Section: Environment

Page of 14

Presenting… Christmas!

Plastic Free Axminster -

When we are being bombarded so early by big retailers, corner shops, charity shops etc, our thoughts cannot help but be pole vaulted to Christmas!  With 227,000 miles of wrapping paper used at Christmas in the UK, plus 6 million rolls of sellotape, that’s an awful lot of waste generated.  Sellotape is single-use plastic and […]

The National Emergency Briefing on 27.11.25: make sure your MP attends

Anthea Simmons

We talked to organiser Simon Oldridge (SO) about what those involved hope will be a watershed event on November 27 in Central Hall, Westminster. WCV: This looks very timely, coming after yet another COP and as we read that richer nations are quietly (or noisily) abandoning or watering down their net zero targets. What do […]

Time to celebrate unique tree species!

Ian Parsons

The south-west of England is a hotbed of newly evolved tree species. There’s a sentence you probably thought you would never read, but it is true. In Britain, we have numerous tree species that are endemic to these isles; they are unique species found nowhere else on the planet, species that evolved here after the […]

Extinction Rebellion stage striking protest in Bournemouth to expose COP30 “failure and hypocrisy”

Extinction Rebellion BCP

Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (XR BCP) held a striking silent actionon the morning of Sunday, 9 November, on Bournemouth Pier Approach, calling out what they describe as the “failure and hypocrisy” of the international COP climate talks ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. At 11:00, the group began with a two-minute silence. Participants […]

Cornish residents demand government ban destructive bottom trawling in marine protected areas: new poll

Editor-in-chief

84 per cent of Cornish residents support a ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs) Bottom trawling, which destroys reefs, seagrass and marine life, remains legal in all Cornish MPAs in the consultation despite bans elsewhere in the UK Iconic fish stocks are collapsing: cod in the Celtic Sea is down 98 per cent since 2012 and mackerel is down 78 percent over the last decade A new Cornwall-wide […]

Time for real change: democracy and climate justice

Editor-in-chief

Do we truly have the kind of democracy in our country which is fit for the challenges of the 21st Century? Does our government fairly represent the views and aspirations of voters? How can we best tackle and mitigate the effects of climate change? All these questions, and more, will be up for debate in […]

Devon quarry plan could put new nature protection laws to the test

Philippa Davies

On the surface it looks like another ‘conservation versus industry’ planning controversy, with the odds predictably stacked against nature and wildlife. A multinational quarrying company wants to expand its operations in Devon, which will mean destroying a large forest. As the company prepares its application for planning permission, a group of local residents are fighting […]

Environmenstrual Week – what is it?

Plastic Free Axminster -

One for the women and girls, whatever your age, but also for the gents because it is important to be informed and know how this subject is affecting the ladies in your lives. We’re halfway through Environmenstrual Week, organised by non-profit Women’s Environmental Network (WEN), to raise awareness of just what is in the period […]

From Poole to the Global South: marchers call for justice for people, animals and planet

Extinction Rebellion BCP

Activists, community groups and campaigners came together in Poole on Saturday 11 October 2025, for a march for climate justice. Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) organised the event as part of Black History Month. The march highlighted the deep links between the climate crisis, colonialism and corporate exploitation — both globally and […]

Communities to unite in Poole to march for climate justice

Extinction Rebellion BCP

Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) and allied groups will march through Poole on Saturday October 11, calling for climate justice and standing in solidarity with communities around the world on the frontlines of the climate and ecological crisis. The march will begin at Poole Park at midday and finish at Poole Quay […]

Is new oil drilling in Dorset a climate risk? Letter to the editor

Dorset Editor

Dorset Council is considering an application to extend a previously granted oil drilling plan for ten years. The decision was deferred last week by the Planning Committee after questions were raised about the “significance” of its greenhouse gas impact. It’s now likely to be decided in November or January. Objections were raised in 2023 when […]

New Report Raises Alarm Over BCP Council’s Use of Harmful Pesticides – 96 per cent of Chemicals Used are Toxic to Aquatic Life

Steve Harper

A new independent review of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s weed management programme has raised serious concerns about the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The analysis carried out by local environmental researcher Steve Harper, found that 49 of the 51 chemicals used by the council in 2024 – […]

It’s all about power…

Plastic Free Axminster -

A Global Plastics Treaty, wouldn’t that be fantastic? An agreement between all nations, in essence to drive down plastic pollution, from extraction to production to final disposal. Five previous rounds of talks and negotiations could not resolve the impasse to accomplish this in order to limit the rampant damage to our shared planet. Why did […]

The weather systems of masculinity

Lucas Brendon

Knock on the doors of the manosphere, and what I have discovered isn’t merely a collection of grievances and muscle-flexes – it’s an entire microclimate, its own weather front pressing against the future. Here, in these digital territories, fossil-fuelled bravado becomes the very air young men are taught to breathe, each exhale a small act […]

Why oceans matter to the future of Earth

May Puckey

“I sometimes think my vision of the sea is the clearest thing I own” – Sylvia Plath This month, I wanted to write about the sea and its importance for two reasons – firstly, because of David Attenborough’s popular new documentary ‘Ocean’ (which I unfortunately still haven’t had the opportunity to watch as yet) and, […]

Drowning in plastic?

Plastic Free Axminster -

You may have heard about the ‘flex-collect’ three-year trial currently under way, which involves kerbside collections of specified soft plastics as part of the usual weekly collection by some councils. Recoup reported that the UK produced 309,000 tonnes of flexible plastic packaging, but only 8 per cent of this was collected for recycling. The aim […]

Dorset set to become incinerator central. Join the protest!

Greg Lambe

We have covered the resistance to the incinerator plans before, but, sadly, it seems people have to protest yet again. Local residents are angry that the BCP Planning Committee have made a summary recommendation to grant permission for MVV to build their proposed waste incinerator in Canford. The BCP Planning Committee are meeting at 1pm […]

What do the local election results mean for the environment?

May Puckey

Hi there, my name is May and I’m a 17-year-old from East Devon who’s passionate about finding solutions to the climate crisis. Although local elections can seem less important than general elections, in reality they have a significant effect on setting the agenda for local policy, including on issues surrounding the environment and climate change. […]