.
BBC 23rd Nov 2018 read more »
Low-lying Vanuatu is considering suing fossil fuel companies and industrialised countries that use them for their role in creating catastrophic climate change, the foreign minister of the Pacific island nation said on Thursday. The comments came as the UN World Meteorological Organisation warned that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere had hit a new record in 2017, with no sign of slowing down. Vanuatu, with an estimated population of 280,000 people spread across roughly 80 islands, is among more than a dozen Pacific island nations that already face rising sea levels and more regular storms that can wipe out much of their economies.
Telegraph 22nd Nov 2018 read more »
Guardian 22nd Nov 2018 read more »
An old coal fired power station in Staffordshire could soon make way for more than 2,000 low carbon homes entirely powered by green energy under landmark regeneration plans unveiled by the site’s owner, French utility giant ENGIE. As part of UK efforts to transition away from coal power, the 1GW Rugeley Power Station closed down in 2016 citing poor market conditions. But the 139-hectare brownfield site now looks set to be transformed into “an entirely new sustainable and smart community”, said ENGIE, which will retain long-term ownership of the land. Confirming the “landmark” redevelopment plans earlier this week ENGIE said the mixed-use development had the potential to include more than 2,000 low carbon homes, including later-living communities, as well as a “substantial number” of commercial buildings. The wide-ranging plans have now been opened up for consultation. As master developer, ENGIE said that once redeveloped the site could be entirely maintained by green and renewable energy, up to half of which could be generated on site thanks to the development of smart homes that incorporate battery and solar PV technologies.
Business Green 23rd Nov 2018 read more »