http://uk.oneworld.net/article/archive/6053 en_GB_uk http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/58360 Scotland’s most powerful wind farm, Crystal Rig, opened this week. Friends of the Earth Scotland urge politicians to back further investment in onshore wind. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/58177 The proposed new Thames Gateway bridge will lead to more traffic congestion, air pollution and noise pollution, a new study for Transport for London has revealed. But campaigners have accused the study of downplaying the negative impacts of the bridge, which, they say, will cause even worse blight to local communities, while not necessarily creating the number of jobs promised. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/58056 Living near a petrol station or commercial garage may quadruple the risk of childhood leukaemia. A recent study in France has found a link between cases of acute leukaemia among youngsters and how close they lived to a petrol station or a garage carrying out car repairs. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/57799 The government will miss its target to recycle and compost at least 25 per cent of household waste by 2005, according to new figures. Eighty-nine local councils in England failed to improve recycling rates between 2001/2 and 2002/3, with the national rate increasing by just 2 per cent. Campaigners want more funding for recycling and penalties for underachieving local authorities. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/57520 Residents in Slough, west London, are fighting to remove the planning permissions for a monster incinerator on their doorstep. Severe health concerns, and the revelation of shady deals between the waste management company and local politicians, have led to public outcry and are fuelling a powerful public campaign. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/57324 The Scottish Executive "must avoid a repeat of the fridge mountain fiasco" when it comes to electrical waste, environmentalists urged this week. The warning follows the launch of a consultation into how electronic waste such as TVs and computers should be dealt with. Scotland produces over 42,000 tonnes per year - most of which ends up dumped. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/57218 Michael Meacher, the former environment minister, called for an official investigation yesterday into a nuclear fuel factory at Sellafield which has so far cost taxpayers more than £600m. He said that even as a minister he had been prevented from gaining access to the figures which the government used to justify opening the plant. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/57124 Nearly two-thirds of the British population support tough new laws to prevent GM crops contaminating food and farming, a new NOP World survey for Friends of the Earth reveals. The poll results are published as scarecrows descend on Parliament to meet with supportive MPs and lobby the government to protect the countryside and keep fields GM-free. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/57090 The government response to the Science and Technology Committee's report, Within REACH: the EU's new chemicals strategy, recognises the current impact that chemicals have on people, the environment and wildlife, but is weak in offering protection for them, says the WWF. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/56934 Local environment quality minister Alun Michael has proposed measures to allow local authorities new powers to crack down on perpetrators of environmental crime, including littering, graffiti, fly-positng, vehicle dumping and other anti-social environmental offences. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/56869 Environmentalists gave a cautious welcome today to the Chancellor's spending review, but warned that the devil will be in the detail. While welcoming the Chancellor's spending increases on the environment, particularly on reducing fuel poverty and increasing the efficiency of businesses using raw materials, they expressed concern about the new 10 year transport plan. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/56773 A new report, published to coincide with an international conference in London, finds that while elsewhere cities invest in parks to boost health, wealth and quality of life, an estimated £1.3bn has been wiped off spending on UK parks since 1979. Planning minister Keith Hill will assure the conference that the government is committed to providing access to quality green spaces. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/56557 A proposal for a large gas power station on Anglesey should be turned down on grounds of low energy efficiency, especially as it would use liquid natural gas (LNG) imported from the Middle East, say environment campaigners. Citing the dangers of LNG storage, Friends of the Earth is calling for reduced dependence on fossil fuels from the Middle East and a national energy storage strategy. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/56472 The "problems of success" suffered by South East England are the focus of the first meeting of the new Commission on Sustainable Development in the South East. The Institute for Public Policy Research is joining forces with county councils and other stakeholders to examine how the region can balance economic success with environmental and quality-of-life concerns. http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/56437 A new scheme will boost NHS hospitals’ use of locally produced and/or organic food at St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust, Tooting, South London, and three further pilot sites. The two year project is run by London Food Link (part of Sustain) in partnership with the Soil Association.