Tag: environment

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FT asks ‘What can England learn from Scotland’s community land buyouts?’ Increased by nearly 800% after SNP boost but were stalled in Tory England?

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By Professor John Robertson Behind a paywall for me but already answered here, I hope, and by the Guardian in January 2024: In the Guardian today: Local communities, often in deprived neighbourhoods, are buying up derelict and unused property for village shops, play parks, community centres and, in one case, a film set for war movies, using buyout powers introduced by the Scottish parliament since its foundation in 1999. The land reform debate is often overshadowed by the buyouts of islands or totemic Highland estates. Yet those sales have ground to halt, partly due to competition from private buyers pursuing speculative investments using woodland … Continue reading FT asks ‘What can England learn from Scotland’s community land buyouts?’ Increased by nearly 800% after SNP boost but were stalled in Tory England?

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Texas takes fight against massive federal Sellafield-like nuclear dump proposal to highest level – supreme court

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By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Texas Tribune, two days ago: The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up a yearslong dispute over a plan to ship highly radioactive nuclear waste to rural West Texas, a case that could have sweeping implications for how the nation deals with a growing stockpile of waste generated by nuclear power plants. A company called Interim Storage Partners has long pursued the plan to move “high-level” nuclear waste from power plants across the nation to an existing nuclear waste storage facility in Andrews County, on the Texas-New Mexico border. Last year, in a Texas-led lawsuit, a federal … Continue reading Texas takes fight against massive federal Sellafield-like nuclear dump proposal to highest level – supreme court

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“If the technologists and scientists involved in disposal [of nuclear waste] are so confident in the safety then they should do it in the cities which are demanding the energy,”

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When I moved to Ayr in 1984, locals were protesting British Nuclear Fuel’s plans to bury nuclear waste under a hill only 15 miles to the south of the town. The protest worked and the waste is still being dumped at Sellafield in Cumbria. However, Ayr remains on the atmospheric and coastal water flows from it, the most toxic site in Europe, and local shellfish, estuary and beach sediment, bottom feeding fish and animals that feed on them, are more radioactive than EU legislation on consumption would allow. Scottish Labour, doing what they’re told, are in favour of the new … Continue reading “If the technologists and scientists involved in disposal [of nuclear waste] are so confident in the safety then they should do it in the cities which are demanding the energy,”

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Latest University of California research with 300 000 nuclear workers reinforces fears of positive link with leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and multiple myeloma as in WHO study and research in Germany and Scotland 

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By Professor John Robertson Today, from the University of California in Irvine, USA: A major update was made to the International Nuclear Workers Study (INWORKS), an international epidemiological study of workers in the nuclear sector to assess their risks of cancer and non-cancerous diseases.  The researchers assembled a cohort of more than 300,000 radiation-monitored workers from France, the United Kingdom and the United States, employed at nuclear facilities between 1944 and 2016. The study revealed a positive association between prolonged low-dose exposure to ionizing radiation and mortality from these haematological cancers. https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-uc-irvine-study-provides-crucial-insights-into-radiation-exposure-s-impact-on-cancer-risk The University then tries to play down the risk, … Continue reading Latest University of California research with 300 000 nuclear workers reinforces fears of positive link with leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and multiple myeloma as in WHO study and research in Germany and Scotland 

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A flood of water complaints in England and Wales but barely a dribble in Scotland

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In the Guardian today: The number of customer complaints that were unable to be resolved by water companies in England and Wales has risen by almost a third to the highest level in nearly a decade. There was a 29% increase in 2023-24 in cases escalated to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) by households that failed to achieve a resolution from their supplier, the watchdog said. The jump has been fuelled by consumer discontent over sewage spills, billing mistakes and problems with water meters, with customers having exhausted their water supplier’s two-stage complaints process by the time they turned to the CCW. Its annual report … Continue reading A flood of water complaints in England and Wales but barely a dribble in Scotland

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Every water firm in England and Wales, one Scottish caravan site and one guy in Muir of Ord under investigation over sewage spills

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Thanks once more to Dottie’s Phone for alerting me to this. From the Guardian today: The water regulator is taking action against four more water companies, including Severn Trent and United Utilities, meaning every wastewater company in England and Wales is under investigation over sewage spills. Ofwat said it had served formal notices on Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Hafren Dyfrdwy, Severn Trent and United Utilities, asking them to provide evidence for its investigation into companies’ wastewater management in England and Wales. The regulator has looked at the companies’ environmental performance and data about how often they spill from storm overflows. It said this had … Continue reading Every water firm in England and Wales, one Scottish caravan site and one guy in Muir of Ord under investigation over sewage spills

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NHS Scotland staffed and equipped to do more than 98% of planned operations on time despite steadily increasing demand

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By Professor John Robertson From Public Health Scotland on 2nd July 2024: During May 2024, there were 25,657 operations planned to take place across NHSScotland. This is 6.4% higher than the number planned a year previously in May 2023 (24,125). • The number of planned operations has been steadily increasing since pandemic restrictions first affected provision of services in March 2020. In the 12 months from April 2023 to May 2024, there was an 8% increase in the number of planned operations compared to the previous 12 months. This compares to a 15.3% year-on-year increase when comparing year ending May … Continue reading NHS Scotland staffed and equipped to do more than 98% of planned operations on time despite steadily increasing demand

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Diarrhoea in the Thames again, £18 billion in debt, £150 million to shareholders just before investors withdraw a pledge to pay for a clean-up and Labour are not interested

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Thanks to Dottie’s Phone for alerting me to this. In May 2024, the Guardian told us: Thames Water has sent samples of water for lab testing after dozens of people reported becoming unwell with stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea in south-east London.  Today, they have: Thames Water has been urged to show greater transparency over its finances and accused of “financial chicanery” after it emerged its board had approved a £150m dividend hours before its shareholders U-turned on providing emergency funding. The Guardian revealed last week that the board of the struggling water supplier agreed to the payout at a meeting on … Continue reading Diarrhoea in the Thames again, £18 billion in debt, £150 million to shareholders just before investors withdraw a pledge to pay for a clean-up and Labour are not interested

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German research suppressed by Labour Government and media in 2008 revealed under 5’s living near nuclear plants more than twice as likely to develop leukemia

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By Professor John Robertson I’m grateful to JB for alerting me to this. I knew nothing of it because mainstream UK media do not seem to have covered it at all. On 30th June 2011, the German Bundestag voted to phase out nuclear energy. Why? Safety was a paramount concern in the decision to phase out nuclear power: the use of nuclear energy causes highly dangerous radioactive radiation for humans and the environment and leaves behind highly toxic waste. High safety precautions must be taken throughout the entire life cycle – from the extraction of the raw material uranium to … Continue reading German research suppressed by Labour Government and media in 2008 revealed under 5’s living near nuclear plants more than twice as likely to develop leukemia

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Emergency issue of potassium iodine tablets to those living near to US nuclear plant and research showing significant cancer risks casts serious doubt on Scottish Labour plans

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By Professor John Robertson Yesterday, in the Philly Voice, USA: People living near active nuclear power plants are advised to have potassium iodide, or KI, tablets on hand in case of a radiological emergency. KI is an over-the-counter medication that protects the thyroid from absorbing nuclear radiation. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is offering free KI tablets to people who live within 10 miles of the Limerick Generating Station in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, on Wednesday, June 12. Radioactive iodine released into the environment during a nuclear accident may be absorbed by the body, increasing the chance of thyroid cancer. Saturating the thyroid … Continue reading Emergency issue of potassium iodine tablets to those living near to US nuclear plant and research showing significant cancer risks casts serious doubt on Scottish Labour plans