PM To Approve New Gas-Fired Power Stations (& More Climate News You Might Have Missed)

It’s getting hot out there… And not in a good way. Plus, with our relentless news cycle, it’s easy to miss important information – especially when it comes to the planet and climate crisis. Feeling like you can’t keep up with what’s going on in the world? Here we round up the latest climate news to have on your radar.

PM To Approve New Gas-Fired Power Stations

12 March 2024: In a move that is being criticised by climate activists and the opposition, Tory PM Rishi Sunak has declared the UK needs new gas-fired power stations to maintain its energy security. This could threaten the nation’s legally binding commitment to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, but Sunak, writing in The Daily Telegraph, has said gas power stations would be a reliable and affordable back-up for the days renewables like wind and solar power do not deliver.

While Sunak says the stations would replace existing plants – many of which are close to retirement – the government has not given any details about when or where they would be built.

‘The reason the Tories cannot deliver the lower bills and energy security we need is that they are specialists in failure when it comes to our clean energy future,’ Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband said, while Liberal Democrat energy and climate change spokesperson Wera Hobhouse called the announcement was ‘another step backwards on the critical road to net zero’.

‘We need to wean ourselves off this reliance on expensive fossil fuels by investing in cheap, clean renewable power and insulating every home,’ Hobhouse said. Source: BBC

More Climate News You Might Have Missed

Hermit Crabs Are Using Plastic Rubbish As Shells

26 January 2024: The latest study highlighting the impact plastic waste is having on our wildlife has found hermit crabs all over the world are wearing our rubbish. These crabs scavenge shells for their armour, but new photos show they are increasingly turning to plastic waste instead.

Researchers analysed pictures taken by wildlife enthusiasts, finding two thirds of hermit crab species were pictured in ‘artificial shells’ – items discarded by humans. One of the researchers, Marta Szulkin from University of Warsaw, said: ‘We started to notice something completely out of the ordinary. Instead of being adorned with a beautiful snail shell, which is what we’re used to seeing – they would have a red plastic bottle cap on their back or piece of light bulb.’

She added: ‘When I first saw these pictures, I felt it was heart-breaking. At the same time, I think we really need to understand the fact that we are living in a different era and animals are making use of what is available to them.’

Unsplash

Bottled Water Contains An Average Of 240,000 Nanoparticles, Study Finds

09 January 2024: A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has revealed that bottled water contains around 240,000 nanoplastics – far more than previously estimated. The findings raise concerns over the impact of bottled water on our health, as the plastic particles are so tiny that they present the risk of depositing hazardous synthetic chemicals into our bloodstream. Source: cnn.com & pnas.org