Nitrogen footprint warning from European agency
Guardian Unlimited | 10 Apr 2011
New study says nitrogen pollution costs every person in Europe £650 a year in damage to water, climate, health and wildlife. Nitrogen pollution is costing every person in Europe up to £650 a year in damage to water, climate, health and wildlife, a study warns. Scientists behind the research said nitrogen was needed as fertiliser to help feed a growing world population - but suggested that eating less meat could reduce the amount of pollution caused by agriculture.
 England | Agriculture and Fisheries | Biodiversity | Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Health

Wild Atlantic salmon 'under threat' from escaped farmed fish and sea lice
Guardian Unlimited | 07 Apr 2011
Scottish salmon industry criticised by leading anglers group which says government fish farm inspections are 'too lenient'. Fish farms are being frequently hit by parasite infestations and mass escapes that threaten the survival of the UK's wild salmon stocks, a leading anglers' group has said....
 England | Biodiversity | Biodiversity and Trade | Fish Farming | Fisheries | Health | Health and Environment

All road users must be held accountable
Guardian Unlimited | 01 Apr 2011
We must bring equal protection and the potential for equal punishment to everyone on the road. Last week I presented a 10 minute rule bill in the House of Commons called "dangerous and reckless cycling (offences)". In 2007, Rhiannon Bennett was walking with friends on a pavement when a cyclist approached at speed yelling, "Move, because I'm not stopping." He hit Rhiannon who fell and smashed her head on the kerb. She was taken to hospital but died six days later.
 United Kingdom | Access to Information | Health | Transport | Urban Environment | Urban Planning

Farmers accused of cheating on TB slaughter rule by swapping cattle tags
Guardian Unlimited | 31 Mar 2011
Defra plans DNA tests for TB-positive cattle after farmers 'disguised affected cows' identity to avoid sending them to abattoir. Farmers in England face DNA checks on their cattle to prevent illegal swapping of their animals' identities, an action the government says increases the risk of TB...
 England | Health | Health and Environment | Livestock

Tiny traces of Japan radiation spread to Iceland
Reuters | 22 Mar 2011
Minuscule numbers of radioactive particles believed to have come from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant have been detected as far away as Iceland, officials said on Tuesday.
 Climate Change | Disasters | Health

Britain joins countries urging their citizens to leave Tokyo
Guardian Unlimited | 16 Mar 2011
Radiation levels in the Japanese capital were 10 times above normal levels at one point on Wednesday, prompting panic Britain France, Italy and Australia urged their nationals to get out of the capital, amid fears that a radioactive cloud could spread from the stricken nuclear reactors on Japan's...
 England | United Kingdom | Disasters | Health

Chris Young's innovation: bread matters
Guardian Unlimited | 27 Feb 2011
Bread matters. Well it certainly it does to 36-year-old Chris Young. After reading Dan Lepard's book, The Handmade Loaf, he completed a course with the UK's foremost champion for hands-on bread, Andrew Whitley (breadmatters.com), jacked in his job as a food and drink PR and became a volunteer proselytiser for the home-baked loaf. "It's the alchemy of it," he explains with great enthusiasm. "Just four basic ingredients can make so many things.
 United Kingdom | Environmental Awareness | Education

Air pollution worse than cocaine for triggering heart attacks, says study
Guardian Unlimited | 23 Feb 2011
Research into 'final straw' risk factors says traffic fumes greater population-wide threat than drug because of numbers exposed. Air pollution is a bigger trigger of heart attacks in the population than physical exertion, alcohol and taking cocaine, a study has shown. On an individual basis, cocaine raises the risk of a heart attack 23 times, says a study published in the Lancet.
 Air Pollution | Health | Industry | Pollution | Pollution Impacts | Transport | Urban Areas | Urban Pollution

EU to ban toxic chemicals in household plastics
Reuters | 17 Feb 2011
The European Union will ban six toxic chemicals within three to five years, three of which are commonly used in plastic household items, the EU Commission said on Thursday.
 Climate Change | Economy | Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Health | Initiatives | Policy

The UK needs a labelling scheme for GM-free meat
Guardian Unlimited | 10 Feb 2011
If meat and dairy from animals reared on GM feed is not labelled we allow crops without safety approvals to enter the food chainMost people don't like eating foods that have been genetically modified. Where they have a choice - that is, the products are clearly labelled and there are alternatives – they tend to avoid GM offerings. This is one reason why GM crops tend to form animal feeds or staple foods, where consumers either have no choice or no awareness.
 Environmental Awareness | Education | and Public Participation | Genetically Modified Organisms