Osborne Clarke - UK’s Post

A “win-win” for both nature and housing in a final resolution of the nutrient neutrality issue? In a letter to nature conservation organisations, Secretary of State Angela Rayner has pledged to balance protecting the environment in a “win-win” for nature and housing. Lawrence Turner, Director in Boyer’s Bristol office is quoted in this Property Week story, and his full quote appears below. “The Labour Government has proposed changes to environmental protections in order to unblock 160,000 homes that have been put on hold due to current rules regarding nutrient neutrality near rivers. Ministers Angela Rayner and Steve Reed have acknowledged the need for a new approach, stating that the current rules are not working effectively. “Under the proposed model, developers would be allowed to begin construction on housing projects that increase phosphates or nitrates in river catchments, with the understanding that mitigations will be agreed upon and implemented during the construction phase rather than developers having to fund or introduce complicated and often prohibitively costly mitigation themselves for agreement before planning permission is granted. This new approach aims to speed up development without compromising environmental protections. “Labour has emphasised the importance of proper consultation with environmental groups in order to ensure that the changes to the nutrient neutrality rules achieve the desired outcomes of both enabling development and supporting nature recovery. The proposed changes are expected to be included in the planning bill announced in the recent King’s Speech and Labour ministers are hopeful that this will kickstart the stalled housing projects. “While the Conservatives may accuse Labour of hypocrisy, having previously vetoed similar Conservative plans in the House of Lords, Labour ministers say they are confident that they can find a "win-win" solution for both home building and environmental conservation. The introduction of legislation is the most effective way of dealing with the phosphate issue and the proposed changes reflect Labour's commitment to kickstarting the economy through a housebuilding boom.   “Many of our housebuilder clients will now be able to begin the preparation of planning applications for future phases of development and construct and sell homes. This is something they haven't been able to do up until now as either the mitigation wasn't available or it was too expensive to ensure the schemes remained viable. This will mean that more developers will have the confidence to be able to progress development sites and acquire new land, building more homes more quickly.”   #NutrientNeutrality #PlanningInfrastructureBill #EnvironmentalProtections #Developers #Housing #Planning #Homes

Honest conversation today exploring the critical topic of climate change and its impact on Latino communities across the U.S., from California to New York. Thank you to our speakers Francisco Sanchez of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Ron Pierce, Director at the U.S. Department of Energy, OSDBU, Lisette Perez, National Environmental Youth Advisory Council US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Andrea Delgado, MPAP, Chief of Staff, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment USDA, and The Honorable Jeffrey Prieto, General Counsel of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their insightful contributions in addressing the urgent need for mitigation efforts, emphasizing how prolonged inaction disproportionately impacts Latinos, and outlining what we can do to confront these challenges. #ClimateChange #LatinoCommunities #Sustainability #EnvironmentalJustice #LULAC24

Investing in trees is one of the most important things a city can do; however, it's critical to do more than just plant them. Proper species selection, site preparation, planting, and after-care are all extremely important to the longterm success and health of the tree if it's ever to reach it's full potential.

Is this the beginning of the end of Nutrient Neutrality….? The Labour Party led Government have initiated a….”new approach to how housing and infrastructure development can meet its environmental obligations and contribute to nature recovery. The government wants to accelerate development while going beyond simply offsetting harm to unlock the positive impact this development can have in driving nature recovery. This new approach would use funding from development to deliver environmental improvements at a scale which will have the greatest impact – moving us from an unacceptable status quo that can hold up development without improving nature, to a win-win for both….. If taken forward, the government would use the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make the necessary legislative changes to establish a more efficient and effective way for Habitats Regulations and other environmental obligations to be discharged, pooling individual contributions to deliver the strategic interventions necessary to drive nature recovery.” https://lnkd.in/eFVKYGYf #SustainabilityLeadership SDG 8, 11, 13, 14 & 15

Environmental justice isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s a civil rights issue. But environmental justice issues have often been left out of the Earth Day conversation, despite the fact that divested communities disproportionately experience the impacts of climate change. This #EarthDay, we’re celebrating our partners—the Black- and brown-led organizations who are leading the fight against climate change and systemic racism in their communities. Learn more about the intersection of Earth Day and civil rights at https://bit.ly/3NWyTow #EarthDay2024 #environmentaljustice #climatechange #equity

‘These networks allow us to spread information, share our experiences and create strategies to help us defend our collective rights. It not only strengthens solidarity between communities, but also helps us mobilize and construct joint responses and demands in the face of the threats and injustices we face.’ While we wait for states to act on environmental protection and to implement existing mechanisms like the Escazú Agreement and goals set at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, regional autonomous alliances like BILM are crucial for pushing this agenda forward and ensuring that strategies come from the grassroots. But without dedicated state protection, these actors’ lives and livelihoods are on the line. How real action on environmental justice comes from Latin America’s community alliances, by me and Eliana Lafone for Mongabay. https://lnkd.in/gBQknY7u

🔵 A safe #climate is a critical part of our right to healthy environment. By incorporating environmental rights, the Scottish Human Rights Bill must strengthen efforts to cut emissions & protect our only home on this planet. Throughout this week, we have been spotlighting substantive environmental rights. For more details & a look into enforcement mechanisms, check out our report 👇🏽 https://lnkd.in/dVVVtKsf

What Waste Management of NY has to say about the NY #GreenAmendment. After watching this video, if you are from NY, please take a moment to sign the letter in defense of your environmental rights: https://lnkd.in/egycDmCh 

🔹New polling shows that while 70% of US adults support environmental justice, only 22% are aware of federal efforts to advance it🔹 A new polling brief from the AAMC Center for Health Justice shows strong bipartisan awareness of environmental hazards & support for the goal of #environmentaljustice (EJ). At the same time, US adults are unaware of federal initiatives like #Justice40 that seek to ensure “… the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” We also found that policies to promote environmental justice are largely popular, even across ideological divisions, pointing to the need for EJ champions to increase awareness of & #communityengagement in popular federal actions that aim to ensure all communities benefit from a thriving natural world. Read the brief here: https://lnkd.in/eAYM3-Eh #healthequity #healthjustice #environment

New polling should be a “wake-up call” for the WA Government, whose “anti-nature lobbying has been a massive betrayal of the significant majority of West Australians who love WA's incredible natural environment and want stronger laws to protect it" says Jess Beckerling, Conservation Council of WA executive director. The survey results clearly show that most West Australians want environmental protections strengthened, proper assessment of climate impacts prior to project approvals, and creation of an independent federal environmental regulator. You can read The Canberra Times' article for more here: https://lnkd.in/e3xD9_Mk Back the call to defend WA’s forests and other incredible ecosystems under threat. Tell the Premier to listen to the majority of West Australian voters who want action to protect nature and reduce carbon emissions now at bit.ly/defend-was-nature