Climate Change

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A long-running attempt to develop an oilfield at Horse Hill in Surrey has entered a new phase after the company that spent years pursuing the project sold its interests for £1m, while the new owners have renewed efforts to secure planning permission for oil extraction. The sale marks a sharp change in the fortunes of the Horse Hill...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Mayors and other local political leaders could be given greater powers to oversee water companies under proposals being considered by the UK government, potentially giving regional authorities a stronger role in decisions about investment, customer bills and environmental performance. The proposals form part of a wider debate about how the water industry should be governed and regulated, following...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online People defending forests, rivers and Indigenous territories are facing continuing threats of violence, intimidation and murder, with communities in several countries increasingly organising local protection groups as criminal networks move deeper into environmentally sensitive areas. A new assessment cited by the independent watchdog Global Witness says 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025, equivalent to roughly...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Britain’s already deteriorating road network could face further damage in the coming months as the effects of an exceptionally hot summer combine with the legacy of a wet winter, according to warnings from the RAC and road-surface specialists. The organisations say motorists should prepare for more potholes as prolonged heat and intense ultraviolet radiation weaken asphalt surfaces, leaving...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online The UK government’s plans to expand Heathrow Airport have come under renewed scrutiny after the independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) said any expansion should be accompanied by measures requiring airlines to fully address their carbon emissions. In advice published on 16 September, the committee said Heathrow could not be expanded consistently with the UK’s carbon budgets and net-zero...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Britain has experienced one of its strongest butterfly seasons in recent years, with record-breaking heat and prolonged periods of sunshine helping adult butterflies flourish across much of the country. The 2026 Big Butterfly Count recorded almost 1.4 million butterflies and day-flying moths, making the season the second-best recorded in the 16-year history of the national survey. The results...

Published: 15 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The North Sea oil and gas industry is urging the Labour government to bring forward the replacement of its windfall tax on fossil fuel companies, arguing that an earlier change could unlock billions of pounds in investment, protect industrial jobs and strengthen Britain’s energy security. Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the trade body representing the sector, wants the existing...

Published: 15 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population before European colonisation may have been dramatically larger than previously estimated, according to new research that suggests the demographic consequences of colonisation were far more devastating than earlier historical assessments indicated. A new study by researchers from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The rapid expansion of the artificial intelligence industry is driving a new wave of demand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS or “forever chemicals”, raising concerns among environmental campaigners about the long-term consequences for human health and the planet. A campaign organisation has warned that major PFAS manufacturers are preparing to expand production as AI-related...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Thames Water has revised plans for a major reservoir in Oxfordshire as the struggling water company attempts to move forward with one of the largest water infrastructure projects ever proposed in the south-east of England, despite strong opposition from local councils, residents and campaigners. The White Horse reservoir, planned near Abingdon, is designed to hold around 150 billion...