News UK January 2009

*Only 39 per cent of people feel they can influence decisions affecting their local area. 22 per cent feel they could influence decisions affecting Great Britain, January 29 Communities and Local Government, January 29 Both measures remain unchanged since 2007/08 but both have fallen since 2001.These findings come from the Citizenship Survey: April - September 2008 (covering the first two quarters of data from the 2008-09 survey). topic
*Euro Commission launches legal case against UK for breach of EU air quality law, January 29 Caroline Lucas MEP, January 29 Green MEP for the South East and Leader of the Green Party, Dr Caroline Lucas, has called the Commission’s decision "a shameful indictment of the Government’s misguided and irresponsible commitment to aviation expansion and coal-fired power". topic
*Campaigners lose eco towns appeal, January 27 BBC News, January 27 Campaigners have lost a High Court challenge to the government's plans to build as many as 10 "eco-towns".
*NHS unveils plans to slash its carbon footprint, January 27 Department of Health, January 27 topic
*Environmental study recommends there's scope for between 5,000 and 7,000 more offshore wind turbines, enough to power the equivalent of almost all the homes in the UK and make a massive contribution to renewable energy targets, January 26 Department of Energy and Climate Change, January 26 topic
*UK 13th in new National Accounts of Well-being for Europe, January 24 nef, January 24 topic
*Online activism leads to important transparency victory, January 22 The Open Rights Group, January 22 A legislative proposal to exempt MPs’ expenses from the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act has been hastily withdrawn, with the media reporting cross-party support dissolved in the face of mass public outcry. topic
*Government drops £5bn motorway widening plans, January 18 Campaign for Better Transport, January 18 topic
*More than 10,000 people from across the world have already signed up to be beneficial owners of land earmarked by the Government for Heathrow third runway, January 14 Greenpeace, January 14 Greenpeace executive director John Sauven comments: "This new runway cannot and will not be built. If it's a green light it will shred the last vestiges of Brown's environmental credibility. An expanded Heathrow would become the single biggest emitter of in Britain. Labour MPs will lose seats over this as the anti-runway movement grows and grows. We'll fight it every step of the way because the lives of millions of people depend on us all slashing carbon emissions." topic, topic 
*Celebs and green campaigners buy Heathrow runway site from under ministers' noses, January 13 Greenpeace, January 13 topic, topic 
References
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Category:Air Pollution