July 2006
New on Campaign News:
Young campaigner leads the way on climate change
What on earth does David Miliband mean by ‘one planet living’?
Indecent exposure: putting the health of people and wildlife first
A marine bill to save our seas
Young campaigner leads the way on climate change 11 year old, James Rutter, of High Wycombe, was one of 12,000 of you who emailed or wrote to Margaret Becket (the then Secretary of State for the Environment), calling for action on climate change. In his letter, which was individually presented to Climate Change Minister, Ian Pearson, James said: "I'm totally with you all the way and I keep on reminding my Dad to turn all the lights off when no one’s in the room!" |
WWF makes an impact with MPs Independent research carried out earlier this year ranked WWF 9th out of 176 campaigning organisations recalled by MP’s and were the top ranked environmental NGO (Research conducted by nfpSynergy between July 05 - January 06). |
James goes on to describe how he's doing his bit to save the environment by not wasting energy heating up the dinner plates and not watching television during mealtimes.
Climate Change Minister Ian Pearson receives the 12,000 strong UK petition on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
James' letter along with all the others was presented by WWF asking for the UK to set a low cap on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be emitted by our most polluting industries, as part of the crucial European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).
The ETS is at the very heart of climate change policy throughout Europe as it sets the limits for CO2 emissions for the major power and industrial sectors across Europe and creates the targets for emissions reductions.
In total, 38,000 WWF campaigners added their voice to the campaign across Europe.
The UK Government had said they were considering a range of cuts in emissions of 3-8 million tonnes of carbon. With your help and despite strong lobbying from big business we did a fantastic job of lobbying the Government and on 29 June the Government announced they would set the carbon reductions at the top end of the range it had considered i.e. 8 million tonnes.
Matthew Davis, WWF-UK’s Climate Change Campaign Director commented "While this figure still does not go far enough, it goes much further than we feared it might. This is in no small part due to the effectiveness of WWF's campaigning and the voice of our supporters."
Other climate change news:
More heatwaves predicted due to climate change
Energy review is a damp squib
G8 falls short on delivering real climate action
What on earth does David Miliband mean by ‘one planet living’?
Paul King
Paul King, Director of Campaigns, WWF-UK explains all.
Indecent exposure: putting the health of people and wildlife first
In May, we again brought you news of how humans and wildlife around the world are being exposed to a cocktail of hazardous man-made chemicals that can be found in our food, our homes and our environment.
4,800 of you completed our 'Indecent Exposure' online survey to find out how exposed you might be to these hazardous chemicals in your daily lives.
Your responses suggested that:
- Women's exposure to artificial musks is 41% higher than men's (artificial musks are found in perfumes, air-fresheners, personal care products, make up)
- Exposure to phthalates is 30% higher in 19 to 25 year olds than in those over 65 (phthalates are found in cosmetics, personal care products, plastics, vinyl flooring)
- People from the north-east are 25% more exposed to VOCs (Volatile organic chemicals) than those from the south-west (VOCs are found in paints, varnishes, air-fresheners etc.)
WWF is campaigning for REACH legislation that puts the health of people and wildlife before industry profits
Many of you went on to email your MEPs urging them to strengthen the new law so that the most harmful chemicals are replaced with safer alternatives wherever possible.
Industry continues to lobby hard to water down REACH but your continued campaigning has helped ensure the issue of ‘substitution’ remains at the top of the agenda as we move towards the final vote at the end of the year.
A marine bill to save our seas
A UK Marine Bill is long overdue and must introduce a coherent legal framework to stop the plundering of our precious marine resources
Last month thousands of you emailed your MP urging them to write to David Miliband (the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to ensure he prioritises the urgently needed UK Marine Bill in the next session of Parliament.
WWF campaigners in Northern Ireland and Wales also emailed their ministers urging them to develop complementary legislation for their own coastal waters.
Marine Minister, Ben Bradshaw, responded by saying, "The UK Government is committed to bringing forward proposals for a Marine Bill that will introduce a new framework for the seas, based on marine spatial planning, that balances conservation, energy and resource needs."
A marine spatial planning system would enable us to sort out which parts of the sea should be designated for conservation and where maritime industries should be sited. At the moment there is no marine planning system so all sea users compete for the same spaces and marine wildlife suffers the most.
Jan Brown, WWF’s Senior Marine Policy Officer said, "A Marine Bill which prioritises the protection of the marine ecosystem will help stop the degradation of our marine wildlife. This Bill is long overdue".
Mr Bradshaw also said "All of these replies, including campaign letters, will be considered in the further development of our proposals...Your input will be crucial to realising the opportunity that a Marine Bill represents – that is why we welcome the efforts that WWF-UK is making to raise awareness about what needs to be done."
Read Ben Bradshaw’s full statement here.
