In the UK there has been a significant decline in biodiversity over the last few decades with England becoming one of the most nature depleted nations in Europe. In February 2024 the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation was introduced to try and address the impact of development on wildlife. The idea is to try to ensure an overall improvement to habitats for wildlife when a new development takes place. Developers are legally required to achieve a minimum 110% BNG.   Ecolo

There are lots of reasons cited for eating less meat ranging from concerns about animal welfare to health issues. Increasingly it's the impact of meat production on climate change that is being highlighted. Meat production uses more energy, water and land than plant based foods and is a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. According to UN figures about 14% of all emissions come from meat production. However, if you look at the data there are lots of complexities. Th

Robert MacFarlane’s latest book is entitled “Is a River Alive?” and it asks what happens if we take seriously the idea of a river being alive in terms of our perception, law and politics. Many indigenous peoples see the living world as an integrated whole both from a practical and spiritual point of view. They believe in an essence or soul in all things, not just living creatures The modern view of the natural world is that it is something quite separate from us. It is a reso

The pictures of the earth at night give most of us a sense of awe as we see a world with the bright lights of the cities and the expanses of darkness. The light dissipating into space is of course a waste of energy. Modern lighting is more controlled and the amount of light directed upwards has reduced over the past decades. However the volume of artificial light at night (ALAN) is still increasing at about 6% per year. Behind the human story we are conducting a giant experim