Bees-What are the British , Spanish , Danish and Belgian Goverments doing? Money over Nature, Profit from destruction

 

The British government has just given the green light for bee-killing pesticides to be sprayed in the UK. The pesticide being used has been banned for being poisonous to bees, but it’s just been approved to help grow sugar beet in the spring

 

This is about bees, but it's also about us. If we keep harming bees, we risk our food supplies. It's estimated that a third of our food is dependent on pollinators, of which bees are some of the most important. A third of bee populations are already shrinking.  We can’t allow pesticides to destroy our environment and kill any more bees. 

 

Can you sign this petition so we can get the Environment Minister to act fast? only applicable to people living in the UK.

“Enforce a total ban on bee-killing pesticides.”

Sign the petition

 

 

 “We cannot afford to put our pollinator populations at risk.”  These were the words of Michael Gove when he introduced the ban on bee-killing pesticides in 2018. So how come it doesn´t apply in 2021?

 

So what’s changed since then? Well, it’s certainly not the science. Pesticides, including neonicotinoids, are still bad news for bees. Studies have shown that these pesticides can affect bees’ navigational abilities and breeding success, and they are unsurprisingly ravaging other insects as well.

 

The government are now saying that their reasons for allowing emergency use is to protect growers of sugar beet. But this is a short-sighted and dangerous approach to take, especially when you consider we rely on bees to help pollinate lots of crops like apples, beans, squashes and almonds.

 

George Eustice has the power to change all of this. We have the opportunity to shift away from chemical-intensive agriculture to organic farming that protects nature. As Environment Minister, he can show he’s on the right side of protecting nature by enforcing a total ban on bee-harming pesticides. Can you get the Environment Minister to act now?

 

We have the power to make George Eustice act. He’s approved this emergency use of a deadly pesticide, but we need to remind him that we’re in the middle of a climate and nature emergency. 

 

We can stop this now. If lots of people sign this petition we can pile pressure on the government to quickly reverse its decision and keep bee-killing pesticides away from our environment.

 

An article in the Guardian Newspaper reported the following:

A pesticide believed to kill bees has been authorised for use in England despite an EU-wide ban on its use outdoors two years ago and an explicit government pledge to keep the restrictions.

Following lobbying from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and British Sugar, a product containing the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam was sanctioned for emergency use on sugar beet seeds this year because of the threat posed by a virus.

Conservationists have described the decision as regressive and called for safeguards to prevent the pollution of rivers with rainwater containing the chemical at a time when British insects are in serious decline.

Formally, EU members in 2018 banned most neonicotinoids for use on crops outdoors, to protect bees. Subsequent decisions by 11 countries to allow emergency use come amid a growing awareness of the harmful role played by refined sugar in the development of long-term health problems.

Matt Shardlow, the chief executive of the invertebrate conservation group Buglife, said it was an “environmentally regressive” decision that would destroy wildflowers and add to an “onslaught” on insects.

 The UK, however, has now joined EU countries including Belgium, Denmark and Spain in signing emergency authorisations for its use, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

A similar emergency application for England in 2018 was refused after government pesticide advisers said it would “cause unacceptable effects to bees in flowering crops and flowering plants in field margins”.

It added that it would harm “birds and mammals eating seedlings from treated seed and birds consuming pelleted seed” and risked “adversely impacting populations of aquatic insects”.

Scientists have observed significant declines in some British bee species since 2007, coinciding with the introduction of thiamethoxam, which was previously widely used. Studies suggest that it weakens bees’ immune systems, harms the development of baby bees’ brains and can leave them unable to fly. Another study has found honey samples being contaminated by neonicotinoids.

The proposed use of the pesticide to protect beet crops in the east of England in 2018 was estimated by the government to be worth about £18m. Yields from 2020 are forecast to be down by as much as 25% on previous years, Defra said. The pesticide, sold by the Chinese-owned agrochemical company Syngenta, is advertised as increasing crop yields by 13%.

A Defra spokesperson said: “Emergency authorisations for pesticides are only granted in exceptional circumstances where diseases or pests cannot be controlled by any other reasonable means. Emergency authorisations are used by countries across Europe.

“Pesticides can only be used where we judge there to be no harm to human health and animal health, and no unacceptable risks to the environment. The temporary use of this product is strictly limited to a non-flowering crop and will be tightly controlled to minimise any potential risk to pollinators.”

In the final line of its background statement, Defra added: “Protecting pollinators is a priority for this government.”

• This article was amended on 13 January 2021 to make clear that the EU ban on most neonicotinoids prohibited use outdoors.

Let us hope that these guidelines are adhered to and that the producers don´t find loopholes to use this awful pesticide for a long time.  It dismays me to read about this because without the bees we are all in serious trouble.  Yet again, money rules.

The blog song for today is:"  Price Tag" by Jessie J

TTFN

Climate change and instead of just letting it happen, DO SOMETHING

Despite what many of us having being saying for years and trying to avert by bringing it to the attention of everyone, it has not been enough.  Because we as people have refused to change even the smallest of things ranging from cutting down on waste, using the car less, recycling, eating less meat to name but a few.  There are so many ways in which we all could have and still can do to try and slow down the warming of the planet.

On one of my favourite websites I found this article, it is not all doom and gloom, but everyone has to do their bit, not leave it to others to do, but actually taking responsibility for their own actions. One small change can help.  Here is the article.

"1.5° C Warming Is Inevitable Despite the Paris Accord, Scientists Warn

An international team of scientists have analyzed recent climate trends and warn between 1.5° C and 2° C atmospheric warming is virtually certain to happen, according to a report in Nature Climate Change. The current Paris Accord CO2 targets are not aggressive enough to prevent reaching this critical tipping point. Andrew Dessler of Texas A&M University, one of the report coauthors, told EcoWatch: “While I would not categorize this as good news, it is not game over for the climate.” In other words, we can set more aggressive limits on carbon emissions. Dressler explained the findings in a YouTube video. These reports echo the comments on a recent Earth911 podcast with James Renwick, coauthor of the upcoming 2021 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) report and head of the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. What can we do? In addition to supporting a rapid transition to renewable energy, we can embrace electric vehicles and stop driving internal combustion vehicles. Renwick also suggested that reducing the amount of meat in our diets, particularly industrially raised cattle, will make a big difference.

Scientists Call for Declaration of Climate Emergency

Another team of climate researchers published a call for a global declaration of a climate emergency in Scientific American this week. Pointing to record global temperatures, a historically long hurricane season that caused more than $41 billion in damages in the U.S. and Caribbean, and wildfires that burned more than 4 million acres in California, they declared that, “The climate emergency has arrived and is accelerating more rapidly than most scientists anticipated.” Earth911 will have coauthor William Ripple of Oregon State University on the podcast in the coming week. The call for a climate emergency comes on the heels of another Scientific American report that atmospheric warming is reshaping ecosystems as animals and plants respond to higher temperatures. But minds are starting to change, too. A University of Houston survey found that four out of five Texans now acknowledge climate change is real. It is time for steps toward a sustainable future. Let’s hope that this week’s calamitous events in Washington, D.C., lead to a fundamental shift in the national dialogue and that we respond forcefully to the emerging global crisis."

  

Horses panic as a wildfire approaches near Canberra, Australia in February of 2020. Credit: Getty Image 

I understand that people have the opinion that nothing that they do is affecting the rest of the planet, but it is! We really must all try to do something.

"The climate emergency has arrived and is accelerating more rapidly than most scientists anticipated, and many of them are deeply concerned. The adverse effects of climate change are much more severe than expected, and now threaten both the biosphere and humanity. There is mounting evidence linking increases in extreme weather frequency and intensity to climate change. The year 2020, one of the hottest years on record, also saw extraordinary wildfire activity in the Western United States and Australia, a Siberian heat wave with record high temperatures exceeding 38 degrees C (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) within the Arctic circle, a record low for October Arctic sea ice extent of 2.04 million square miles, an Atlantic hurricane season resulting in more than $46 billion in damage, and deadly floods and landslides in South Asia that displaced more than 12 million people.

Every effort must be made to reduce emissions and increase removals of atmospheric carbon in order to restore the melting Arctic and end the deadly cycle of damage that the current climate is delivering. Scientists now find that catastrophic climate change could render a significant portion of the Earth uninhabitable consequent to continued high emissions, self-reinforcing climate feedback loops and looming tipping points. To date, 1,859 jurisdictions in 33 countries have issued climate emergency declarations covering more than 820 million people.

In January 2020, we warned of untold human suffering in a report titled World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from 153 countries at time of publication. As an Alliance of World Scientists, we continue to collect signatures from scientists, with now more than 13,700 signatories. In our paper, we presented graphs showing vital signs of very troubling climate change trends with little progress by humanity. Based on these trends and scientists’ moral obligation to “clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat” and to “tell it like it is,” we declared a climate emergency and proposed policy suggestions. We called for transformative change with six steps involving energy, short-lived air pollutants, nature, food, economy and population"

 How many more times will we ignore what is going on!  The time to do something was YESTERDAY! and TODAY and TOMORROW.

We cannot keep blaming businesses, governments, everyone else for the things that we are ALL not doing.  It is the fault of us HUMANS for the mess we now find ourselves in, so it is up to us to put it right.

Make those lifestyle changes, even if it is just you, others will too in the end.  It is up to people like you and me to convince people that even a small action can make a difference. This wonderful planet is our only  home and we must act to save it, NOW.

The blog song for today is" It´s a living thing" By Electric Light Orchestra

TTFN

 

Plastic Coat Hangers, can they be recycled?

   

The answer is yes and no!  To dispose of them they cannot be placed in the yellow bin because of what type of plastic the coat hanger is made of, which is a problem for normal households.

At the moment the instructions from Ecoembes (the recycling company here in Spain) are to take them to a local recycling centre.  The nearest one here is on the Poligono in Ciutadella, they are open in the mornings until around 13.00 and in the afternoons from 15.00 until at least 18.00.  There is a new system in place where you have to register and then everytime you drop something off, if you are in a car, there is a weighing system when you enter and when you leave!

The ideal solution is to buy wooden or cardboard coat hangers, so when they do break then they can disposed of easily.

On a larger scale there are companies available to arrange recycling, however I have not found any in Menorca.

There are companies in UK but they only recycle plastic coat hangers – not wooden hangers or metal. Your coat hangers need to be 100% plastic although the metal hook parts are absolutely fine.

After they are collected and taken to the plant the following happens: 

Shred the coat hangers

They use special machines to shred your plastic coat hangers into tiny pieces at their licensed recycling facilities.

Granulation

Lastly, they granulate the plastic coat hangers after shredding. This lets the plastic be reprocessed and used as new products.

So really they are not recyled but are reused to make different products.  I suppose it is better than them filling up landfill sites.

I do find that plastic coat hangers seem to last for ever! Also I keep inheriting them which is good so at least they are being recycled in some form.  

The blog song for today is "crazy little thing called love" by Queen

TTFN

Cutting down on plastic, refill used containers with your own home made products! No 1. Fabric Conditioner

  As you know I have been looking for ways to avoid buying stuff in plastic containers and have also been searching for ways to make my own products.  I have come across an easy recipe for Fabric conditioner, which I have tried and it does work! This means that I can reuse any plastic bottle over and over again, terrific for the planet, and also for saving money! 

The most expensive ingredient was the essential oil, but if you check out an earlier blog you will see there is a use for it for making home made reusable wipes.  I will also be giving more tips for home made products soon, so it will be needed again.  I have also bought Orange essential oil which smells heavenly!

Ingredients:

330ml Hair Conditioner (any type, obviously palm oil free would be the best)

375ml Distilled White Vinegar (or Malt Vinegar will do)

750ml Warm Water

20 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

Utensils:

Air Tight Container

Large Bowl

Whisk

Method:

Put the Hair conditioner in the bowl, add the vinegar and the water.  Whisk until fully combined then pour into the airtight container.

65ml for each wash should do the trick.

I can also say that this product is fully Zero KM! 

The blog song for today is : " December 1963" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (brings back memories of dancing around our handbags 1975 style)

TTFN

   

 

Home made draught excluder made from recycled stuff

     

It is really cold here at the moment!  Freezing and we are frantically searching the house for any draughts coming in.  The front door is particularly blowy, mainly because of the catflap, we have tried in the past to use that stuff that they sell which you put around the door frame and it is supposed to make a seal, what a load of rubbish!  After a while it comes off and sticks to the door or gets all twisted up! and the door won´t shut properly.  A curtain is a great idea if you don´t have a catflap, I suppose we could cut out the shape of the flap from the curtain, which defeats the object a bit!  

So my hubby had a brainwave and using some masking tape (the stuff that you put around glass windows to stop paint getting on them) and placed it around the edge of the door:  It is very cheap and works a treat, the only thing is that when it is really windy the door makes a sound like someone breaking wind!  

For the bottom I am going to attempt to make an excluder from old towels and sheets.  It involves some sewing and cutting up of  materials. Watch this space for the great unveil!

We used to have a really cool one which we bought in Gretna Green, when we got married! but it eventually went past the point of no return and we had to say bye bye!  So we are missing one! I don´t think that the one I make will be as good (it was in the shape of a sausage dog) but I will give it my best shot.

 The blog song for today is: "Waiting for the sun" by The Doors.

TTFN

What to do with old keys!

     

I was having a bit of a sort out the other day and near to my front door I have some hooks with a lot of keys hanging up, I have no idea what they are for!  This sent me on a mission and I then found even more stashed in drawers all over the house!

What on earth can I do with them!  I think some were even from somewhere in the UK! 

After a bit of investigation I came across this advice!

Best Suggestions

Reuse: Lots of people have suggested using them as different type of decorations and jewellery. At the moment this one is not an option for me!

Recycle: If you’d rather recycle them for charity, they’re collected by a number of charities. I have been l have found two so far, one is called key for hope and the other keys for kindness.  I am not sure how it works.

I haven´t seen anything here in Menorca, but I was thinking about just taking them along to our local recycling centre on the industrial estate,  They have sections for almost everything there, it must be better than throwing it in the green organic bin.

The blog song for today is" Telephone line" by Electric Light Orchestra

 

TTFN

 

How can I reuse or recycle old compact discs (cds)?

 

I came across a load of old CD´s the other day and was wondering what to do with them.  They did bring back memories of when normal folks like us were able to "burn" a cd and put whatever you wanted to put on them, which of course sounded much easier than it actually was!!

I really liked the 3 1/2 inch floppy disk, after the rigmarole of formatting them they did actually work every time unlike the cd which failed quite a lot in my experience, normally after a lot of time spent trying to understand the software that in theory enabled you to do it.  Each computer had its own software installed on it which of course was incompatible with any other!

What fun times!  When you finally figured out the software then you had to make sure that the thing you wanted to copy could actually be copied, which you never knew until you had gone through the whole process first!

Many people used the old Cd´s in the garden to scare off birds, we had cats for that so no good for us! Then of course there was the folders to store them in.  We brought all of them here to Menorca when we moved here and haven´t had the heart to throw them away, but now all new computers don´t even have a cd player in them, it´s all on pen drives!

Here are some interesting uses that I have come across for using old CD´s;

I make my old cds into clocks they look good and I put pictures on them any design I want by cutting out pictures from magazines and glueing the picture on them and then putting a clock motor on them and hands.

Discs have good reflective properties similar to amirror. If you want to experiment
form numerous parabolic dishes with a long focal length and glue discs to the inside then direct the dish directly towards the sun you can provide a concentrated beam onto a small area. Sounds fantastic, a bit out there!

When you have collected about enough, thread them on a minature fluo’ tube. Light the tube with the appropriate circuitry. The light shines through the edges of the discs and makes a super-geeky table lamp for your computer desk!!!
I have done it and it works! You can also use a small string of christmas tree lights with less effect.

If you have chickens they love to entertain themselves with old cds on a string.

For years, I have been reusing CDs at Christmas time by putting colorful string or yarn on them and hanging them from a tree outdoors to create a very festive Christmas tree. I encouraged my neighbors to add theirs also and it became quite a spectacle. Adding lights makes them even more reflective. Sometimes I glue two together to cover the writing on one side. People come and look at it all holiday season long.
I also use them as gift tags on packages since it is easy to write TO: and FROM: on them and it looks pretty too.
I saw an idea for using them instead of bird scare tape. I am about to go hang some CDs on my grape vines and plum tree. The reflections look like fire to birds and scare them away. There is always plenty for our feathered friends too so I will allow them to eat the fruit after a few weeks.

If you put them on top of a little jar (the smaller ones from hotel marmelades or patè) and then you put them in the oven you’ll get nice shiny tea-lights holders!
They’ll bend over the jar as little skirts.
With a towel you can give them even more shape if you press down when they are still warm. They can be used as candy mini bowls or for whatever you want!

I think my favourite one is the chicken entertainer!

The blog song for today is: "Roundabout" by Yes

 

TTFN

 

 

 

Aerosol can recycling tips

    

How to Recycle Aerosol Cans

Aerosol cans are used to store everything from food to bathroom products to paint. While the can itself has the same value as other metal cans, the pressurised air inside and potentially hazardous contents make recycling a bit more complicated.

Aerosol Can Recycling Preparation

1. Do your best to use up all the product inside. If the can still has product inside, even if it’s nonhazardous product like whipped cream, your recycling program will not accept it. The easiest way to make sure it’s empty is to shake the can and listen for liquid inside, or spray until nothing comes out.
2. Most aerosol cans come with a plastic cap, which should be removed and recycled separately. 

It is not easy to keep up with all the different types of recycling, but not impossible! When the new system kicks in here in Menorca I think after we have all got used to it we may realise that it is best for us and the environment.

I am still cutting down on the amount of plastic stored products that I buy and also trying to encourage family and friends to do the same! I have started to make my own cleaning products so that has cut down on the plastic! 

The worst thing here at the moment is that the rubbish collection system is different to that of the UK for example. There is a great big green bin which the bin men come and empty on a daily basis, which is great except that people cannot be bothered to recycle and put everything in it.  There are 2 lots of recycling bins within 2 minutes walk but unfortunately it seems to be a step too far!  

We have hotels whose workers seem to throw everything including the kitchen sink in the green bin which fills them up really quickly resulting in people leaving full bags of food rubbish on the floor next to the bin, "walk to the next one!, blow that I´m on holiday, besides they have road sweepers to do that!"  It is not entirely the fault of one group of people it is everyones responsibilty to keep the place tidy! The silly thing is that if you ring a number they will arrange to come and collect the item free of charge!

I wonder what the hotels will do when the new system starts, surely they will have their own bins! 

The blog song for today is "Enjoy yourself (it´s later than you think)" by The Specials.

TTFN

Fancy a bit of redecorating ? How to recycle old paint at the back of the cupboard!

 It's that time of year, we are in 2021 and looking at doing a bit of home decorating!  There always seems to be a bit of paint at the bottom of the tin that you save just in case you need to touch up any marks, but never get around to it! The main reason is that by the time you get around to doing it the colour of the paint in the tin and that on the wall is different! That is why we used to end up with lots of tins with a tiny bit at the bottom.  The reason we don't have that any more is because everything is painted white! 

    

I have found some really interesting information on what is becoming one of my favourite websites : Earth911.

Here are some of the tips they provide!

Consumer paint comes in primarily two forms: latex (or water-based) and alkyd (or oil-based). It’s important to know which type you have because the disposal options are different for each.

Paint Recycling Preparation

The first step to paint recycling is proper storage. If you have an open can of paint, make sure to keep it covered so the paint doesn’t dry up. You can also wrap the lid in plastic to provide an additional seal. Store it in a cool, dry place between uses.

If you have no more use for half-empty paint cans, see if you can donate them first. Many school drama clubs, community theaters and other nonprofits will accept used paint. 

If reuse is not an option, then it’s time to find a recycler. Here’s where the story differs based on the type of paint you have:

Oil-based paint can’t be recycled, which means you’ll need to use a household hazardous waste (HHW) program. If your community doesn’t offer HHW collection, you’ll want to dry out the paint using kitty litter and/or newspaper and throw it in the trash.

For water-based paint, recycling may be an option where you live by taking it to a transfer station. In many cities, latex paint is excluded from HHW collection and special collection events or programs are available.

Why Recycle Paint

• Water-based paint is the most commonly accepted product at household hazardous waste events nationwide, even though the EPA doesn’t consider it to be hazardous waste. Most hazardous waste is incinerated instead of recycled.
• New water-based paint can be made from recycled paint, or mixed together to create new colours used for projects like graffiti removal.
• Using 1 gallon of recycled paint instead of new paint saves 100 kilowatt-hours of energy and keeps 115 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air.     

How Paint Is Recycled

Most latex paint that doesn’t contain mercury or foreign contaminants can be processed into recycled-content paint.

There are two types of recycled paint: re-blended (also called consolidated paint) and re-processed (also called re-manufactured paint). Re-blended paint contains a much higher percentage of recycled paint than re-processed paint.

Creating re-blended paint involves mixing several paints together, including various colours and sheens (glossy, eggshell, etc.). The paint is then filtered, packaged and distributed or sold.

Re-processed paint results from mixing old paint with new paint and other new materials. The paint is then tested for quality, packaged and distributed or sold.

When recycling centres accept the paint, we separate it out by colour, so then it will get mixed that way.

This means re-processed paint can be made into more colors than re-blended paint, which is usually offered in just neutral colours. By repurposing paint in this way, we reduce the demands on the planet’s natural resources, as well as create markets for leftover paint in cities where people would like to purchase and use recycled paint. However, oil-based paints are a trickier business, since they cannot be recycled.

Oil-based paints are incinerated, Spray paints, too. Even the metal [containers] get incinerated.

 So before throwing away any unwanted paint I will be investigating if it can be reused in any way!

The blog song for today is: "Money" by Pink Floyd

TTFN

 

Happy New Year for us and our planet! Make 2021 the year we wake up and actually do something!

 Five years ago in Paris, world leaders made history. In signing the Paris climate agreement, 197 countries agreed to work together to sort out the climate crisis. Leaders pledged to put people first and reduce their countries’ greenhouse gas emissions, with the aim of limiting global warming to well below 2ºC and ideally to 1.5°C.

Fast forward to today, and we’re living through the beginnings of a worsening climate and nature emergency. Turn on the news and you’ll see forest fires, extreme heat, mega-storms and floods. People are dying and ecosystems are collapsing.

What’s happening to our planet is already a tragedy; a failure of leadership and collective action. But if governments begin to act on the promises they made in Paris, we can avoid much worse.

The historic goals set by the Paris agreement, plus strong climate leadership from governments, may well mean it’s not too late to sort out this mess. But to succeed, we will all need to work together over the next year to make sure political leaders feel the pressure.

There’s still hope of meeting the Paris agreement goals

It’s not too late to keep global warming below 1.5ºC. Many countries have already pledged to take climate action, including some of the world’s big climate players, like China.

One recent study has crunched the numbers from commitments and pledges over the last 10 years and found that the Paris agreement’s goals are ‘within reach’. But reaching them won’t be easy. Every country has to take bold action, right now, to keep the promises they’ve already made, and keep raising their ambition.

As a start, every government needs to make a plan to substantially reduce its emissions over the next decade. The aim should be to get the world’s emissions down to zero by 2050.

And it’s not just nature and the climate that needs our leaders’ attention.

Here are some of the most important things our governments need to do:

Transition away from oil and gas production and support workers with secure green jobs. The UK already has an energy workforce with the knowledge and experience needed to transform the sector to clean power, many of whom are keen to retrain and work in renewables.

Roll out a plan for 100% renewable energy. This will create jobs in wind, solar, tidal power and other technologies to support the rollout, such as batteries and energy saving apps.

Invest in a world-leading public transport system, rather than new roads. Better transport options will improve countless lives across the country, making our air cleaner and streets safer.

Invest in warm and sustainable homes. These investments wouldn’t just keep people warm through the winter – they would also create thousands of jobs, such as in home insulation.

Ramp up financial support for countries on the frontline of the climate crisis. The world won’t be safe unless every country rolls out green solutions. High-emitting rich countries owe it to the poorest countries that are least responsible for climate change to help them to adapt and transition.

Stop food giants destroying forests and nature. Deforestation – particularly for industrial meat – is one of the major causes of climate change. Ending polluting corporate behaviour, eating less meat, reducing food waste and producing local sustainable food are all vital solutions.

Put ambitious targets in law to protect the environment. The value of nature in helping to absorb carbon is immense, and it is also vital to protect precious wildlife and natural landscapes that many of us treasure. And as the pandemic has shown, protecting nature better protects people.

Stop destructive fishing depleting our seas. As a huge store of carbon, a healthy global ocean is one of our last defences against climate change. To keep it healthy, we need at least 30% of the ocean in protected areas and destructive overfishing eliminated from the rest.

Reduce plastic production and ban exporting our plastic waste abroad. Single-use plastic, fast fashion and other plastic-heavy sectors must be regulated properly by the government to reduce the amount of waste we create in the first place.

Require the finance system and all government spending to support, rather than work against, action for the climate and nature.

Every country needs to do everything in its power now to cut emissions and protect nature. But the UK has real power on the world stage to do more than most – not just in terms of plans at home, but influence abroad too.

Make no mistake, even 1.5ºC of global warming is too much. But limiting warming to even 2ºC is still better than doing nothing. The more global warming and environmental breakdown is contained, the more the damage can be reduced across the world, and the greater the chance of a safe, fair and green future.

Let’s work together over the next year to hold the government to account, and create a better world for everyone.

Even if we all do one small change to our daily lives will make a big difference to our planet.  

 Happy New Year

 The blog song for today is "Shine on you crazy diamond" by Pink Floyd

TTFN