friends of the earth

Cuadrilla has started drilling at a fracking site in Lancashire. The pilot well will be drilled 3,500 metres deep and samples will be taken at various levels within the shale rock to decide where best to drill the horizontal wells. The first two horizontal wells will be drilled at depths of between 2,000 metres and 3,500 […]

Green campaigners have vowed to fight a proposed waste and biomass plant in Pembrokeshire. Friends of the Earth have launched a campaign against Egnedol’s planned experimental gasification plant in Milford Haven. The group says the technology is unproven and all attempts to implement it in the UK to date have failed. It has serious concerns […]

Britain’s advertising regulator has told an environmental group to withdraw an anti-fracking leaflet. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) told Friends of the Earth (FOE) its claims about the effects of fracking are not backed up with evidence and shouldn’t be repeated. It said the green group agreed to withdraw the advertising without the need for a […]

A green campaign group has reportedly made a series of unsubstantiated claims about the impact of fracking. The Times claims the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a draft ruling that Friends of the Earth failed to back up potentially misleading claims that fracking could cause cancer, contaminate water supplies, increase asthma rates and send house […]

North Yorkshire County Council’s decision to allow fracking in the region is “unlawful”. That’s according to green campaigners at Friends of the Earth, who have sent a “pre-action” letter to the council explaining they believe the climate change impacts of extracting shale gas have not been considered. The environmental group said it may seek judicial […]

Environmental activists dumped a tonne of coal outside the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in Westminster today. Friends of the Earth is urging the government to “leave fossil fuels in the ground”, claiming almost 10,000 supporters signed its petition. The organisation is also calling on energy ministers to make a “simple change” to […]

Chancellor George Osborne’s Spending Review announced earlier this week has been welcomed by some in the energy sector but others feel he has taken a step back. The energy intensive industry described his announcement as “positive news” as it will be exempt from green taxes. Jeremy Nicholson, Director at the Energy Intensive Users Group told ELN: “It doesn’t […]

The UK Government will face a legal challenge if it fails to put in place a “credible plan” for meeting renewable targets, Friends of the Earth has warned. The environmental group will send a “formal letter” to Energy Secretary Amber Rudd this week expressing its concerns. A spokesperson told ELN it will take action depending […]

The government’s decision to fast-track fracking applications could leave local residents with “virtually no say” on shale gas exploration in their area. That’s according to Daisy Sands, Greenpeace Head of Energy. She said: “Local residents could end up with virtually no say over whether their homes, communities and national parks are fracked or not. The decision was made in a […]

The London Heathrow Airport expansion could have “the worst outcome for the environment”. WWF-UK made the comment after the Airports Commission recommended a new runway. Chief Executive David Nussbaum said: “It would lead to the greatest increases in noise, in air pollution and in climate-damaging CO2 emissions. It will not make Britain more prosperous but […]