Tree Aid has raised a grand total of £638,091 to fund new work to tackle the effects of deforestation in the midst of the climate crisis, with support from the UK public and match funding from the UK government.

The UK government matched all public donations to the She Grows appeal through UK Aid Match between 1 April and 30 June this year.

The humanitarian and environmental charity exceeded its fundraising target and can now fund a three-year project in Mali to give one thousand women the tools and training they need to save and replant their local forest, and earn a sustainable living from trees. 

Empowering women 

Zoë Wanamaker, who has supported the appeal, said: “Thank you so much to everyone who donated to Tree Aid’s appeal. I have been a patron for over 20 years and I know that it changes people’s lives.

The actress added: “The new She Grows project will empower one thousand women in Mali, who are adversely affected by climate change, to lift themselves out of poverty. It is about helping people to help themselves.” 

The news is a glimmer of hope following the new landmark report from the world’s leading climate science organisations, launched at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in September.

The report demonstrated that the last five years are on track to be the warmest of any equivalent period on record, and widespread heatwaves, record-breaking fires and other devastating events such as floods and drought have had major impacts on socio-economic development and the environment. This is felt most acutely by those living in poverty. 

John Moffett, the chief executive of Tree Aid, said: “People in the drylands of Africa are among the most vulnerable in the world to the effects of climate change.

“Women especially depend on the land to feed their families and support their children, but a vicious cycle of deforestation, climate change and land degradation is making their lives more difficult. Thankfully, trees offer hope and a practical solution to the climate crisis.”

Devastating impacts

He added: “We are so grateful to everyone who supported our appeal and we are looking forward to helping one thousand women to transform their lives and environment at this very critical time.”

The She Grows appeal raised £343,542 from the UK public and, with match funding from the UK government, reached a grand total of £638,091. 

Alok Sharma, the International Development Secretary, said: “I am delighted the UK government has matched the British public’s generous donations to Tree Aid’s She Grows appeal.

“This money will reverse some of the devastating impacts of deforestation in Mali by providing women with the tools and training they need to replant their local forest.”

The match funding from the UK Government will be used to fund the new Tree Aid project in Mali. Donations from the UK public will fund similar work, helping communities across the drylands of Africa to grow their way out of poverty.

This Author

Marianne Brooker is The Ecologist’s content editor. This article is based on a press release from Tree Aid. 

Boris Johnson’s government has given itself till 2037 to meet any future legally-binding targets to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution, and restore nature.

The draft environment bill, published earlier this week, states that targets for these four priority areas must be published by 31 October 2022. But the date for actually meeting these targets must then be set “no less than 15 years after the date on which the target is initially set” – giving the government till 2037 at the earliest to meet the targets.

Interim targets will be set, but these would not be set out until 2022, and these will not be legally binding, according to the bill. This means that even if Johnson were to serve three full terms as Prime Minister, he would never have to achieve any of the targets being set out by his own government. 

Progress

Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, which exposed the loophole, said: “What good are legally-binding targets if they can’t be enforced for almost two decades? Boris Johnson may have long since retired and the youth climate strikers at least doubled in age by the time the government is required to meet its environmental obligations in 2037.”

The campaign group pointed to the government’s track record of missing environmental targets, including the fact that it had abandoned goals to conserve 50 percent of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), by area, by 2020.

In addition, the government’s new regulatory body, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), will not be able to fine the government for any compliance failures, and its chair will be appointed by the secretary of state, raising fears over its independence.

A spokesperson for the environment department (DEFRA) said that it needed to give businesses and the public sufficient time to make changes to reach the goals set in the bill. Long-term targets were used in other sectors, such as planning and housing, he pointed out.

In addition, the government will be required to consider progress towards the targets every five years, and set new five-yearly interim targets towards them, he said.  What he didn’t say was that polluting corporations and their various lobby groups would also have significant time to sway public opinion and convince politicians to undermine the new targets regime. 

This Author

Catherine Early is a freelance environmental journalist and chief reporter for The Ecologist. She can be found tweeting at @Cat_Early76.

Extinction Rebellion and the youth strikes have successfully managed to keep the climate crisis high up the political agenda.

With this sustained attention, and a wider climate movement pressuring the government and major institutions, serious action to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could be within reach.

Discussions about reducing GHG emissions have largely focussed on the energy and transport sectors, which are still responsible for the highest share of total emissions.

Animal agriculture

But with substantial progress being made in clean energy production and a clear way forward for electrification of transport, attention is increasingly turning to food and agriculture.

According to the Committee on Climate Change 2019 progress report, agriculture contributes 10 percent of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions and, crucially, has made no emissions reductions for more than a decade.

More than half of these emissions are directly attributable to farmed animals, either in the form of methane from the digestive processes of ruminant animals (cows and sheep) or in the form of nitrous oxide resulting from animal waste.

But this is only part of the story. Grazing land occupies nearly one third of the UK landmass.

The rearing of animals at this scale limits the potential for reforestation and largescale habitat restoration which could help curb the global temperature rise by capturing carbon dioxide from the air.

Worse still, animal farming uses up a huge amount of arable land through its demand for feed crops and is the leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon.

NFU response

Despite this stark reality, the sector has shown no willingness to reduce the numbers of animals in the system. So many were surprised when Minnette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union, announced at its conference in January that the sector would aim for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

The target appears ambitious and was welcomed by many UK environmental bodies. So how do the NFU plan to achieve this? In September we got the answer. Unfortunately, it isn’t the one many were hoping for.

The NFU released its Achieving Net Zero: Farming’s 2040 Goal, a short report which describes where these emissions reductions would come from. The report lays out three pillars:

• Improving farming’s productive efficiency
• Improving land management and changing land use to capture more carbon
• Boosting renewable energy and the wider bioeconomy

So far so good. But despite being the leading cause of agricultural emissions, there is absolutely no mention of reducing or limiting the role of animal agriculture. 

Under the first pillar the NFU lists a series of technical measures such as gene editing, feed additives, reducing soil compaction and efficiency measures. But tweaking production can only go so far and, even in the NFU’s plan, these measures get them less than a quarter of the way towards their net zero emissions target.

The second pillar talks about better soil and land management, restoring wetland, improving hedgerows and tree planting. This should be welcomed as any additional habitat restoration is a desperately needed lifeline for UK wildlife.

But the report side-lines tree planting and seeks only to sequester 0.7 million tonnes of C02 per year through woodland cover, less than 1.5 percent of their planned emissions reductions.

To put this into perspective, if all grazed pasture land in the UK was reforested it would sequester around 1,900 million tonnes of C02. Again, the decision to side-line woodland planting is intended to mask the uncomfortable truth: that large-scale carbon capture through reforestation means reclaiming land that is currently devoted to grazing animals.

Alternative solutions

Instead, NFU’s plan achieves most of its net zero target through its third pillar, which relies heavily on increasing biofuel production. This is worrying for two main reasons. Firstly, the growing of energy crops for biofuel directly competes with crops for human consumption, taking land that is perfectly suitable for growing food to meet the nutritional needs of the UK.

Secondly, the emissions produced when biofuels are used need to be captured and stored. This form of technology, known as bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS), remains underdeveloped and costly.

Rob Baily, director of energy, environment and resources at Chatham House described BECCS as a speculative technology which offers “little promise due to a variety of economic and technical hurdles”.

A recent report by the Green Alliance thinktank offers a much more realistic alternative by prioritising habitat restoration. It also mirrors the latest Committee on Climate Change report by recognising the potential for reductions in animal agriculture and the potential to reduce emissions by changing UK diets.

But we should be even more ambitious than this, supporting a transition to plant-based agriculture in the UK and a commitment to reforest and restore large areas of the uplands. The Vegan Society’s Grow Green campaign is pushing for changes in law to support British farmers and land managers to make this transition.

This approach can meet the nutritional needs of the UK population, keep us within ecological limits and help us meet our obligations on climate change.

This Author

Tim Thorpe is a campaigns and policy officer at The Vegan Society. He has a background in environmental science and conservation and is passionate about farming and environmental issues. Interested in veganism and the environment? Why not take the seven-day planet-saving vegan pledge at www.vegansociety.com/plateup.

Halloween costumes sold by some of the UK’s biggest retailers will contain the equivalent of 83 million plastic bottles, a study suggests.

A staggering 83 percent of the material in the costumes is oil-based plastic, an investigation of 324 clothing lines sold by 19 retailers by the environmental charity Hubbub and nature charity The Fairyland Trust found.

The most common plastic polymer found in the clothing sampled was polyester, making up 69 percent of the total of all materials. The study predicts that the costumes will add up to 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste in the UK this year.

Reuse

Both charities are urging families to avoid adding to problems caused by plastic waste by creating their own costumes from existing or second-hand clothing.

They are also calling on manufacturers and retailers to rethink product ranges for seasonal celebrations and for better and consistent labelling to help customers choose environmentally-friendly options, saying they believe many shoppers do not realise that materials like polyester are in fact plastic.

Chris Rose, from the Fairyland Trust, said: “The scariest thing about Halloween is now plastic. More costumes are being bought each year as the number of people participating in Halloween increases.

“Research by Hubbub estimated that 33 million people dressed up for Halloween in 2017 and a shocking four in 10 costumes were worn only once. This means it’s vital that we all try and choose costumes that are as environmentally friendly as possible.

“Concerned consumers can take personal action to avoid buying new plastic and still dress up for Halloween by buying from charity shops or reusing costumes to create outfits, or making their own from non-plastic materials.”

Responsibility

Trewin Restorick, chief executive of Hubbub, which is working with the all-party parliamentary group looking into the environmental sustainability of the fashion industry, said: “The amount of plastic waste from Halloween costumes is similar to the weight of plastic waste generated at Easter in egg-wrappings.

“However, the total plastic waste footprint of Halloween will be even higher once you take into account other Halloween plastic such as party kits and decorations, much of which are also plastic, or Halloween food packaging, most of which quickly becomes rubbish and, ultimately, breaks down to be plastic pollution.

“Retailers must take greater responsibility to offer ranges for seasonal celebrations that don’t worsen the already worrying impact of plastic waste on our planet.”

Paula Chin, sustainable materials specialist at WWF, said: “There is nothing scarier than our throwaway culture.

“By reducing the amount of plastic we buy, embracing reusable items and taking responsibility for our waste, we can make sure Halloween is suitably spooky and sustainable.”

This Author

Josie Clarke is a consumer correspondent with PA. 

A project to return rivers to a more natural state where they meander “like the branches of a tree” is being brought in to help wildlife and tackle flooding.

The National Trust said the project at Holnicote Estate in Somerset is the first of its kind for the UK and will allow rivers to flow through multiple channels, pools and shallow riffles as they would have done before human interference.

It differs from more conventional river restoration projects which bring back the bends or “meanders” in a single straightened stream, and aims to reconnect the water courses with their original flood plains.

Wetland

It is hoped the scheme will reduce the frequency of flooding – which could become more common with climate change – by slowing the flow of water. It could help with other impacts of climate change such as drought by holding more water in the landscape, the Trust said.

And it could boost wildlife such as threatened water voles by improving riverside habitat.

Work has already begun to return a tributary of the River Aller, on the edge of Exmoor, to its original flow to allow natural river and wetland processes to develop across 10 acres of land.

If successful, it will be developed across a 33-acre site on the River Aller itself.

The approach, known as Stage 0 and based on successful projects in the US, will use diggers to move earth and recreate channels that allow the water’s natural flow, mud and wildlife to rebuild a stream and wetland system.

Streams

And some habitat restoration will be “fast tracked” using wood debris and key plant species.

The creation of a more natural landscape will help a range of plants and animals, including 300 water voles released on the estate by the conservation charity in the past year.

It will allow a landscape which has been drained and intensively grazed in the past to become re-wetted and develop naturally, and the Trust said it will see how the habitat develops before making decisions on future management.

Ben Eardley, project manager for the National Trust, said: “Many streams and rivers have become disconnected from the surrounding landscape through years of land drainage and mechanised flood control.

“Conventional river restoration projects typically ‘re-meander’ straightened streams, working on the assumption that these streams were single channelled before human interference.

River

“But there is strong evidence that prior to disturbance many watercourses naturally flowed through multiple branching channels, a bit like the branches of a tree.”

He said that over hundreds of years people had simplified and concentrated rivers into single, straight channels which have been disconnected from the landscape, moving water rapidly down stream and providing no buffer against floods, droughts or the loss of topsoil.

He added: “With an increase in flooding and droughts predicted through climate change we need to make our landscapes more resilient to these challenges.”

The scheme is being run in conjunction with “Interreg 2 Seas Co-Adapt” – a European programme covering England, France, the Netherlands and Belgium – and the Environment Agency.

It is also part of the National Trust’s Riverlands project, where more than £14 million will be spent on seven river catchment schemes around England and Wales.

This Author

Emily Beament is the PA environment correspondent.

Extinction Rebellion has expressed its regret over ugly scenes in east London during Thursday’s rush hour, after an activist was dragged to the ground from the top of a Tube train.

The group acknowledged the action at Canning Town Tube station was “divisive” and said several of its members had acted “autonomously”. But it maintained that the actions were planned within their core principles of compassion and non-violence.

Furious commuters at the crowded station lobbed drinks at one protester before he was yanked from the train to the platform floor, much to the apparent delight of the cheering crowd.

Divide

Video shared on social media showed protesters holding a sign which read “Business as usual = death”, while the activist pulled to the floor appeared to kick out at the commuter who pulled him down.

In a statement, Extinction Rebellion said: “It is regretful that there was violence at today’s action at Canning Town tube station. We would like to express our sadness that events escalated this way.

“We are aware that one of our activists responded in self-defence in a moment of panic when confronted by a threatening situation. He acknowledges his accountability for this action and we offer gratitude for members of the public who helped to protect him.”

The group apologised for the disruption caused to commuters, but said the incident should not create “unnecessary division”.

“Rather than let this incident divide, at this moment of heightened attention, we think it is right to reach out to you, to invite you to have a conversation about what happened today,” the statement added.

Work

“In light of today’s events, Extinction Rebellion will be looking at ways to bring people together rather than create an unnecessary division.

“The people involved today did not take this action lightly. They were a grandfather, an ex-Buddhist teacher, a vicar and a former GP, among others, who acted out of rational fear for the future as this crisis deepens.”

British Transport Police said eight people had been arrested on suspicion of obstructing the railway on Thursday morning, and also urged commuters not to “take matters into their own hands”.

A member of Transport for London (TfL) staff appeared to intervene to stop people from attacking the male XR activist further by holding them back.

One man yelled: “I need to get to work, I have to feed my kids,” while others shouted insults at activists.

Disruption

British Transport Police also said they were investigating the response from commuters, and acting chief constable Sean O’Callaghan added: “It is important that commuters and other rail users allow the police, who are specially trained, to manage these incidents.”

XR spokesman Howard Rees, 39, told the PA news agency: “Was it the right thing to do? I am not sure. I think we will have to have a period of reflection. It is too early to say. I think we need to take stock of it.”

Mr Rees, a PR worker from London, said the intention was not to “inconvenience hard-working people”, and said he did not think the apparently unsympathetic mood on the platform was indicative of a decrease in public support, despite many posts on the XR London Facebook page expressing concern that the stunt was counterproductive and should not have gone ahead.

He said: “It is not our intention to target individuals or inconvenience hard-working people. We’re in a life or death situation right now. The only thing the Government is interested in is money, so that’s why the transport system was targeted.

“If you’re causing disruption but people are impacted, it is nothing compared with the disruption that is coming down the line, let me tell you.”

Activist

He said the protests were carried out by activists “affiliated” to Extinction Rebellion, meaning anyone with the same ideals could act under the XR banner.

The action is the latest in a series from the anti-climate change group, who have been banned from protesting in London. A legal bid to overturn the order was expected to reach the High Court on Thursday.

Activists also arrived at Gatwick airport at about 11am on Thursday, but made no attempt to disrupt passengers.

The group of about 20 rebels, including a caped flautist, played music and offered flyers to passengers passing through the international arrivals hall at Gatwick’s South terminal.

Steve McDonald, 63, who has been a climate activist for more than 20 years, said he was saddened by the incident at Canning Town but said those involved had been well intentioned.

Decarbonise

Speaking to PA, he said: “It wasn’t good what happened this morning, but the people who did that are passionate people and they decided that that was what they wanted to do. The policy of XR is, you have to disrupt.

“Obviously it went wrong, that was never our intention, but I don’t condemn those people.”

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association said: “I am extremely saddened that Extinction Rebellion protesters have today targeted London’s public transport network.

“I have seen pictures of protesters on the roofs of Tube trains. This is extremely dangerous not just for them but also for the travelling public.

“If we are going to effectively decarbonise we need more people using our public transport network and more investment in the green alternatives this provides.”

This Author

Mike Bedigan is a reporter with PA.

There are deep, interconnected and systemic crises threatening life on earth. These climate and biodiversity crises are the result of a system that privileges the profit of transnational corporations and disregards peoples’ rights and the environment. 

Transnational corporations continue to trample unabated over the planet, monopolizing lands, territories and waters, displacing peoples, destroying livelihoods and violating human rights. 

Environmental and human rights defenders stand on the frontline of this offensive. They endure systematic attacks of intimidation, silencing and even murder – a criminal strategy used by corporations to impose their own power and secure their profit. Women, in particular Indigenous women and peasants, suffer the brunt of violence in the hands of transnational corporations. 

System change

Transnational corporations’ destructive activities are imposed on the world against the will of those who have historically defended the environment. Now they are adding insult to injury by insisting that the commodification and privatization of nature is a solution to the very crises they have caused with their exploitative model.

The real solution is system change – creating societies based on peoples’ sovereignty and environmental, social, economic and gender justice. System change means addressing the issue of transnational corporations and their flagrant trampling of human rights and the environment.

We cannot, therefore, overemphasize the historical importance of the UN treaty on transnational corporations with respect to human rights, in negotiation in Geneva from 14-19 October 2019. We have to achieve a legally binding international instrument that will enable us, once and for all, to put an end to the impunity of transnational corporations and ensure access to justice for all those affected. 

Over the last few years, as part of the Global Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power together with social movements and affected peoples, we have built a Treaty proposal, which is summarised in the following seven demands. These are essential if the new instrument is to be truly effective for the peoples: 

Demands

Demand #1: Scope of the UN Binding Treaty on Transnational corporations

This treaty must focus specifically on transnational corporations, and their global value chains, which are currently beyond any national or International law.

Demand #2: Primacy of Human Rights over trade and investment

This treaty must establish the hierarchical superiority of human rights over trade and investment agreements, ensuring that human rights and States’ sovereignty come before investors’ rights.

Demand #3: Direct Obligations for Transnational Corporations

This treaty must directly and legally obligate transnational corporations, not just States, to comply with International Human Rights Law, International Environmental Law and international labour standards.

Demand #4: Transnationals’ responsibility for human rights violations throughout their value chains

This treaty must cover all transnational activities throughout the supply chain. The supply chain consists of companies outside the transnational corporation that contribute to its operations, including contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and the investors that provide its capital.

Demand #5: An International Court for Transnationals

National courts are most often unable to hold transnational corporations accountable for their human rights violations.This treaty necessitates strong implementation mechanisms, including an international court, to ensure that the obligations set out by the Treaty are enforced. This court must be capable of receiving, investigating, judging and enforcing its decisions.

Demand #6: Rights of Affected Communities

This Treaty must recognize the moral and legitimate authority of peoples affected by the activities of transnational corporations. The Treaty must establish the right to reparation, information, justice and guarantees of non repetition of any human rights violations, and their right to say NO to any projects that might affect them.

Demand #7: Protection from Corporate Capture

The Treaty must prevent the influence of transnational corporations during its preparation, negotiation and implementation. The treaty cannot allow transnational corporations to continue to write their own rules. 

We need to come together, as civil society, social movements, affected peoples and states to ensure we have a strong and effective binding treaty.

We all need to support local and international resistance, engage in popular mobilization, engage states across the world, strive for policy change and upscale the real solutions, the solutions of the people.

This Author 

Karin Nansen is chair of Friends of the Earth International. Image: Victor Barro/Amigos de la Tierra

Climate breakdown doesn’t stop at spurring on more severe weather patterns, it impacts human health. 

Weather changes increase the degree of pain people feel and the severity of the allergies they experience. Global warming even impacts the nutritional value of our food.

Climate change raises global temperatures. Warmer temperatures create ripe conditions for infectious diseases, especially when paired with increased humidity. 

Disease and pain

Certain disease-bearing insects thrive in warmer conditions. For example, mosquitoes flourish in warmer climates.

In 2017, two million more people fell ill with malaria than in 2016. Additionally, current fracking operations drill deep into the earth where bacteria unseen for decades remain dormant. Many scientists express concerns our obsession with fossil fuels could result in the spread of diseases medical professionals have never seen and do not know how to treat. 

Talk to nearly anybody suffering with chronic pain and they’ll tell you that inclement weather negatively impacts the severity of their symptoms. Scientists remain uncertain exactly how weather influences pain levels, but most doctors recognize the correlation between storms and an influx of patients. 

One theory about why inclement weather increases pain severity focusses on the central nervous system. For example, arthritis strips away the cartilage lining your joints, exposing nerve fibres. When bad weather strikes, changes in barometric pressure can increase the sensitivity of a person’s nerves, exacerbating symptoms. 

Another theory states when the barometric pressure changes, your tendons expand and contract. As these tendons shift, it causes more severe pain symptoms. 

Respiratory problems 

As global temperatures rise, this traps ground-level ozone pollution within the atmosphere. The result is the signature smog hovering over many US cities. It also exacerbates the symptoms experienced by allergy and asthma sufferers. 

Scientists agree that ozone pollution increases the number of premature deaths. Exposure to air pollution also increases your risk of developing lung cancer and certain neurological conditions. Even those who try to benefit their health by walking or jogging outdoors could damage it by inhaling too much-polluted air. 

​​​​​​​If you have a heart condition, you know that exposure to heat can induce a heart attack. And climate change already raised worldwide temperatures and threatens to continue to do so. 

And it’s not only the heat that proves deadly. As the northern ice caps melt, wind vortexes push frigid polar air south. This results in colder, harsher winters for the continental US, particularly across the northeast and midwest. Medical professionals long knew heart attack frequency rises during periods of prolonged cold weather. 

​​​​​​​Recently, Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Bahamas, leaving some islands more than 50 percent underwater. Officials list 2,500 residents missing from the area since the catastrophe and the death toll is expected to continue rising. The storm moved on to strike the Carolina coast. Hurricane Maria devastated much of southern Florida and Hurricane Harvey affected large swathes of Texas, among other regions. 

Hunger

Hurricanes represent only one natural disaster exacerbated by climate change. The 2018 Camp Fire, which officials suspect started when high winds knocked down electrical wires, claimed 86 livesand utterly destroyed the town of Paradise, CA. Across the west, multiple wildfires burn, including in Alaska. 

These devastating fires pale in comparison to the destruction of the Amazon. Farmers, desperate to feed their families, set large acres of priceless rainforest ablaze to clear fields for crops to feed livestock.

Even though scientists have debunked the statistic that the Amazon rainforest creates 20 percent of the world’s oxygen, the real problem is carbon emissions from the burning. These emissions threaten to accelerate global warming.

Those concerned about the planet do well to reduce their meat consumption, decreasing demand. 

​​​​​​​One recent study of global legume and vegetable production indicates greenhouse gasses could reduce crop yields by 35 percent by the year 2100. Social scientists estimate over 800 million people worldwide already suffer from hunger. Decreased crop yields will impact the poorest and most vulnerable and add millions more to the ranks of the starving. 

Sustainable future 

Additionally, climate change threatens to turn once arable land into deserts. Regions such as the American southwest produce a huge percentage of the nation’s food supply because their mild temperatures make year-round crop growing possible.

However, the region remains arid, and further decreases in the water supply will leave many farmers unable to irrigate. As a result, food supply companies will need to import fruits and vegetables from foreign sources, meaning higher transportation costs, less nutritious foods (as nutrients dissipate over time) and additional carbon emissions. 

​​​​​​​Combatting climate change is not solely a matter of simply preserving ecological resources. If we are to safeguard human health from the detrimental effects of global warming, we need to take affirmative action now to end our dependence on fossil fuels.

We also need to institute behavioral changes like cutting back on meat consumption. Only when we begin to truly take this issue seriously as a society will we be able to work toward creating a sustainable future for ourselves, our planet and the organisms we share that planet with.

This Author

Kate Harveston is a vegan health and sustainability writer and the editor of women’s wellness blog, So Well, So Woman.

Extinction Rebellion activists began protesting at a number of east London stations early on Thursday morning – the penultimate day of two weeks of its “Autumn uprising”. 

Assistant Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan said BTP the force had “engaged” with XR members to prevent the planned “disruptive and potentially criminal” action on the transport network.

British Transport Police said just after 7am: “At this time we have three separate incidents involving Extinction Rebellion protest action at Stratford, Canning Town, and Shadwell. Arrests have already been made and officers are working quickly to resume services.”

Banning

Commuters were seen dragging one of the protesters from the roof of the train at Canning Town. In a clip posted on Twitter, one of the activists was pulled from the train by his foot, and ended up on the ground surrounded by train users who shouted at him.

A member of TfL staff appeared to stop people from attacking the male activist further by intervening and holding them back.

The latest action comes as XR’s bid to defy the blanket protest ban on its protests across the whole of London will come before the High Court on Thursday.

Those bringing the court action on behalf of the group, including Caroline Lucas MP and Guardian columnist and activist George Monbiot, are seeking to overturn the order imposed by the Met.

They argue that the order is an “unprecedented and disproportionate curtailment” of the right to free speech and free assembly which risks criminalising protest about the climate and ecological emergency in the capital, and want the High Court to rule that the decision to impose the ban is unlawful.

Lawyers representing the climate protesters will argue in a preliminary session that a full hearing of the case should happen ‘as a matter of urgency’. They will argue that the section 14 order imposed by the Met effectively banning all XR protests in London is unlawful.

Peaceful

A Green Party co-leader was among the latest people to be arrested as Extinction Rebellion protesters continued to defy a police ban yesterday.

Jonathan Bartley was also arrested after joining climate change protesters on Whitehall. Protesting on his birthday, Mr Bartley said: “We cannot go on with HS2 destroying acres and acres of countryside.

“We cannot go on with subsidising fossil fuels, we cannot go on with our road building programme, we cannot go on even with our nuclear programmes.”

After his arrest, a Green Party spokesman said: “Climate chaos will end ecosystems and collapse our society. We have just 10 years to reduce our C02 emissions to safer levels and climate protesters are drawing attention to that.

“We all have a right to peaceful protest and we will continue to act to protect that right and draw attention to instances where democracy is threatened.”

Listen

George Monbiot, a columnist at The Guardian and climate change activist, joined more than 500 Extinction Rebellion activists in Trafalgar Square.

Mr Monbiot, who had written a column in Wednesday’s newspaper vowing to get arrested, was detained by police after lying down in the road at Whitehall.

During his arrest, Mr Monbiot, 56, said: “I’m here because this is the right thing to do. We have to stand up, we have to make a stand against the destruction of our life support systems.”

Hundreds of activists in Trafalgar Square put black tape over their mouths, to symbolise the silencing of their protests by police.

Councillor Andree Frieze, Green Party candidate for Richmond South, who took part, said: “This symbolises the way our voices are being shut down, our voices are not being listened to.”

Assembled

Elsewhere, Extinction Rebellion mothers and babies blockaded Google HQ in London over what they say are donations to climate change deniers. Around 100 mothers and babies blockaded one side of the building by staging a mass feed-in, the group said.

In 10 days of protests to call for urgent action on climate change and wildlife losses, Extinction Rebellion activists have shut down the areas around Parliament and the Bank of England, and targeted City Airport and government departments.

The Met Police used section 14 of the Public Order Act initially to restrict the Extinction Rebellion protest action to Trafalgar Square, but following “continued breaches” of the order officers moved in to clear the area. Any assembly of more than two people linked to the XR Autumn Uprising action is now illegal in London.

By Wednesday morning 1,642 protesters had been arrested, and 133 charged. XR’s stated tactics are to overwhelm the capacity in police custody, including by refusing bail after being arrested.

Before Wednesday’s action Mr Taylor warned activists that they would be arrested if they assembled in Trafalgar Square.

Legal

On Thursday XR activists plan to target the Tube network, which the senior officer called “unacceptable”.

He said: “That will cause huge disruption for London and we consider that wholly unacceptable, and obviously will be policing that with our partners at British Transport Police.”

A Government spokesman said: “The UK is already taking world-leading action to combat climate change as the first major economy to legislate to end our contribution to global warming entirely by 2050.

“While we share people’s concerns about global warming, and respect the right to peaceful protest, it should not disrupt people’s day-to-day lives.”

The Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Laurence Taylor, who is leading the policing of the demonstrations, has insisted the order is legal.

Galvanise

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson, the prime minister, announced during the protests that he will chair a new Cabinet committee on climate change to drive environmental action across government.

It will bring together ministers responsible for domestic and international climate change and provide a forum to hold departments to account for their actions to tackle the problem.

It is hoped it will drive further action across Government to cut emissions, protect the environment and improve air quality.

The statement comes after plans to end the UK’s contribution to climate change by cutting emissions to net-zero by 2050 were enshrined in law in the summer.

The committee will play a key role in co-ordinating the move to net-zero, and will oversee the UK’s preparations to host a major UN climate summit in November 2020, Number 10 said.

Mr Johnson said: “I’m announcing today that I will personally chair a new cross-government Committee on Climate Change, bringing together my ministers to galvanise action to tackle the great environmental challenges we face.”

Political will

But  Craig Bennett, Friends of the Earth chief executive, said: “With the planet facing a climate emergency, we need urgent action not just warm words.

“The Prime Minister’s pledge to make the UK a global leader on the climate crisis will only be realised if slashing climate-wrecking emissions is at the very heart of every government policy.

“This means scrapping plans for a third runway at Heathrow, halting the multi-billion pound road-building programme and abandoning support for fossil fuel development at home and abroad.

“The solutions for building a carbon-free future already exist – but has Boris Johnson got the political will to make it happen?”

These Authors

Emily Beament, Margaret Davis and Laura Parnaby are reporters with PA. Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire. 

We can feed the world a healthy diet using nature-friendly farming, and there is no alternative if we are not to erode the ecological foundations of farming and of life itself.

That’s what we heard this week at the inaugural Peter Melchett Memorial Lecture, held in memory of the much-loved and much-missed environmental activist and organic farming champion, who was policy director at the Soil Association for 17 years.

Food and farming is under the spotlight on climate change as never before. There are calls for so-called ‘sustainable intensification’ of food production to free up land for bioenergy and afforestation at the same time as doubling yields to ‘feed the world’.

Interconnected crises

But what would this mean for nature? And is doubling yields of livestock feed and commodity crops like maize really the priority for feeding the world a healthy diet?

Currently across Europe, 58 percent of cereals and 68 percent of oilseed crops are grown to feed intensive livestock – we need to bring things back in balance.

The UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published a devastating Global Assessment of Biodiversity earlier this year and called for governments worldwide to wake up to the biodiversity crash and land degradation crisis, and to give them equal weighting with climate change in farming and land use policy.

But despite these warnings, governments are failing to join the dots between the interconnected climate crisis, the nature crisis and the dietary health crisis. By not doing so we risk making things worse not better.

The future of farming and land use lies at the heart of these three crises with a huge opportunity to tackle climate change, restore nature and soil health and normalise healthy diets, but we must act now. The next ten years are crucial.

Solution

Keynote speaker and ‘bee man’ Professor Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at Sussex University, painted a worrying picture that confirmed global insect decline.

A million species are at risk of extinction and abundance of all wildlife, from pollinating insects to farmland birds and mammals is in decline. Scientists attribute this decline to rising pesticide use and habitat loss associated with intensive farming.

“We need to find a way to grow food and promote biodiversity at the same time, pivoting from a crisis to a workable solution,” said Professor Goulson.

As our focus on climate deepens and we move towards COP26, we need to keep the other crises in view. Half our soils worldwide are degraded and the 2018 Global Nutrition Report found 88% of countries have overlapping burdens of obesity and under-nutrition due to poor quality diets.

But there is a solution. Keynote speaker Sébastien Treyer, Executive Director of IDDRi, an independent French policy research institute, shared thought-provoking – and alarming – insights into these crises of our time, backed up by a solution.  

Beef

We need profound ecological transformation of food and farming– and the IDDRI model shows it’s possible. The Ten Years Transition to Agroecology in Europe report models a future where farming in Europe can respond to climate change, phase out pesticides and maintain vital biodiversity, whilst providing a sufficient and healthy diet for a growing population.

There is now strong interest in a UK-specific IDDRI model to show the pathway to agroecology, and the role that the best of British farming can play.

A groundswell of farmers are looking for ways to cut their reliance on agri-chemicals and nurture the soil and biodiversity of their farms. They urgently need government support to do so from redirected farm subsidies. They also urgently need a source of advice that is independent from the agri-chemical companies.

It isn’t just farmers and policy makers who need to make changes. Any sustainable future means making some changes to our diets and lifestyles.

Cutting down on intensively produced beef, chicken and pork fed on soya linked to deforestation is the priority when we join the dots between the climate crisis, the nature crisis and the health crisis.

Passionately

Intensive livestock farming is also a major driver of the antimicriobial resistance crisis, as the outgoing chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, has done so much to highlight.

The IDDRI model highlights that grass-fed beef, lamb and dairy can be part of the solution, however, in helping sequester carbon in grassland soils and reduce our reliance on artificial fertilisers, which in turn drive up pesticide use.  

This research brings hope, as does the RSA Commission on the Future of Food, Farming, with its recommendations for a Ten-Year Transition to Agroecology and for world-leading procurement to make healthy and sustainable diets normal.

There’s a huge opportunity, if funders and thinkers and do-ers across climate, nature and health come together, to unlock a ten-year transition for food and farming that reverses the climate crisis, restores nature and soil health and normalises a healthier diet. Nothing less will suffice.

The Ten years to a farming future that works for climate, nature and health lecture was the first in a series of annual lectures that will stimulate fresh thinking on the causes Peter Melchett cared about so passionately.

This author 

Joanna Lewis is policy and strategy director at the Soil Association and chair of the Food Ethics Council. She can be found tweeting at @JoLewisSA.