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NEW YEAR CHEER: 20 GREEN VICTORIES FROM 1997

31st Dec 1997

Friends of the Earth is celebrating the New Year with a list of “20 green victories” from 1997. They include:

• defeat of the planned Nirex nuclear waste depository, the first time the UK nuclear industry has ever lost a public inquiry
• the Road Traffic Reduction Act, which requires local authorities to set targets for reductions in traffic levels and draw up plans to achieve the target.
• the stop order on Offham Down. The new Labour Government has announced a formal review of the protection and management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest
• stopping the Salisbury Bypass, a victory for Salisbury FOE's campaign which has run for 12 years
• pressure on Labour to keep its commitment to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2010 to combat dangerous climate change. The UK Government played a key role at the Kyoto Conference in securing a legally binding agreement on greenhouse gas emissions.
  

Commenting, FOE Director Charles Secrett said:

“1997 was a good year for FOE and for the environmental movement. We have won many victories, and continue to fight many important battles. In 1998 we will be looking to our Government to introduce truly green policies in the Budget,and on public transport and car use. We will be working hard to pass the Road Traffic Reduction Bill through Parliament. We will be fighting to protect our wildlife and our green space, and campaigning against pollution and environmental destruction. The future of our country and our planet is green,and Friends of the Earth will help lead the way to that future. We invite all who care for our common home to join us”.

1. A complete moratorium on old-growth logging in Scandinavia has not been achieved but there have been several partial victories including the stopping in February of the logging of one of the most valuable old mountain forests in Sweden, Njakafjall.
   
2. In March the Government threw the nuclear industry into shock when it rejected their plans to begin building a nuclear waste dump at Sellafield. This major FOE success - which was achieved after 5 years of in-depth FOE research - has major implications for BNFL's plans to carry on importing nuclear wastes from overseas.
3. Following intense lobbying the Road Traffic Reduction Act was passed in March. The Act, which was promoted by FOE, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru, had been taken up by Don Foster, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bath. It requires local authorities to set targets for reductions in traffic levels or the restraint of traffic growth in their area, and draw up a plan for the achievement of their target.
4. FOE convinced the main political parties to produce the greenest election manifestoes ever and brought the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat spokesmen for the environment together at a press conference in April. This was the only occasion during the election when specialist spokesmen from the three parties shared a platform.
5. Offham Down and Offham Marshes Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) on the South Downs were both saved from damage following FOE and local community campaigning in April and September. The new Labour Government has announced a formal review of the protection and management of SSSIs and Michael Meacher, Minister for the Environment, has stated that he would like to see a Government wildlife bill in the next Queen's Speech.
6. FOE pressure on the Government over the amount of water being pumped out of rivers resulted in a review in May of the legal regime governing water abstraction by water companies.
   
7. In June, following lobbying by FOE, the new Environment Minister, Michael Meacher reversed the previous Government's policy and voted to improve fuel quality across Europe by reducing the maximum level of sulphur allowed in petrol and diesel. This will come into effect from 2000 and reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and small particles which are estimated to kill 10,000 -11,000 people in the UK each year.
   
8. In July, the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, scrapped plans for the Salisbury Bypass,following pressure from FOE and other environmental groups. He also cut two road projects in Ealing but gave the go-ahead to the controversial Birmingham Northern Relief Road and four other projects at the same time.
   
9. Magheramorne, an important site for wildlife in Northern Ireland listed under the EU Habitats Directive and Birds Directive, was saved from the threat of Europe's largest landfill site in July by FOE Northern Ireland working with local people.
10. BNFL suffered another blow in July when it was forced to abandon plans to increase discharges of radioactive tritium - although they still plan to increase discharges of deadly radioactive iodine which contaminates local milk supplies.
    
11. Negative media coverage internationally about the Bakun Dam in Malaysia led to the cancellation of the proposed share option in September. The consequent lack of funds contributed to the postponement of the dam project which was due to flood 69,000 hectares of land.
    
12. National Power caved in to a FOE campaign in September to stop them burning orimulsion - 'the dirtiest fuel in the world' - at Pembroke Power Station.
    
13. Shell was pressured into making a ground-breaking statement in November supporting precautionary action on climate change and, most significantly, targets for emissions reductions at the Kyoto Climate Summit. This represented a major departure from the oil industry consensus.
    
14. A campaign by FOE and other conservationists to secure protection for Thorne and Hatfield Moors SSSI[s] achieved wide support and forced English Nature to back down in November over proposals to remove legal protection from large parts of the sites.
    
15. After a decade of pressure from FOE the new Labour Government started, in November, the process towards taxing polluters who discharge to rivers and seas as well as taxing pesticides and fertilizers that contaminate drinking water.
    
16. The Government gave way to direct pressure from FOE when it committed itself in November to reducing VAT to 5 per cent on energy saving materials used in Government supported insulation schemes. The Chancellor also promised to work in Europe to win a wider reduction in VAT on energy saving materials.
17. The Treasury moved towards accepting that 'green taxes' are good for the economy and the environment in November by considering a tax on virgin aggregates as well as penalising company cars.
18. In December, 7 large forest companies signed up to a moratorium on logging timber from old-growth forests in Russian Karelia
19. The Government's White Paper on Freedom of Access to Information, published in December,concedes many points that have been the subject of FOE lobbying including the 'Information Commissioner'.
    
20. Prior to the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change in December the Government was pressured into adopting, and maintaining, a commitment to cut discharges of carbon dioxide by 20 per cent by 2010 to combat dangerous climate change. The Government went on to play a leading role at the Conference and was instrumental in securing a legally binding agreement on reducing emissions of the gases that cause climate change.
    

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