Key consultations
Climate Change Agreements (CCAs): proposals for a future scheme (closes 11 March 2022). BEIS is seeking views on its proposals for a future Climate Change Agreement (CCA) scheme, to replace the one which started in 2013 when it expires at the end of this year. In particular it seeks views on the length of the future scheme, eligibility criteria and how to increase uptake of energy efficiency technologies and transparency of action taken.
Consultation on Biodiversity Net Gain regulations and implementation (closes 5 April 2022). Defra is seeking views on how the proposed new statutory requirement for biodiversity net gain (BNG) will work in practice, specifically how it will be applied to the Town and Country Planning Act development and, at a higher level, Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture in England and Wales (closes 18 March 2022). Peatlands are the UK’s largest stores of carbon. They also provide vital ecosystem services including supplying UK drinking water, decreasing flood risk, and providing food and shelter for rare wildlife. Defra is seeking views on measures to end the use of peat and peat containing products in retail horticulture, how they might operate, and how best to evidence the impact of ending the use of peat in horticulture and wider sectors.
Implementing the Government’s response to the Landscapes Review (closes 9 April 2022). The Government is seeking views on how best to implement elements of its response to the Landscapes Review, in particular how the proposed legislative changes can best be implemented.
In case you missed it…
In case you missed any of these events last year, the recordings are now available to watch online.
The PIEL 2021 Conference (1 3-14 April 2021)
PIEL UK is a student-led organisation that organises an annual conference focussing on public interest environmental law, policy and activism. The 2021 conference ‘After the Storm: Environmental Law in 2021 and beyond’ featured an exciting line up of speakers from around the world and included sessions on Covid-19, Brexit and Equality. All the sessions are now available on the PIEL website or YouTube channel.
FTB — Environmental Law and “Retained EU Law” (1 July 2021)
This seminar focused on the different types of retained EU law – from retained general principles of law to retained case law – and explained the implications of each. It focused particularly on:
• Environmental assessment under Directives 2011/92/EU (EIA) and 2001/42/EC (SEA); and
• Habitats and species protection under Directive 92/43/EEC.
Members of FTB have been involved in some of the first cases involving retained EU law (see e.g. R (Pearce) v SSBEIS (2021) and Keir v Natural England (2021)). The seminar was chaired by Michael Humphries QC, with Prof. Pavlos Eleftheriadis, Richard Honey QC, Ned Westaway and Esther Drabkin-Reiter.
No5 Barristers Chambers — Climate Change Case Law (22 July 2021)
Richard Kimblin QC and Nina Pindham gave a webinar on climate change case law. They discussed:
• Frequent headlines arising from climate change litigation
• What are the themes in these cases?
• Do they have a wider impact on planning decisions, investment strategies and policy development?
Local Authority Insight Series – Climate Change (28 July 2021)
Organised jointly by Lexis Nexis and Local Government Lawyer, this webinar considered the legal powers that local authorities can use to fight climate change and what legal obstacles they face. The speakers were Rachel McKoy, Stephen Cirell, Richard Honey QC and James Lupton.
Raaise — Meet the Founders (25 August 2021 and 22 September 2021)
Raaise is a community of individuals working for climate-focused start-ups. They host monthly ‘meet the founders’ events online to showcase a variety of innovative green start-ups. The recordings for the first two sessions can be found on their website.
UKELA’s Annual Garner Lecture (18 November 2021)
The video of this lecture with Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta is now available to UKELA members. The subject this year was Nature in Economic Reasoning, and Professor Dasgupta spoke about his research into the economics of biodiversity.
Inner Temple webinar — The Crime of Ecocide (22 November 2021)
This fascinating webinar was part of Inner Temple’s Social Context of the Law series. Professor Philippe sands QC and James Cameron, founder of FIELD (Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development) reflected on the evolution of the concept of ‘ecocide’ as an international crime, and how it might be implemented in international and domestic law. A write up of the key discussion points can be found here.
Get outdoors!
To help us all become nature connecters as well as nature defenders, The Olive Network will be making regular recommendations for fun outdoor activities with an environmentally conscious slant.
This month why not go gleaning! Gleaning is a great hands-on way to engage with the food system by rescuing fresh, surplus fruit and veg from farms where it would otherwise be wasted. The produce is then donated to good causes. It’s a perfect way to get outdoors, a fun day out for kids and adults and even a chance to make new friends.
You can find out where your local gleaning group is here.
