Brexit bonus! UK waterways to be filthy for three decades - wouldn’t have been allowed by EU, made poss by Brexit. In 36 years, many rivers may be beyond repair. News sneaked out just before Xmas. Great story by my colleague @sandralaville
Fiona Harvey
7,714 posts
Writing about the environment full-time since 2004. Seen a lot of environment since then. All tweeting is personal. In the Woman's Hour Power List 2020.
- When I asked govt why allow new homes to be built without solar panels, they say to be technology neutral. But our investigation into Tory donors+ how builders have saved billions, while adding costs to rest of us, casts new light. Read it here:
- Journalists being told we can’t access the main press conference room #Cop28 without special tickets. And an escort. Security won’t let us through. This is absurd. Not transparent and very not helpful.
- I’ve been on these trains and they were a revelation! Amazing - fast, so comfortable, great amenities (even the food was superb) and at a ticket price Britons can only dream of. Infuriates me, and should infuriate you, that UK has given up on all this.
- “Designed with contempt for everyone else’s safety” is absolutely right. And includes the planet’s safety. Anyone buying these child killing planet choking tanks should be ashamed. And the companies that relentlessly push them on buyers should be prevented from doing so.
- London is thick with the smell of wood smoke. It’s shredding our children’ lungs, for the sake of a middle class fashion accessory. When is someone going to do something about this?
- Please stop bottom trawling. We can’t continue the practice and have a livable planet. People can still fish, but not like this. Carbon released by bottom trawling ‘too big to ignore’, says study, story by my colleague @karenmcveigh1
- If we don’t want a planet on fire, the first thing those of us with the good fortune to live in functioning democracies need to do is to stop voting in governments that refuse to tackle the climate crisis. If we do not do that most basic thing we won’t accomplish anything.
- ‘Massive disinformation campaign’ is slowing global transition to green energy
- Nearly 20 years since I got a story on melting ice caps on to the front of FT - a first at the time. Can’t have been many such stories - ie not just about climate, but the actual state of polar ice - on the front since then, either. Read the news, not the idiot denier columnists.
- Let’s be clear about this UK: if you burn wood of any kind in an urban area for heating, you are poisoning your neighbours, whether your stove and wood are “certified” or not, because the govt do not care and allow you to burn highly polluting substances.
- Amoc collapse scariest thing in climate crisis, for Europe, and has rapidly moved from “terrifying but improbable” to “only too likely”. Can only hope that we climate journalists who warned of Amoc collapse get to be first in line at the rat barbecue.The dangers of a collapse of the main Atlantic Ocean circulation, known as Amoc, have been “greatly underestimated” and would have devastating impacts, according to an open letter by 44 experts. One of the signatories, @rahmstorf tells me why theguardian.com/environment/20…
- UK new houses are “rubbish” - poorly built, nightmare for buyers but great for profits of construction industry that provide at least 10pc of Tory party donations. How did this happen? My colleague @ollywainwright finds horror stories are common
- Another glorious Brexit boon! Without EU oversight, govt chooses not to monitor UK water, find @RachSalv and @leanahosea Who could have guessed this is what Brexit would be used for? More sewage, more dead rivers. Britons, rejoice in your freedom!



