With just 13 days left until the start of the highly anticipated Copenhagen negotiations – which sees 192 countries gather together to decide the fate of the planet – these adverts offer a stark message for any climate change skeptics.

Energy and Climate Change Minister, Joan Ruddock, said;

“These posters will be appearing in streets across England, bringing the issue of climate change to our doorsteps. With just 13 days before the crucial Copenhagen talks begin it is essential that we are all informed and aware of the threats posed to us by serious climate change.

“Climate change is not just a problem affecting distant countries into the future; it is here, it is happening and it affects each and every one of us.

“Our new Act on C02 campaign shows how serious it is, but it also shows that we can all do something about it.”

These outdoor posters follow the broadcast adverts with which the Government wants to educate people on the dangers of climate change. In the broadcast advert currently running on national tv, the Government makes its first ever direct public information announcement confirming the existence of climate change as a consequence of human activities.

Source: Department of Energy and Climate Change

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The pool frog has a long British history, with archaeological investigations revealing evidence from around 1000AD, with pool frog remains found around old Saxon sites in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. However the last pool frog died in the 1990s after its populations declined to just one site in Norfolk.

A partnership led by Natural England and The Herpetological Conservation Trust helped reintroduce the pool frog to a secret site in Norfolk three years ago, where targeted habitat restoration has produced ideal conditions. Frogs were imported from Sweden under special permission.

Joan Ruddock said:

“Working in harmony with nature is becoming more and more important as increasing demands are made on our environment. The UK’s native species need our support, and I hope today’s announcement will help give the pool frog a secure future.”

Natural England’s amphibian specialist, Jim Foster, said: “It is vitally important to have this kind of protection in place for the pool frog before we could consider reintroducing them to new ponds in other parts of East Anglia.

“Early signs are encouraging that the pool frogs are settling in to the current release site. However, it will be several years before we can confidently assess the success of this reintroduction.”

Source: Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs

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Publishing progress reports on Sustainable Products and Materials and the Waste Strategy, Ms Ruddock said that the Government and industry were working together to green the whole life cycle of products and services – from the raw materials right through to their use and disposal.

Joan Ruddock said:

“We know people are concerned about their effect on the environment, but they don’t get to see the full picture of what goes into producing the goods they buy – and they don’t see what happens after they’ve thrown them away.

“It needs to be easier for people to buy products that will save them money and reduce their impact on the environment – and that’s exactly what we’re doing. There are real savings to be made – through this action to green the products and materials we use, UK households could save £5 billion a year on their bills.

“Many businesses are already taking positive steps to reduce the environmental impact of their products, and are seeing the real benefits this can have, both for them and their customers. But as fuel prices rise, commodities become scarcer, and families are feeling the pinch, it becomes ever more important for businesses to use resources more efficiently throughout the supply chain, those that don’t will miss out on potential savings, as well as big opportunities for growth.”

The Sustainable Products and Materials report details, for the first time, the action already underway on making products and materials more sustainable throughout their production, use and disposal, across a wide range of products groups including food, electrical appliances and clothing.

Significant achievements to date include:

* The piloting of Product Roadmaps, which aim to improve the environmental performance of ten priority products across their life cycles;

* Progress towards saving enough energy to power 1.5 million homes by improving the efficiency of some of the biggest energy using products – set top boxes, external power supply units (such as for laptops, mobile phones, and printers), fridges, washing machines, and dishwashers;

* An initiative with retailers to take inefficient light bulbs off the shelves by 2011;

* Half of all milk packaging to be made from recycled materials by 2020;

* Government is setting an example for business through our “Buy Sustainable – Quick Wins workstream.” This tightens minimum standards for public sector procurement. For example most paper used in Government offices must have 100% recycled content and, where non-recycled content is allowed, any virgin fiber used must be sourced from a sustainably managed forest;

* Developing the PAS2050, a recognized standard which enables businesses to measure CO2 emissions across the life-cycle of products;

* Leading in Europe to bring the energy used by all standby devices sold in the EU down to 1 watt – and to halve that again in four years after that standard is adopted.

The report also sets out a vision for future work on making products more sustainable, and encourages further debate and discussion on how this can be achieved.

* UK households could save £5 billion per year from cost-effective energy efficiency improvements to products.

* Savings from not wasting so much food could be around £420 for the average UK household. And for households with children it’s even more – £610 a year.

* We are confident that with today’s technology for metering, tariffs and water efficiency, per capita consumption of water can be reduced through cost effective measures, to an average of 130 liters per person per day by 2030. We hope that developments in new technology and future innovation will improve the cost-effectiveness of these measures over time and this can drive consumption down further to an average of 120 liters per person per day by 2030.

* Energy saving light bulbs can reduce lighting costs by up to £100 over the lifetime of the bulb.

* Initiatives such as moves by major retailers to reduce environmental impacts demonstrate that resource efficiency is beginning to be seen as a business opportunity.

The Government is also publishing the “Policy Analysis and Projections 2008″ report which sets out our vision and trajectories for improvement of efficiency of a range of energy-using products including light bulbs, refrigerators, boilers and consumer electronics till 2020 as well as the evidence underpinning our assessment and challenges to industry for the scale of those improvements.

A summary of progress made since the publication in May 2007 of the Waste Strategy is also published today.

It shows good progress in the main indicators, covering waste growth, recycling and diversion from landfill:

* There is a fall in the amount of household waste produced per person which is not re-used, recycled, or composted;

* Household recycling rates have continued to increase. Early indications are that the national average has risen in the first part of 2007/08 to 33%;

* The amount of commercial and industrial waste being sent to landfill has continued to fall;

* More energy is being recovered from waste; and

* Less biodegradable waste is being sent to landfill.

Further work is needed to identify whether an increase in reports of fly tipping incidents represents an increase in fly tipping activity, or whether it reflects continued improvement in the levels of information local authorities provide to the Fly Capture national database. The forecast for 2007/08 anticipates a decrease in fly tipping levels.

Source: Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs

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Speaking following the conclusion of the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties in Bonn, Joan Ruddock said:

“To conserve the world’s biodiversity we need to work together internationally and it is encouraging that so many nations have demonstrated their commitment to conserving the world’s wildlife through the agreements we have reached this week.

“The agreement to put in place the ways and means to develop an international sustainability standard for biofuels is a positive step forward, and I look forward to working with our international partners to ensure that we reach agreement on this. The UK has been pressing for a sustainability standard on biofuels and will continue to do so.

“A number of other agreements reached this week are also very encouraging. The adoption of the criteria by which international marine protected areas will be designated is welcome and will move us closer to giving our valuable marine life the protection it needs.

“However, we cannot be complacent. The world’s natural resources cut across national boundaries and the UK will continue to press for international action to ensure that we protect them for all of us in the future.”

Other agreements reached at the Conference of the Parties include:

* An indefinite moratorium has been agreed on dumping nutrients such as iron and nitrogen into the oceans to promote the growth of phytoplankton and absorb excess carbon dioxide, with the exception of scientific studies looking at the efficiency of ocean seeding.

* A detailed road map has been agreed that will lead to an international regime by 2010 to ensure that people in developing countries benefit from discoveries using their rich biodiversity and genetic resources.

Source: Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs

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The re-use yard, run by the Charities Advisory Trust, opens its doors today to find new homes for flower show materials which are not otherwise recycled.

Exhibitors dismantling their sites have been depositing materials with the yard, based at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show site, since the end of the Show on Saturday. For the next eight days, groups will visit the yard by prior arrangement to collect materials including flower-pots, wood and stones.

Environment Minister Joan Ruddock, who visited the yard today, commended this practical approach to re-using materials.

“The re-use yard reflects people’s growing interest in re-use and recycling. As a frequent Chelsea visitor myself I’ve often wondered what happened to all the ‘hardware’ left after the plant sales ended. This is the ideal solution.

The scale of Chelsea means lots of communities will benefit. I hope the partnership between the RHS and the CAT will become a permanent feature.”

Charities Advisory Trust Director Hilary Blume identified the possibilities for the yard when she saw the opportunities for surplus materials which could be put to use by community groups.

‘The Trust knew these materials could be re-used, so we came up with a simple solution which provides groups like city farms, schools community projects with gardening materials. And it’s also convenient for exhibitors dismantling their sites.’

‘The Trust has made a commitment to clear the yard of materials so has arranged with Enviroworks Lewisham and the National Community Wood Recycling Project that they will scoop up all leftovers, to use on their projects. A win/win solution”.

Source: DEFRA

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